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Central Kitchen Software: Your Venues Order, the Kitchen Knows What to Make

Central kitchen software runs the commissary kitchen that makes sauces, stocks, pastry and prepped items for a restaurant group’s venues: what to make, how much, and where it goes. In Restaurant AI Manager the kitchen is its own account linked to the group; venues order from “Our kitchen” in the same order screen they use for suppliers, and the kitchen gets tomorrow’s production plan from those orders plus each venue’s forecast, minus what is already on the shelf, rounded up to whole runs.

Venues order from the group’s own kitchen like any other supplier
Tomorrow’s production plan from venue orders plus forecast, in whole runs
Batch records with yield, ingredients used and what was made
Scannable labels, lot tracing and recalls, and internal invoices to each venue

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Built on Open Pantry ordering — free, and used by 5,000+ venues

Central kitchen production plan in Restaurant AI Manager: what the group’s kitchen makes tomorrow from venue orders plus forecast minus what is on the shelf, with every run ready, each venue marked as ordered, need by product in whole runs, and a batch record with its yield

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Built for hospitality venues of every kindRestaurants Cafes Bars Pubs Quick service Catering Production kitchens Fine dining

The kitchen makes what it made last Tuesday

Venues text their orders to the kitchen at all hours

The kitchen guesses tomorrow’s batches from what it made last week

A wedding at one venue is news to the kitchen two days out

Tubs arrive at the venue with a handwritten label and no batch number

If a batch has to be pulled, nobody can say which venues got it

What each venue took from the kitchen never shows in its food cost

From venue orders to labelled batches at the door

Venues order from their own kitchen

The central kitchen is set up as its own account linked to the group. Venues order from “Our kitchen” in the same order screen they use for every other supplier, before the kitchen’s cut-off.

The kitchen gets tomorrow’s plan

Venue orders plus each venue’s forecast, minus what is already on the shelf, rounded up to whole runs. The plan updates as orders land, so the kitchen sees what it needs to make, product by product.

Each run gets a batch record and labels

The batch record holds the yield, the ingredients used and the finished goods made. Labels print on 58 or 62 mm rolls or A4, and they scan.

Venues scan it in and are invoiced

The venue receives the delivery through its normal check-off, scanning the labels, and the kitchen raises an internal invoice per delivery or monthly — so each venue’s food cost carries what it took.

Try it live as operations manager

No sign-up — a demo restaurant group with a guide that shows you around

A plan that already knows about Saturday’s wedding

The kitchen’s plan does not just total up orders; it also reads each venue’s forecast. That forecast is built from POS sales history, booked covers, expected walk-ins and confirmed functions, with tentative functions weighted by how likely they are, and every figure shows what drove it. In the demo group, an 80-guest wedding on Saturday is already in the numbers days before the venue places its order.

Forecast covers by service for each venue
Confirmed functions counted, tentative ones weighted by chance
Tap any day to see why the number is what it is

Restaurant demand forecast for the next seven days: forecast covers by service built from bookings, expected no-shows, walk-ins and an 80-guest confirmed wedding, with the drivers behind Saturday dinner listed

Batch records, labels and lots

Every production run gets a batch record: when it was made, the yield, the ingredients it used and the finished goods it produced. Labels print for each batch on 58 or 62 mm label rolls or A4 sheets, and the venue scans them when the delivery arrives. For products with batch tracking switched on, lots can be traced and recalled.

Yield, ingredients consumed and finished goods per batch
Scannable labels on 58/62 mm rolls or A4
Lot tracing and recall for batch-tracked products

Central kitchen batch record for a chicken stock run with its completion time and yield, beside the need-by-product list showing ordered, forecast and on-the-shelf quantities in whole runs

The venues still prep — from the same forecast

The central kitchen makes the bases; the venues finish them. Each venue’s prep list is built from the same forecast, by station, as portions needed minus what is already prepped, rounded to batch sizes. A large function gets its own timeline counting down to the day, so the kitchen order, the supplier delivery and the venue’s prep all line up.

Venue prep lists by station from the day’s forecast
Rounded to the venue’s own batch sizes
Function timelines from final numbers to the day

Venue prep ahead list made from forecast sales, split by station into larder and cold, pastry and sauces and stocks with batch quantities, beside a countdown prep timeline for an 80-guest wedding

Stock that moves outside a kitchen order

Not everything goes through the kitchen’s order screen. When a venue runs short mid-service and borrows from another, it goes through as a stock transfer between venues or storage locations, with the cost carried. Stock leaves when it is sent and arrives when it is received, and anything short is kept on the transfer.

Transfers between venues and storage locations
The cost moves with the stock
Shorts kept on the transfer, not lost

Stock transfer between two venues’ dry stores in a restaurant group, in transit, with the quantity, the cost of the transfer and options to send back, mark something short or receive all

What the central kitchen connects to

Every venue in the group, ordering from “Our kitchen”Each venue’s demand forecastBookings and functions (by hand, CSV, calendar feed or forwarded email)Delivery check-off at the venueLabel printers (58/62 mm rolls) and A4 printers

Built by the team venues already order with

Christian Abbot

“Open Pantry has created exactly what the restaurant industry needs. Something very easy to use that doesn’t require any upkeep. Their menu costing feature is fantastic and simple enough that any chef or bar manager can use it. I think restaurants that are serious about growing their profit & managing their costs need to consider Open Pantry.”

Group Executive Chef, Australian Venue Company

Chefs Love Open Pantry

Junior Malvern crew x

Thank you OPEN PANTRY, we used to have to use 6 apps to get access to ordering from our suppliers, the fact we can do it all in one has saved an incredible amount of time & effort! We love you!

Tom Pearson

We’ve been using Open Pantry for a few months now and it’s been an absolute lifesaver. We’re short staffed so being able to place all of our orders with all of our suppliers in the one spot is a massive help.

James Evans

So glad this service exists. Has made it so easy for my manager & chefs to order & all payments are settled in one go. The recurring orders & pantry lists are amazing time savers!!

Why not run the central kitchen on a spreadsheet and a group chat?

Because the kitchen ends up planning from memory. Orders scattered across messages miss the cut-off, a function at one venue is not in anyone’s numbers, and nothing that leaves the kitchen can be traced or charged back. Running the kitchen as part of the group means orders arrive in one place, tomorrow’s plan already allows for the forecast, every batch is recorded and labelled, and each venue pays for what it took. If your production kitchen is a business in its own right rather than part of a restaurant group, see the production kitchen page instead.

Central kitchen software — questions operators ask

What is central kitchen software for a restaurant group?＋

It runs the group’s own commissary kitchen: taking orders from the venues, working out what to make each day, recording each batch, labelling what goes out and charging it back to the venue. In Restaurant AI Manager the kitchen is its own account linked to the group, and the venues order from it like any other supplier.

How do our venues order from our own central kitchen?＋

From “Our kitchen” in the same order screen they use for every other supplier, before the kitchen’s cut-off. The kitchen sees the orders arrive and its production plan updates as each one lands.

How does the central kitchen know how much to make tomorrow?＋

The plan takes venue orders plus each venue’s forecast, subtracts what is already on the shelf, and rounds up to whole runs. The forecast comes from POS sales history, bookings, expected walk-ins and functions, and shows what drove each figure.

How does the commissary kitchen plan for weddings and large functions?＋

Confirmed functions go into the venue’s forecast as the menu times the guest numbers, and tentative ones are weighted by how likely they are. Function ingredients are timed to the function date, and the venue gets a prep timeline counting down to the day.

Can we trace a central kitchen batch if there is a recall?＋

Yes, for products with batch tracking switched on. Each batch record holds the ingredients used and what was made, and a lot can be traced and recalled from the kitchen’s Recalls screen.

Does the central kitchen print labels for what it sends out?＋

Yes. Prep labels print on 58 or 62 mm label rolls or on A4 sheets, and they are scannable. The venue scans them in when it checks off the delivery.

How are central kitchen deliveries charged back to each venue?＋

The kitchen raises internal invoices to each venue, either per delivery or monthly. That way each venue’s purchases and food cost include what it took from the kitchen, not just what it bought from outside suppliers.

How do venues receive and check what the central kitchen sends?＋

Through the same delivery check-off they use for supplier deliveries: scan the labels, confirm the quantities, and record a reason for anything short. What was received goes into the right storage location at the venue.

See tomorrow’s production plan for a demo group’s kitchen