Restaurant Inventory
Restaurant Inventory Units: Cases and Packs Explained
Learn the difference between the unit you purchase an item in and the unit your team counts — and how to convert between them when ordering.
Restaurants buy inventory in the units vendors sell — often cases or packs. Staff usually count what they can see on the shelf — individual bags, bottles, or packages. Those two units are not always the same, and mixing them up is one of the most common sources of ordering mistakes.
This guide explains the distinction and walks through a simple conversion example you can apply on your next count.
Purchase unit vs count unit
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase / order unit | The unit you buy from the vendor | Cases |
| Count unit | The unit your team physically counts | Packages |
| Conversion | How many count units are in one order unit | 1 case = 6 packages |
A restaurant may purchase beef by the case while employees count the individual packages remaining inside those cases. Both numbers are useful — one for ordering, one for daily operations — as long as you convert correctly between them.
A practical conversion example
Suppose your restaurant:
- Purchases an item in cases
- Counts that item in packages
- Has a conversion of 1 case = 6 packages
- Currently has 11 packages on hand
- Maintains a par level of 24 packages
Calculate how much to order:
- Quantity needed in count units:
24 − 11 = 13 packages - Convert to order units:
13 ÷ 6 = 2.17 cases - Round up to a whole case: order 3 cases
Cases usually cannot be ordered fractionally, so round up to cover your par.
Needed packages: 24 - 11 = 13
Cases to order: 13 / 6 ≈ 2.17 → order 3 cases
Why this matters for par levels
If your par is stored in packages but your order guide is in cases, someone will eventually order the wrong amount. Put the conversion on the product itself (or on your count sheet) so the person counting does not have to remember it.
For a deeper look at setting those targets, start by documenting conversion factors for your highest-volume items, then build par levels into your regular count routine.
Checklist for your inventory list
- Decide the order unit for each product (what you buy)
- Decide the count unit for each product (what you count)
- Record how many count units are in one order unit
- Train staff to enter counts in the count unit only
- Convert to order units when building the purchase order
Getting units right is unglamorous work, but it is the foundation for accurate counts, cleaner purchase orders, and fewer emergency runs to the vendor.