Streamlining Daily Tasks

5 Inventory Management Strategies for Streamlined F&B Operations In F&B operations, inventory management isn’t just a backend process—it’s a critical factor that impacts costs, waste, and customer satisfaction. Let’s dive into 5 proven methods tailored for F&B businesses: ⸻ 1. FIFO (First In, First Out) • What It Means: Oldest inventory is used or sold first. • Why It’s Critical in F&B: Ensures product freshness, reduces spoilage, and minimizes waste. • Example: A restaurant uses vegetables delivered on Monday before those delivered on Wednesday to maintain freshness in dishes. ⸻ 2. LIFO (Last In, First Out) • What It Means: The newest inventory is used or sold first. • When It Works: Useful for bulk storage setups or items that are easier to access when newly added. • Example: In a bar, the most recently delivered cases of beer stacked on top are used first. ⸻ 3. CIFO (Cost In, First Out) • What It Means: Inventory with the lowest cost is used or sold first. • Why It’s Useful: Optimizes profit margins by prioritizing lower-cost inventory. • Example: A QSR uses discounted cooking oil bought in bulk first before switching to a pricier batch. ⸻ 4. EFO (Expiration First Out) • What It Means: Items nearing expiration are prioritized for use or sale. • Why It’s Non-Negotiable: Essential for preventing food waste and ensuring compliance with health standards. • Example: A cloud kitchen ensures sauces with a “use by” date of May 15 are consumed before those expiring on June 1. ⸻ 5. DIFO (Damage First Out) • What It Means: Damaged or compromised goods are dealt with first. • Why It Matters: Saves storage space, minimizes losses, and salvages value where possible. • Example: A bakery discounts slightly dented cake boxes for quick sale before displaying perfect ones. ⸻ 💡 Why These Matter for F&B Operations: Efficient inventory management directly affects food costs, customer satisfaction, and sustainability. Whether you run a restaurant, QSR, or cloud kitchen, choosing the right approach ensures smooth operations and maximized profits. ⸻ 📣 What About You? • How do you manage inventory in your F&B operations? • Have you tried a combination of these methods to optimize your process? 👇 Let’s exchange ideas and help each other improve operations in the F&B space! #InventoryManagement #F&BOperations #RestaurantManagement #FoodWasteReduction #SupplyChain #EfficiencyMatters #CostOptimization #SustainabilityInF&B #OperationalExcellence #FoodIndustryInsights #QSRManagement #CloudKitchenStrategies #PerishablesManagement #FoodSafety #ProfitabilityTips

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 Crumble 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 foodpanda operations 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀… During peak hours at Crumble, the store was jam-packed with customers. It immediately took me back to my Foodpanda experience, where during peak hours we had to process 100–150 orders in just one hour. The interesting part? We didn’t face customer queues inside the store — instead, it was the riders who crowded outside, waiting for their pickups. This kind of chaos taught me some important lessons about 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮. 𝗔𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮, 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵: – 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮-𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴: We tracked how long it took a picker to pick, a packer to pack, and a rider to pick up. This helped us benchmark productivity per role. – 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: “Super shifts” during peak demand meant we met order targets without overspending on extra staff during slower hours. – 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: We introduced digital order screens showing order numbers for riders — avoiding confusion and wasted time. But still there are on and off days but we have the visibility to track what happens due to all the timestamps and data 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲: – They track orders from the time of placement, but 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 — like when the order is packed or handed over. – Staff call out orders vocally in a noisy environment, which creates delays. 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿: – 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲: from order placed → prepared → packed → handed over. This builds transparency and benchmarking. – Implement 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 screens for customers (like KFC or McDonald’s). It reduces dependency on manual announcements. – Use historic order data to forecast peak-hour demand and align staff rosters accordingly — ensuring the right resources at the right time. – Benchmark productivity per role (e.g., average orders packed per hour) to identify training needs and process gaps. – Separate counters line to maintain discipline Final thought: Peak-hour chaos is common in food businesses — but with the right data, benchmarking, and a few small process tweaks, the experience can become smoother for staff, and customers. It was inspiring to see Crumble’s popularity, and I believe with some structured improvements, their customer experience can reach even greater heights.

I used this guide to build 10+ AI Agents Here're my 10 actionable items: 1. Turn your agent into a note-taking machine → Dump plans, decisions, and results into state objects outside the context window → Use scratchpad files or runtime state that persists during sessions → Stop cramming everything into messages - treat state like external storage 2. Be ridiculously picky about what gets into context → Use embeddings to grab only memories that matter for current tasks → Keep simple rules files (like CLAUDE md) that always load → Filter tool descriptions with RAG so agents aren't confused by irrelevant tools 3. Build a memory system that remembers useful stuff → Create semantic, episodic, and procedural memory buckets for facts, experiences, instructions → Use knowledge graphs when embeddings fail for relationship-based retrieval → Avoid ChatGPT's mistake of pulling random location data into unrelated requests 4. Compress like your context window costs $1000 per token → Set auto-summarization at 95% context capacity with no exceptions → Trim old messages with simple heuristics: keep recent, dump middle → Post-process heavy tool outputs immediately - search results don't live forever 5. Split your agent into specialized mini-agents → Give each sub-agent one job and its own isolated context window → Hand off context with quick summaries, not full message histories → Run sub-agents in parallel when possible for isolated exploration 6. Sandbox the heavy stuff away from your LLM → Execute code in environments that isolate objects from context → Store images, files, complex data outside the context window → Only pull summary info back - full objects stay in sandbox 7. Make summarization smart, not just chronological → Train models specifically for agent context compression → Preserve critical decision points while compressing routine chatter → Use different strategies for conversations vs tool outputs 8. Prune context like you're editing a novel → Implement trained pruners that understand relevance, not just recency → Filter based on task relevance while maintaining conversational flow → Adjust pruning aggressiveness based on task complexity 9. Monitor token usage like a hawk → Track exactly where tokens burn in your agent pipeline → Set real-time alerts when context utilization hits dangerous levels → Build dashboards correlating context management with success rates 10. Test everything or admit you're just guessing → A/B test different context strategies and measure performance differences → Create evaluation frameworks testing before/after context engineering changes → Set up continuous feedback loops auto-adjusting context parameters Last but not the least, be open to new ideas and keep learning Check out 50+ AI Agent Tutorials on my profile 👋 .

At Centra Companies, our lean operational framework is the essential DNA of all that we do.  In our experience, lean operations go beyond mere cost-cutting.     It involves streamlining processes, reducing waste, and improving quality, directly impacting customer satisfaction and the eventual quality of the finished project. Here are some of the ways we implement lean practices: 👉 Systematic approach to construction projects (e.g., protocols for inspections) 👉 Quarterly review of core processes based on experience and lessons learned 👉 Bulk supplier purchases to ensure low-cost and consistent materials across projects 👉 Technology integration to support communication and project management 👉 Continuous improvement based on customer feedback This dedication to lean operations enables us not only to improve the return on investment for our investors but also to maintain competitiveness in the fast-paced real estate market.     We remain committed to the philosophy of lean operations as it is directly tied to our ability to provide tangible value and sustainable results.    I’m interested to hear your thoughts and ideas: How do you implement lean principles as part of your business operations? 💬    #realestate #investment #businessstrategy #operations #realestateinvesting 

When I started Agate CPA with Sarah Harris, I hadn't been part of a Client Accounting Service (CAS) team in...a long time. One of our first goals together was to standardize and systematize this service line. We learned some lessons along the way. If I had a time machine, here are some things we got right I would set up on Day 1: 1. Find a central, secure location for 2FA codes such as YakChat. It doesn't solve for everything, but it's a big help. 2. Have a quick & easy way to track just WHERE 2FA codes are going. Does it go to your client's phone? Your phone? A phone that sends codes to Slack? You want to know this BEFORE that code goes off into the ether. 3. Have a way to track all work. We use ClickUp and I love it. I wish I could say it doesn't matter what platform you use, just have SOMETHING. Unfortunately, it DOES matter. Your practice management and/or portal platforms can either be the glue that holds your practice together or something you fight daily to still never give you the insights you need. Don't skimp here, be prepared for a learning curve, ask your peers what they like/don't like. 4. Create or purchase a month-end close tool. We developed our own and it's helped tremendously to show our team what "done" looks like, what our standards for quality are. Whether you're a solo, have a team, or are building a team from scratch - some sort of tool to standardize your work product is a must. 5. Standardize client deliverables. Many clients will want or need a special report, meetings, etc., but as much as possible standardize the deliverables you provide, how you provide them, when you provide them and so on. It reduces internal confusion and makes for easier prep & review. 6. Develop an inexpensive monthly accounting option for Schedule C & Schedule E solo clients. This makes tax season much easier for those clients - even if we're not the ones preparing those tax returns. If you run a CAS practice, any lessons you'd care to share?

Since food is so personal to everyone, managing operations and ensuring satisfaction at scale in a food business can be very tricky. After a few years of running ops in this domain, I’ve realized there’s only one approach to do it right. Adopt a relentless process mindset. Make things so standardized and repeatable that it becomes boring. This approach came about as we started scaling from a few dozen locations based in one city, to dozens of them each in different cities. Until a point, we could rely on the people managing each location to firefight a problem, and I would be personally involved in them. As we scaled, this wasn’t possible anymore. So the approach was - for any problems that we repeatedly encounter, whether at the client or the vendor level, there should be a robust process to tackle them. And as we grew, we implemented a stronger governance around these processes too. Gradually, this led to a more organized, monotonous daily operations that was predictable and boring, but delivered tremendous customer satisfaction. Ironically, the more boring you can make your day-to-day ops, the easier it gets to experiment new ideas. We have implemented some refreshing ideas across our locations in recent times with great response. And we know we can repeat them with same success because of the monotonous systems they’re supported by. #Operations #SmartQ #Scale

Just had a major realization that's changing how I work with AI tools. We've all heard "𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 = 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬" but I'm finding the opposite can be true! I've seen it firsthand - feed an LLM too much information without proper management and you get what I call "Context Distraction." The AI becomes overwhelmed, fixates on irrelevant details, and starts repeating itself instead of generating fresh insights. It's like trying to have a productive conversation with someone who's reading through a 200-page transcript of everything you've ever discussed. At some point, focus gets lost. Two approaches that have dramatically improved my results: 1️⃣ 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Instead of dumping entire conversation histories into new prompts, I summarize key points and decisions. This gives the AI a clean slate with just the essential context. 2️⃣ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: Breaking complex projects into discrete conversations rather than one massive thread. I keep track externally (basic notes work fine) and only introduce relevant information when needed. The difference in output quality is remarkable. My conversations are more focused, responses are more creative, and I'm getting better solutions faster. Who else has noticed this pattern? Any other techniques you've found effective for managing AI context? #ArtificialIntelligence #LLMs #ProductivityHacks #AITools

As CIO or CTO role you need to develop a footprint of the technology strategy and lead the business to provide a solutions, In the real estate industry, several systems can enhance efficiency, streamline processes, and improve client relationships. Here’s a list of essential systems that real estate professionals should consider implementing: Here is short list that can help you 1. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System - Purpose:Manages interactions with current and potential clients. - Benefits:Helps track leads, manage contacts, and automate communication, ensuring personalized and timely follow-ups. 2. Project Management Information System (PMIS) - Purpose:Coordinates real estate projects, from development to completion. - Benefits:Facilitates collaboration, resource management, and real-time project tracking, helping to keep projects on schedule and within budget. 3. Multiple Listing Service (MLS) - Purpose:A database of property listings shared among real estate professionals. - Benefits:Provides access to a wide range of properties, helping agents connect buyers and sellers more effectively. 4.Property Management Software - Purpose:Manages rental properties and tenant relationships. - Benefits:Streamlines tasks like rent collection, maintenance requests, and lease tracking, enhancing the property management process. 5. Transaction Management Software - Purpose:Manages the documentation and processes involved in real estate transactions. - Benefits:Ensures all documents are organized, tracked, and completed efficiently, reducing the risk of errors. 6. Financial Management Software - Purpose:Handles budgeting, accounting, and financial reporting. - Benefits:Provides insights into cash flow, expenses, and profitability, helping to make informed financial decisions. 7. Marketing Automation Tools - Purpose:Automates marketing campaigns and lead generation efforts. - Benefits:Enhances outreach through targeted email campaigns, social media posts, and online advertising. 8.Virtual Tour and 3D Visualization Tools - Purpose:Creates immersive property presentations. -Benefits:Allows potential buyers to explore properties virtually, enhancing their buying experience and engagement. 9.Data Analytics and Business Intelligence Tools - Purpose:Analyzes market trends, client behavior, and business performance. - Benefits:Provides actionable insights that inform strategic decisions and identify new opportunities. 10. Document Management System (DMS) - Purpose:Organizes and stores important documents securely. - Benefits:Facilitates easy access to contracts, agreements, and reports, improving compliance and collaboration. By implementing these systems, real estate professionals can enhance their operational efficiency and improve client satisfaction. The right mix of technology not only streamlines processes but also positions businesses for growth in a competitive market.

In the last 6 years, Yum! Brands saw their digital sales jump from 19% in 2019 to over 50% today. And we are way post-COVID, so it is a very good benchmark for where a successful restaurant business could be. Below are some things I've learned about Yum's way of approaching AI and digital by following the company's CDTO Joe Park. Inventory Management & Sales Forecasting One of the most successful AI implementations at Yum! Brands has been in inventory management. KFC locations achieved a remarkable 90% reduction in stock-outs after implementing AI-powered forecasting. Previously, store managers spent up to four hours monthly making calls between stores to manage inventory shortages. The AI system not only eliminated this inefficiency but also reduced food waste and improved customer satisfaction. Kitchen Management Systems Pizza Hut's implementation of AI for order orchestration shows how technology can solve real operational challenges. During peak hours, like Friday dinner rush, the system acts as an "air traffic controller," determining optimal cooking sequences and delivery timing. This ensures customers receive fresher, hotter food while reducing stress on kitchen staff. Computer Vision Applications Yum is piloting computer vision for several purposes in QSR operations: - Monitoring food safety compliance - Verifying order accuracy before serving - Managing drive-thru efficiency by counting cars and suggesting faster-to-prepare items during peak times Integration Challenges & Solutions The average QSR restaurant juggles about 15 different technology vendors - a nightmare for managers. Yum! Brands' solution, Byte by Yum, demonstrates how an integrated platform can reduce this complexity. The platform consolidates point-of-sale, mobile apps, kitchen management, and team productivity tools under one AI-powered system. Byte POS is rolling out at KFC U.S.; the UI is redesigned to feel iPad-simple, and training time is now a fraction of the old green-screen system Training AI systems presents unique challenges in the restaurant industry. Common menu items like "Baja Blast" or "chalupa" don't exist in standard English dictionaries, requiring custom training for voice recognition systems (hence the recent NVIDIA partnership). On NVIDIA podcast, Joe mentioned the partnership helped them reach viable voice-AI products in under four months Focus on Problems, Not Technology Joe Park emphasizes the importance of "falling in love with the problem." Whether it's order accuracy, drive-thru speed, or inventory management, successful AI implementation starts with clearly defined business challenges. According to Joe, and based on the problems he sees, emerging opportunities in tech for restaurants include: - Enhanced voice AI for order taking - Advanced computer vision for quality control - AI-powered restaurant management systems that provide proactive recommendations for inventory, staffing, and local marketing

A week ago, I shared a short post about a system I built in Monday.com — a complete, no-code solution that automates and manages an entire real estate operation. As promised, here’s the full breakdown. In this article, I showed how I designed a real estate management ecosystem that handles everything from lead generation and property listings to leases, maintenance, finances, and reporting — all within monday.com. While my case study focuses on real estate, the same principles apply across multiple industries. Monday.com’s flexibility makes it a powerful tool for managing projects and operations in other industries. Happy Reading 💌 . #RealEstate #DigitalProjectManagement #Automation