For restaurant owners · Back office
Check vendor invoices against what you ordered
This week's vendor invoices checked against your orders and what came in the door, with every short, sub, return and changed price listed for you.
The prompt
Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and fill in each part in [BRACKETS]. Restaurant owners, kitchen managers and whoever does the books.
I run a restaurant. Vendor invoices pile up all week, and I check them late on Sunday night. I want each invoice checked against what I ordered and what came in, so I only look hard at the ones that do not match. What I have: - The invoices, typed or copied in, one block per vendor: [VENDOR INVOICES] - What I ordered from each vendor this week: [MY ORDERS] - What the kitchen noted at delivery, such as shorts, subs, damage or returns: [DELIVERY NOTES] - The prices and terms I agreed with each vendor, if I have them: [AGREED TERMS] What I want: 1. Match each invoice line to my order by item. 2. Flag every difference: an item I did not order, a short or missing item, a substitute, a quantity that does not match, a fee I did not agree to, or a price that changed from what I agreed. 3. For anything the delivery notes say went back or came in damaged, check that the invoice shows a credit. 4. Put the invoices that match on a short list so I can set them aside. 5. Show the math for every difference so I can check it. Rules: - Write a draft for me to read. Do not send anything to a vendor. - Use only what I gave you. If something is missing, ask me instead of guessing. - Do not decide what to pay, what to dispute or what to accept. That is mine. - If a line is unclear, say so. Do not guess a number. - Leave out account numbers, guests' card details and anything about anyone's health. Give me back: - A table of differences: vendor, item, ordered, invoiced, received, and what is off - The invoices that match, to set aside - A short note to each vendor with a difference, for me to edit and decide whether to send
When to use it
The produce, meat, dry goods and linen invoices have piled up on the office chair, and Sunday night after close is when you check them.
When not to
Do not use it to dispute a charge, approve a payment or change your books. It lists the differences; you decide what to raise with the vendor.
What to paste in
- [VENDOR INVOICES]: Each invoice's lines: item, quantity and price, without account or bank numbers.
- [MY ORDERS]: What you ordered from each vendor, from your order guide or the texts you sent the rep.
- [DELIVERY NOTES]: What the kitchen wrote down at delivery: shorts, subs, damage, anything sent back with the driver.
- [AGREED TERMS]: Any locked prices, fees waived or other terms you have with each vendor, or a line saying you have none.
Never paste
- Bank, account or routing numbers
- Card numbers or payment logins
A filled-in example
Sample. Fictional business, fictional client.
VENDOR INVOICES: Produce: romaine 4 cases, lemons 2 cases, Roma tomatoes 3 cases, cilantro 1 case; romaine billed at a higher case price than last week. Linen: 6 bundles bar towels, 4 bundles aprons, plus a delivery fee. MY ORDERS: Produce: romaine 3 cases, lemons 2 cases, Roma tomatoes 3 cases, cilantro 1 case. Linen: 6 bundles bar towels, 4 bundles aprons. DELIVERY NOTES: Produce: one case of tomatoes came in soft, sent back with the driver. Linen: aprons short one bundle. AGREED TERMS: Romaine price locked through the end of the month; linen delivery fee waived in our agreement.
What you should get back
- A table of every difference, vendor by vendor
- Returns and shorts checked for a credit on the invoice
- The invoices that match, set aside
- A note to each vendor for you to edit, with nothing paid or disputed for you
What stays with you
The prompt writes a draft. You decide what happens to it, and nothing should reach a guest until you have read it. Decisions about money stay with a person every time, and so do health questions and complaints. When KeenHand builds a routine like this, every message carries the same four decisions: Automate, Approve, Revise, Reject.
Related
- Find your slowest shifts from last week's covers. A plain read of last week's covers by shift from your own reports, with the slowest shifts named and the questions left for you to decide.
- Find cover for a shift someone just dropped. A message to your team asking who can pick up a dropped shift, a direct ask for the right person and a short reply to whoever called off.
More: every prompt for restaurants, back office, and AI for restaurants.
Which three fit your restaurant?
The free quiz scores your restaurant on sixteen things and picks the three prompts aimed at your three lowest. It takes about three minutes.