# Restaurant par levels: order for lead time, shelf life and pack size

Calculate a restaurant stock target, test shortages before delivery and check pack-size excess with a worked example and downloadable par-level worksheet.

> Define whether your par is a reorder trigger or an order-up-to target. For a periodic review, cover demand through supplier lead time and the next review, add an explicit buffer, then deduct usable stock and timely confirmed receipts. Check expiry and pack rounding before approving the order.

Kivloo editorial team · 2026-11-09T19:16:24.962Z

## Define the stock rule before using a formula

A par sheet is only useful when everyone uses the same definition. A reorder point asks when to act. An order-up-to target asks how much inventory position to restore at a scheduled review. Writing one number beside an ingredient without the review date, base unit and delivery cutoff makes those different decisions look identical. Here we use a periodic review with an order-up-to target.

For constant daily use D, lead time L, review interval R and a separately chosen buffer B, a starting target is D × (L + R) + B. Inventory position here means usable on-hand stock plus confirmed incoming stock available within the relevant period, less any separately reserved demand not already in D. With variable demand, replace the average with dated daily quantities. This arithmetic is a planning approximation, not an expiry-aware simulation.

[MarketMan · Inventory par levels](https://www.marketman.com/page/how-to-calculate-restaurant-inventory-par-levels)

## Count what the kitchen can actually use

Count in the recipe or purchasing base unit, such as kilograms rather than a mix of tubs and cases. Separate held, expired and otherwise unavailable lots from usable stock. Record expiry by lot and check that each lot survives until its planned use. BCcampus describes physical counts, inventory records and par-based ordering; a recent count is still needed when the theoretical balance looks comfortable.

Record the promised arrival time and remaining accepted quantity of every confirmed order. Do not subtract a draft order, an unconfirmed supplier promise or a delivery arriving after the shortage. Account for a reservation only once: either reduce available stock or include it in demand.

[BCcampus · Basic Inventory Procedures](https://opentextbc.ca/basickitchenandfoodservicemanagement/chapter/basic-inventory-procedures/)

## Example record and review decision

This is a fictional planning example, not a food-safety shelf-life recommendation. Daily use is 4 kg, lead time is two days, review interval is three days and the manager chooses a 4 kg buffer. Counted stock is 15 kg, including 3 kg on hold, so usable stock is 12 kg. No other delivery is confirmed. The starting target is 4 × (2 + 3) + 4 = 24 kg. The net requirement is 24 − 12 = 12 kg.

The supplier sells 5 kg packs. Rounding 12 kg upward gives three packs, or 15 kg: 3 kg above the net requirement. Before delivery, two days consume 8 kg and leave 4 kg usable. Immediately after delivery, stock is 4 + 15 = 19 kg. After the following three days consume 12 kg, the balance is 7 kg, provided the lots remain usable: the 4 kg buffer plus 3 kg of pack excess.

## Test expiry before treating the buffer as protection

Now change one assumption: the incoming lot can be used for only two trading days including arrival day. Assume the 4 kg carried into arrival expires at the end of that day and is used first. The kitchen consumes 8 kg over those two days: 4 kg from the old lot and 4 kg from the new lot. Of the 15 kg received, 11 kg remains at the new lot’s expiry cutoff. That is a projected expiry exposure, not a booked waste transaction.

Do not resolve this by quietly extending a use-by date or releasing held stock. Ask about a smaller pack, an earlier or split delivery, a suitable alternative, or an approved change to the menu and demand plan. Recalculate against the actual lot dates and receiving cutoff. The downloadable worksheet keeps the baseline and the short-life stress case separate.

## An order cannot repair a shortage that happens before it arrives

In a second stress case, keep the same demand and lead time but count only 6 kg, of which 3 kg is on hold. Usable stock is 3 kg against 8 kg of demand before delivery: a 5 kg gap. Increasing the normal two-day order does not fill that earlier gap. An authorized transfer, earlier confirmed receipt or revised service plan needs its own owner and deadline.

Review the worst day, not just the end-of-week total. A closed delivery day, supplier cutoff or an event can make a constant average unsuitable. Record the proposed action and confirm it with the responsible person before changing the order.

## Use the worksheet and keep a review trail

Download the CSV and retain its worked baseline and two stress rows. Duplicate the blank row for each ingredient and site. Enter the count time, base unit, daily use, lead time, review interval, buffer, held quantity, pack size and lot dates. The file contains plain values rather than automatic formulas: recalculate after editing. Its example assumes no incoming delivery; use a dated lot schedule when receipts or demand vary.

At the next review compare planned use, actual use, accepted receipts and expired quantities. Write the reason for any buffer change and a next-review date. A buffer is a management assumption to evaluate, not a universal percentage or a guarantee against running out.

## Try the decision with your own procurement data

Kivloo’s procurement beta uses recorded demand, usable lots, approved incoming orders, lead time, review interval, shelf life and supplier packs to suggest a purchase. Its code simulates dated consumption and expiry and shows pre-arrival shortage and possible excess warnings. This guide’s simplified worksheet is a manual decision aid; it does not reproduce every product rule.

Set up an item and supplier offer on the web, enter a verified count and demand history, then inspect the suggestion and its warnings before approving. An active connection and web setup are required. Approval is internal; arrange supplier dispatch separately. Forecasts and recommendations depend on complete, current data and do not establish guaranteed savings.

[Restaurant procurement software: what to test before you buy](https://kivloo.com/en/guides/restaurant-procurement-software)

[Restaurant food cost calculator: stock, transfers and sales](https://kivloo.com/en/guides/restaurant-food-cost-calculator)

[Restaurant supplier price comparison: delivered cost and usable yield](https://kivloo.com/en/guides/restaurant-supplier-price-comparison)

[Kivloo · Procurement beta](https://kivloo.com/features#mobile-procurement)

## Restaurant par levels

Worked baseline

| Usable now | Before arrival | Order | Pack excess |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 12 kg | 8 kg | 15 kg | 3 kg |

[Download par-level planning CSV](https://kivloo.com/worksheets/par-level-planning-en.csv)

## Is a par level the same as a reorder point?

Terminology varies. In this guide the order-up-to target covers lead time plus the review interval, while a reorder point is a trigger. Label the rule and time window on your own sheet.

## Should held stock reduce the order?

Exclude it from usable stock until an authorized release is recorded. Do not assume it will become available before demand.

## Does the CSV calculate automatically?

No. It contains worked values and a blank record. Recalculate quantities and check dated lot availability after changing inputs.

## Continue reading

- [Food batch traceability: connect deliveries, ingredients and finished products](https://kivloo.com/en/guides/food-batch-traceability-records)

- [Digital HACCP records: build a temperature log your team can actually use](https://kivloo.com/en/guides/digital-haccp-temperature-records)

- [Workplace safety inspections: turn findings into verified corrective actions](https://kivloo.com/en/guides/workplace-inspections-corrective-actions)

## Sources and further reading

- [BCcampus · Basic Inventory Procedures](https://opentextbc.ca/basickitchenandfoodservicemanagement/chapter/basic-inventory-procedures/)

- [MarketMan · Inventory par levels](https://www.marketman.com/page/how-to-calculate-restaurant-inventory-par-levels)

- [Kivloo · Procurement beta](https://kivloo.com/features#mobile-procurement)

Operational guidance, not a certification or a legal assessment. Adapt examples to your site, approved procedures and local requirements. Product links lead to the English website; this guide does not imply a fully translated application or verified hardware compatibility.

Canonical: https://kivloo.com/en/guides/restaurant-par-levels-lead-time-shelf-life