Theoretical vs Actual Stock: How to Spot Differences and How AI Helps in 2026

Have you ever done inventory and discovered the numbers don't add up? That according to your records you should have 20 kilos of potatoes, but you only find 15. Or that 5 bottles of wine are missing that you swear were there last week. This gap between what you should have (theoretical stock) and what you actually have (actual stock) is one of the biggest headaches for any restaurant. And in 2026, with artificial intelligence, we no longer have to accept it as a necessary evil. Let's start with the basics: **Theoretical stock** is what you should have according to your records. It's calculated like this: ``` Theoretical stock = Initial stock + Purchases - Sales ``` **Actual stock** is what you physically have in your storage, refrigerators, and shelves after counting everything. The difference between the two is called **inventory variance**, and it can cost you thousands of euros per year if not controlled. Why do the numbers never match? Here are the most common reasons: **Unrecorded waste:** Food spoils, burns in the kitchen, or simply goes bad. If you don't record these losses, your theoretical stock will keep showing you have something that no longer exists. **Counting errors:** Manual counting is prone to mistakes. An employee might skip a shelf, confuse units, or write down wrong numbers. These small errors accumulate quickly. **Unrecorded consumption:** Did someone taste the new sauce? Was a bit of oil used for something not recorded? These "invisible" small consumptions add up by month's end. **Theft or unauthorized use:** Unfortunately, it happens. Whether by staff or even customers, products disappear without leaving a trace in your records. **Delivery errors:** Sometimes suppliers send less than invoiced, or the quality isn't expected and you have to discard part of the order. 1. **Stop the restaurant** for hours or even a full day 2. **Count everything manually** with paper and pen 3. **Compare with records** in Excel or obsolete systems 4. **Investigate discrepancies** without concrete data 5. **Adjust numbers** and hope next month is better This process consumes valuable time, is prone to errors, and only gives you a static snapshot of a specific moment. 1. **Continuous scanning** with smart cameras monitoring stock in real time 2. **Automatic recognition** of products using computer vision 3. **Proactive alerts** when discrepancies are detected 4. **Predictive analysis** identifying patterns before they become problems 5. **Automatic integr