How to Receive Restaurant Deliveries and Check Supplier Prices

Set up a repeatable receiving check

Before a delivery arrives, have the order or purchase order, the current agreed pricing or order guide, and a place to record what actually arrives. Decide who will check the delivery and where it will be checked. When staffing allows, ask a second person to verify high-value items or an unusual count.

Use a steady route through the receiving and storage areas, and record quantities as you count rather than relying on memory afterward. Count in the unit you ordered, such as cases, pounds, or individual containers. A consistent routine makes it easier to compare one delivery with the next.

Compare each delivery with the order

Check each line against the order: item and specification, pack size, ordered quantity, and the quantity physically received. Look at the label and count the cases or individual units needed to confirm the pack. If the vendor sent a different brand, grade, size, or pack, record it as a substitution instead of treating it as the item originally ordered.

• Mark shortages and overages with both the ordered and received quantities.
• Describe substitutions clearly, including the product or pack that arrived.
• Note visible damage or another condition issue while identifying the affected item and quantity.
• Recount an unusual or high-value quantity before filing the discrepancy.
• Record the date, vendor, and a concise note for anything that needs supplier follow-up.

Write discrepancies down before goods are mixed into stock or moved to another area. Describe what you observed without guessing at a cause. Keep a copy of the order and invoice with the note, and follow the vendor’s normal contact process to ask what should happen next.

Match invoice lines to what was ordered and received

Review the invoice against two records: what you ordered and what your team actually received. For every line, confirm the item and pack, billed quantity, unit price, and line extension. A bill for five cases when the order and receiving note show four is a quantity question to resolve before it is treated as a price change.

Compare the unit price with a recent invoice for the same item and pack, or with the price and terms you agreed with the supplier. Check discounts, delivery charges, and other listed adjustments against those terms. Match returns, shortages, and credits to the affected item or delivery; do not label a difference a supplier price increase until you have accounted for them.

Normalize pack sizes before comparing prices

Compare like with like. A case price is not directly comparable with a price per can, pound, or bottle. Write down the pack conversion and use the same base unit for both the earlier and current price. If a pack size, product specification, or unit changed, flag that difference instead of presenting the two prices as equivalent.

For example, if the supplier changes from a 12-count case to a 10-count case, compare the cost per individual unit or another consistent measure, not only the two case prices. Check the invoice’s actual billed pack and quantity, then account for any returned goods or credits before marking the unit cost as changed.

Keep a useful price history

Create one entry for each delivery or invoice you want to track. Include delivery date, vendor, item, received quantity, unit cost, discrepancies, and price-change notes. Also record the pack size and comparison unit so a future review can tell whether two prices are actually comparable. Add an invoice or order reference if that helps you find the source document again.

• Keep the item name and product specification consistent across entries.
• Record the price in a defined unit, such as dollars per pound or dollars per each.
• Note a substitution, return, credit, or unresolved invoice question beside the affected entry.
• Mark a price for follow-up when a like-for-like comparison changes or the agreed terms do not match the invoice.

Review the same products on a cadence your team can maintain. A fixed weekly review is one approach described in the inventory guidance; it is not a universal schedule. Choose a consistent day or invoice-review window, and use your own delivery volume and purchasing pattern to decide which items need more frequent attention.

Follow up on confirmed differences

First confirm that the product, pack, quantity, timing, and credits are correct. Then contact the vendor with the order reference, invoice line, receiving note, and the difference you found. Ask whether the invoice should be corrected, a credit issued, or the current price and terms confirmed for the next order. Record the response and any agreed next step with the original entry.

For a confirmed increase, contact the supplier to discuss or renegotiate the price, current terms, or available alternatives. You can also request a quote from another supplier, comparing the same product specification, pack, quantity, and delivery terms. A second quote gives you another number to review; it does not by itself establish that switching will lower your total cost.

Update the affected recipe cost using the current unit cost, the recipe quantity, and the actual yield you use. Then decide whether a recipe adjustment or menu-price review makes sense for your operation. Check the full recipe and serving cost rather than changing a menu price from one invoice line alone.

Illustrative example: check the change per unit

On those illustrative assumptions, the difference is $0.25 per can. A recipe using two cans per batch would add $0.50 to that ingredient line for the batch. Use your own invoice, pack conversion, recipe quantity, and yield to calculate an actual effect; this example does not promise savings or a particular menu-price outcome.

Make the check part of the purchasing routine

1. Before delivery: have the order and current price terms ready.
2. At receipt: compare item, pack, and actual quantity; record substitutions, shortages, damage, or condition issues immediately.
3. At invoice review: match billed quantities and unit prices to the order and receiving note, then compare prices on a consistent unit basis.
4. Before calling a difference a price change: reconcile returns, credits, pack changes, and agreed terms.
5. At review: update the price history, flag unresolved items, and decide whether a supplier conversation, second quote, or recipe-cost review is warranted.