Why once a month is not enough

Most conventional cost control system are centered around the end of the month. You calculate your inventory, submit it to your accountant and they come back with good or bad news.

The problem with relying on this approach is that the earlier you see issues the easier they are to compensate for.

Say you are cutting your steaks an ounce or so heavy. If you are using expensive cuts this can add up very quickly. However, if you are calculating a running foodcost you will see this issue immediately, when the loss might amount to a hundred dollars rather than at the end of the month when it could add up to thousands. The hundred dollars will be easy to make up without sacrificing the value. You can simply cut them a tiny bit smaller. When it is thousands it is beyond a simple adjustment, and will cut directly into the bottom line.