Inventory Restaurants: Par Level Ordering

Overview

Par levels are used to ensure that a certain stock level is maintained. This article explains how to set up and use par levels and par level ordering.

Par levels can be used in two ways. The basic setup is for a par level to be applied to a product so that it can be seen when that product is being ordered. This can be taken a step further, with the system suggesting the quantity to be ordered based on the applied par level and the stock on hand.

Setup - Global Settings

• Go to Setup and use the All Options drop-down
• Go to Company Admin > Global Settings
• Select Purchasing from the Module drop-down
• Expand ORG_GlobalSetting
• Apply the settings Show Par Level On Pending Order and Populate Order With ParLevel Deficit at the required Levels and select Save

If these Global Settings are not available, please liaise with your Fourth contact to have them enabled.

Adding a Par Level to a Product

The par level entered should be based on the unit size of the product, not the case size. For example, a par of 2.00 set against a drink that is delivered in cases of 24 bottles means a par level of 2 bottles, not 2 cases.

A par level does not have to be entered against every site or product. 

The unit size of a product can be found within the Master Data section - go to Master Data > search for and select a  Product and go to the General tab - see Fig.1

Fig.1 – Viewing the unit size of an ingredient

To enter a par level for the product:

• Go to the Stock Details tab > select an Organisation/Site (magnifying glass) and then Search
• Enter the Par Level(s) for the product relevant to the sites, and Save - see Fig.2

Fig.2 – Entering par levels against a product

Par Levels Visible During Purchasing

When the Global Setting Show Par Level On Pending Order” is enabled, an extra 'Par Level' column will display on the Purchasing screen. If a par level is set against a product it will appear in that column see Fig.3.

Fig.3 – Par Level column in purchasing screen

When the Global Setting Populate Order With ParLevel Deficit is enabled, the order will populate with the difference between the par level and stock on hand. For this reason it is important to ensure that stock movements are recorded daily.

If the product is supplied in a case containing multiple units then the 'Order' column will populate with the number of cases required. The quantity can be amended or deleted if required.

Fig.4 – Order populated with the par level deficit

Set up Par Level Tolerance - Global Settings

There is also functionality to set a par level tolerance. When purchasing a product that has a set par level with a tolerance, the system will pre-set the order amount as above, however the user will be able to amend this value to a different amount either side of this value within the set tolerance.

• Go to Setup and use the All Options drop-down
• Go to Company Admin > Global Settings
• Select Purchasing from the Module drop-down
• Expand ORG_GlobalSetting
• Apply the settings Enable Par Level Tolerance and set the Par Level Tolerance Percentage (only a whole number value will be accepted)
• Select Save

If these Global Settings are not available, please liaise with your Fourth contact to have them enabled.

In the example shown below in Fig.5, the Ingredient “Amaretto 700ml” has a par level of 15, and the current stock on hand is 9.22. Automatically, the order amount has been pre-populated with 6 to raise the stock level to Par.

Fig.5 – Pre-populated order amount of 6 based on a Par of 15 and 9.22 currently on hand

This product has been set with a 20% par level tolerance. It is possible to amend the order quantities by 20% each side of this pre-populated amount. Fig.6 shows the system not allowing a lower order amount to be entered based on these rules.

Fig.6 – System warning when an order amount outside tolerance is selected

Par Levels and the Ordering app

Par levels can also be used within the Ordering app to help guide toward the minimum order quantities needed per item, per site.

Please note: The Ordering app will not pre-populate the minimum order per item based on the set par level. This feature is only present within the core Inventory solution see Fig. 7.

Fig.7 – Par levels within the Ordering app