The Last Batch
Sound familiar?
- Decides each morning's batch on feel instead of on the last seven days.
- Never weighs what's left at closing, so the morning guess is never corrected.
- Treats selling out early as success without counting who arrived after.
- Takes wholesale orders to keep the oven busy without knowing the margin.
After reading, you can
Help batch producers cut waste without selling out too early.
Each chapter answers one question
Chapter 1: Should this morning's bake follow yesterday, or my gut?
What do I base this morning's batch sizes on?
The morning number is a bakery's biggest financial decision of the day.
Chapter 2: What is leftover bread telling me about my morning guess?
At the end of yesterday, how much was left over, in money?
End-of-day leftovers are money already spent, and they are the only number that tells the truth about the morning's guess.
Chapter 3: Is selling out by four a win or a loss?
How much is selling out early costing me?
Selling out early looks like success, but it is revenue turned away and customers who have to leave empty-handed.
Chapter 4: Should my people follow the oven, or the customers?
Does my staff schedule follow the oven or the hours customers arrive?
Batch production ties people's working hours to the oven's hours, not the other way round.
Chapter 5: Does wholesale feed the bakery, or just warm ovens?
Are my wholesale orders profitable, or just keeping the oven from sitting empty?
Wholesale orders smooth output but eat into margin; two channels sharing one oven carry two different expectations.