- Actual food cost
- COGS = opening inventory + purchases − closing inventory. Food cost % = COGS ÷ food sales.
- Variance
- Actual COGS minus theoretical cost (recipe cost × quantity sold). Logged waste is one explanation, not the whole gap.
- Valuation
- Log waste in stock units and value it at ingredient cost. Menu price makes the loss look larger than the food-cost formula.
Two numbers, not one bucket
Actual food cost comes from stock. Theoretical food cost comes from recipes times what you sold. The difference is variance: waste, over-portioning, comps that were never rung, a count that was wrong, or an invoice in the wrong week. A waste log names the part a person saw and threw away. It will not equal the variance to the halala, and it should not be forced to.
If variance is large and the waste log is small, the rest is still somewhere: portioning, missing paperwork, or waste nobody entered. If the waste log is large and variance is small, you may be logging trim the recipe already assumed, and double-counting it. The formula side is how to calculate food cost percentage and food cost variance. To put a number on the bin before you log anything, the food waste cost calculator scales a day’s waste to the month and the group; published figures on what food service throws away are on the food waste statistics page.
Reasons a station will actually pick
A single “waste” reason cannot be coached. Split what a cook can identify mid-service: spoilage and expiry, trim above the yield already on the recipe, over-production, dropped or remade items, and staff meals or comps that were not recorded as a zero sale. Plate waste is a portion and menu signal. It does not explain COGS the same way, because the sale already happened.
The longer category list is how to track kitchen waste. AKLI stores item, quantity, reason, and station, and values the line at the current ingredient cost. Trends are by day and by branch, which is what a group lead can compare without exporting five files.
- ✓Waste quantity in the same unit as inventory
- ✓Cost from the ingredient price, not the menu price
- ✓Reason and station, so the log can be coached
- ✓Actual versus theoretical food cost on the same branch
- ✓No published promise of a percentage reduction: a new log is a baseline
What a first month is allowed to prove
A new log creates a baseline. It does not, by itself, prove that waste fell. Publish the categories and the cost, change one par or one yield or one prep list, and measure the next period with the same rules. AKLI shows the figures. It does not invent a case study.
Purchasing mistakes land in the same variance. A delivery that was invoiced and never received looks like kitchen loss until the goods-received note is honest. That side is purchasing variance and food cost control.
Facts you can quote
Price, pricing unit, product languages, and HACCP jurisdictions. Figures below are as of 22 September 2026.
- Price
- SAR 299 / QAR 290 / AED 293 / BHD 30 / OMR 31 per branch per month, excluding VAT. Details
- Pricing unit
- Priced per branch, not per user. Unlimited team members are included. Details
- Product languages
- The product interface supports English, French, and Arabic. You choose the language in the product. This marketing site is available in English, French, and Arabic. Details
- HACCP jurisdictions
- Digital HACCP logs are timestamped and built to be exported for inspections under Qatar Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), UAE Food Safety Department, and Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) requirements. The logs do not, by themselves, make a kitchen compliant. Details
- As of
- 22 September 2026
Questions operators ask
How much does AKLI cost?
SAR 299 / QAR 290 / AED 293 / BHD 30 / OMR 31 per branch per month, excluding VAT. There is one plan. Billing is arranged with the AKLI team, not through a self-serve checkout.
Is AKLI priced per user or per branch?
Priced per branch, not per user. Unlimited team members are included. A group with 5 branches pays 5 × (SAR 299 / QAR 290 / AED 293 / BHD 30 / OMR 31) per month, excluding VAT. Adding a supervisor does not add a seat.
Which languages does the AKLI product support?
The product interface supports English, French, and Arabic. You choose the language in the product. This marketing site is available in English, French, and Arabic. French pages live under /fr and Arabic pages under /ar.
Which food-safety jurisdictions are the HACCP logs built for?
Digital HACCP logs are timestamped and built to be exported for inspections under Qatar Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), UAE Food Safety Department, and Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) requirements. The logs do not, by themselves, make a kitchen compliant.
Should waste be valued at menu price?
No. Log waste in stock units and value it at ingredient cost. Menu price makes the loss look larger than the food-cost formula, which uses cost, not the selling price.
Will the waste log equal food-cost variance?
No, and it should not be forced to. Logged waste is the part a person saw and recorded. Variance also includes portioning, comps, counts, and invoices. If the log is large and variance is small, you may be logging trim the recipe already assumed.