Notes for owners · Industry-Specific Software Guides
Who Records What in a Restaurant: Owner, Captain, Kitchen, Store and Cashier
Captains record orders and changes, and the kitchen marks tickets ready. The store records issues and wastage, the cashier settles bills and closes the shift, and the owner reviews the gaps. When each role owns its entry, food cost and collections can be read. GullySystem’s Restaurant Management System gives each role its own screen.
Ganesh HS, Strategy and Technology, GullySystem · · 3 min read
Captains and stewards own the order
Every record in the restaurant starts with the order. The captain punches items with portions and instructions against the table. Items added later in the meal join the same order.
Cancellations matter most here. A dish cancelled after the KOT has gone should carry a reason. Without it, a cancelled bill and a missing plate look the same.
The kitchen owns the ticket status
Each KOT reaches the station that cooks it, whether that is the tandoor, the main range or the beverage counter. The cook marks a dish ready. Service then stops walking in to ask.
The kitchen also flags items that have run out. Ticket times by station show where an evening slows. That is useful on a busy weekend.
The store owns issue, purchases and wastage
The store keeper issues vegetables, meat, oil and masalas against the kitchen’s indent for each shift. He records purchases as they arrive and checks the supplier’s rate against the agreed one. Spoiled or returned food goes into a wastage log with a reason.
This is the record that makes food cost readable. When recipe cards are linked to dishes, store issue can be read against what was sold. The gap is either wastage or something worse.
- Indent raised by the kitchen for each shift
- Quantity issued against that indent
- Purchases received, with the supplier’s rate
- Wastage by item and reason
The cashier owns settlement and the day close
The cashier settles each bill by cash, card, UPI or platform collection. Discounts carry a reason. Complimentary bills and voids carry the name of whoever approved them.
At the end of the shift, the cashier counts the drawer against the bills. Card slips, UPI credits and platform payouts are matched. The day closes only when they agree.
- Collections by cash, card, UPI and platform
- Discounts with a reason
- Complimentary bills and voids with the approver’s name
- Drawer count against bills
The owner owns the review
The owner does not need to enter much. His job is to read the gaps between the other records. A short weekly review covers sales by dish, store issue against dishes sold, discounts, cancellations and wastage.
Aggregator payouts deserve their own look. Compare each payout with the bills it covers. A short payment shows up order by order, and recovering it remains your claim with the platform.
Small outlets can keep this simple.
- Sales by dish and daypart
- Store issue against dishes sold
- Discounts, cancellations and complimentary bills
- Platform payouts against bills
Restaurant record ownership chart
A one-page chart with roles across the top and records down the side: order, KOT status, indent, issue, purchase, wastage, bill, settlement and day close. Tick who enters each record and who checks it. Pin it near the pass.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
Who should approve complimentary bills and voids?
A named manager or the owner, never the person who rang up the bill. The approver’s name should sit on each one, so the shift review can question it.
Does the restaurant system keep billing when the internet drops?
No. The system is hosted, so billing and KOT printing need a connection. Offline billing is not part of it, and a phone hotspot at the counter is a common fallback.
Can diners order from a QR menu on their own phones?
No. The captain or the counter punches every order. A guest’s phone number and feedback can be kept against the visit.
Is all this worth it for a small eatery?
Perhaps not yet. A counter with one cook and a short menu may do well with a notebook and UPI. The split of roles still helps, on paper.