How to Do Liquor Inventory in a Restaurant

To do liquor inventory correctly, start by counting every bottle in the same locations and in the same order each time.

Count full bottles first, then estimate or measure partial bottles consistently. Record the quantity of each item and compare the physical count against what should be on hand based on purchases and sales.

Three numbers matter:

What came in. What went out. What is actually there.

If those numbers disagree, investigate the variance before moving on.

The important part is consistency. Changing counting methods, skipping invoices, or ignoring unrecorded product movement makes the final numbers unreliable.

Liquor inventory should not end with a bottle count. Use the results to improve ordering, identify unexplained loss, prevent stockouts, and reduce excess inventory.