Menu Profit Maximizer Worksheet

09

The One Number That Tells You If All This Is Working

Actual vs theoretical is the metric that ties everything together. This short explainer video finally breaks it down in plain language so you can see, at a glance, whether your operation is actually improving.

Watch the Actual vs Theoretical Explainer

Fast, practical video. Watch it in 10–15 minutes, then share with your team.

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Why Day 9 Matters

For 8 days you’ve been doing the work:

  • Baseline and profit target (Day 1)
  • COGS & variance leaks (Day 2)
  • Floor‑level inventory leaks (Day 3)
  • Why workflows matter more than “better staff” (Day 4)
  • Inventory SOPs (Day 5)
  • Cost‑impact and 2026 trends (Day 6)
  • Manual work to automate (Day 7)
  • Menu profit upgrades (Day 8)

Now you need a single metric to answer:

“Is any of this actually working?”

“Everything you’ve done over the last 8 days connects here. This metric tells you if your business is actually improving.”

That’s what actual vs theoretical is for.

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See How Operators Win with WISK

What You’ll Learn In The Explainer Video

This is a no‑jargon walkthrough built for operators, not accountants. 

You’ll see:

  • What “theoretical” really means
    • The cost your COGS should be if every recipe, portion, and price were followed perfectly.
  • What “actual” really means
    • The cost your COGS actually are once waste, over‑portioning, theft, mistakes, and bad data hit reality.
  • How variance connects to everything you’ve done so far
    • How leaks from your Day 3 audit and broken workflows from Day 4 show up inside this gap.
    • How SOPs, automation, and menu changes should narrow it over time.
  • What “good” looks like (directionally)
    • Why the exact right number is different by concept, but the trend and size of the gap are what matter.
  • How to use this metric as your 2026 “scoreboard”
    • Simple ways to look at it weekly or monthly with your team so everyone knows whether you’re winning.

The goal: when someone says “actual vs theoretical,” you don’t nod politely and ignore it. You know exactly what it means and how to use it.

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How to Use It Today

To get the most from Day 1, have this ready:

Latest P&L (last full month or last 12 months)

POS summary for sales by category (food, bev, etc.)

Any internal COGS / inventory reports you already use

If you’re missing something, don’t overthink it. Fill in what you can now. You can refine later.

1.) Watch the video.

2.) Pull up your existing reports (if you already track actual vs theoretical) or note where the gaps would likely be.

3.) Answer two questions:

  • “Do we track this today in any usable way?”
  • “Who on my team will own watching this number in 2026?”

4.) Share the video with your key managers so you’re all speaking the same language.

This gives you one simple “yes/no” on whether all the work from Days 1–8 is moving the right number.

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How Day 9 Fits Into Your 12‑Day Journey

  • Days 1–8: You built the pieces: baselines, controls, SOPs, automation targets, and a more profitable menu.
  • Day 9 (today): You learn the metric that tells you whether those changes are actually working.
  • Day 10: You’ll prepare your books and inventory for 2026 so this metric is clean and reliable.
  • Days 11–12: You’ll plug everything into your 2026 tech stack and final system.

This is the “dashboard light” for your entire operating system.

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER GIFTS

To get the most from Day 1, have this ready:

Latest P&L (last full month or last 12 months)

POS summary for sales by category (food, bev, etc.)

Any internal COGS / inventory reports you already use

If you’re missing something, don’t overthink it. Fill in what you can now. You can refine later.

WATCH NOW

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER GIFTS

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Want Us To Walk Through Your Baseline With You?

See How WISK Would Work in Your Business. In a short live demo, we’ll:
  • Show how invoices, inventory, and purchasing all connect in one place

  • Highlight where your current process is leaking time and margin

  • Map what a simple 2026 rollout could look like for your venues

We’ll walk you through the platform, answer your questions, and you decide if it makes sense to move forward.