"Sorry sir, out of stock."

"Sorry, sir, that item is not available today."

How many times have you heard of this in restaurants? Of course, the statement comes in different versions like Sorry, it's out of stock or Sorry we just run of of ____. Somestimes, you have replaced your out-of-stock order with another one that's unavailable.

Irked guests would end up asking, "So okay which one of these is available?". When guests get to this point, that means they are just about to walk the door if the next order is unavailable. Worse, they'll tell their friends and relatives about it. Lost opportunity and ruined reputation in one transaction.

So how does a restaurant avoid getting items to be unavailable? Or how does a restaurant handle days when an item or items in the menu are not available?

First of all, there will always be a time when an ingredient will be unavailable for reasons out of your control. And it better be out of your control because guests will understand it more. Ensuring that all your offerings will be available is a long process called proper restaurant management. In short, it is just as important as making sure that the food is good and the portion consistent. When dishes are out of stock, it is a lost sale for the restaurant.

Proper inventory monitoring would be the primary factor. If your kitchen staff has a way of knowing which items are not available anymore, then they can order for this ingredient. This brings you to proper recording of stocks, identifying your order time and average consumption time. Order time is the number of days an item will be available after ordering. Checklists would come really handy.

Keeping a lean menu is also helpful. When a menu is substantial, the possibility of overlooking a dish or ingredient is higher. When you have minimal items, you can handle the stocks better.

Now, in days when the restaurant just realized they can't offer this dish today, follow these simple steps:
1. Let waiters know what item or items are not available
2. Label your menu if possible so as to cross out the menu or temporarily make unavailable.
3. Teach waiters what they can suggest to replace that dish. You cannot lose the sale altogether.

Restaurants should actually make this a commitment. NO OUT OF STOCK ITEMS. When everybody commits to this, the possiblity of an unavailable item gets smaller.