An internal audit checks whether your restaurant runs the way you think it does. This guide covers what to audit, the mistakes that make an audit useless, and how to run one that ends in fixes.
What an internal audit covers
An internal audit compares your own operations with your own standards. It covers inventory management, cash handling, hygiene practices and customer satisfaction. The aim is to find where practice has drifted from the plan, and which of those gaps carry risk.
Common mistakes
- No audit plan. Without a written plan the audit wanders, and you cannot compare one month with the next.
- Ignoring small discrepancies. A small gap in inventory or cash is a signal. Left alone it tends to grow.
- No follow-up. Finding a problem and not fixing it wastes the audit.
I once ignored a small inventory discrepancy during an audit because it looked too minor to matter. It grew into a real cost over the following months. Treat every discrepancy as worth a note and a reason.
How to run an audit
- Write the audit plan. List every area you will check and what correct looks like in each one.
- Pick the audit team. Use people who do not run the area being checked, so the check stays impartial.
- Work through the plan and record what you find.
- Review the findings and give each one an owner and a date.
- Check the fixes at the next audit.
Where software helps
An online ordering system for restaurants like FoodMaster (formerly WooFood) keeps order and inventory records in one place, which makes the numbers easier to check. The plugin handles food ordering and also helps with inventory management and tracking deliveries.
An audit is only worth the time if it changes something. Plan it, keep it independent, and follow up on what it finds.