Should you calculate your foodcost?

I am always surprised by the amount of misinformation on the internet. I see many sites that promise some system where you don't need to worry about the foodcost or inventory. They claim these things will work themselves out with their secret.

Some preach focusing on business levels, and that is important, but a lot of unprofitable business is a lot of work for nothing. One says that you can just track your purchase to sales, and your inventory is irrelevant. That may be true when you have one freezer full of beef patties and another room of buns, but is simply false in a creative restaurant.

The bottom line here is that managing a profitable restaurant is work. There are definitely some tools that make it easier (like Chefstat) but it is still up to you to keep on top of it.