What Is AvT Variance?
Actual usage is what your inventory counts say you used during a period. It is calculated from your beginning count, purchases received, and ending count. Theoretical usage is what you should have used based on your POS sales data and your recipe configurations. If every item were portioned perfectly and nothing was wasted, your actual and theoretical usage would match exactly. The variance is the difference between the two. A positive variance (actual higher than theoretical) means you used more than expected — pointing to potential waste, over-portioning, theft, or unrecorded sales. A negative variance (actual lower than theoretical) means you used less than expected, which could indicate under-portioning, inaccurate recipes, or unrecorded inventory.Accessing the AvT Variance Report
Navigate to the AvT Variance page from the Inventory section. At the top of the page you will find several controls to configure your report:- Location picker — select which location to analyze
- Count sheet selector — choose which count sheet to use for the variance calculation
- Start count date — the beginning inventory count for the period
- End count date — the ending inventory count for the period
Understanding the Report
Summary Card
At the top of the results, a summary card displays your total variance in both dollar amount and percentage. This gives you a quick snapshot of overall performance for the selected period.Variance Bar Chart
Below the summary, a bar chart visualizes your actual usage alongside theoretical usage. The theoretical usage is shown as a dashed line for easy comparison against the solid actual usage bars. This chart helps you see at a glance whether you are trending above or below your expected usage.Biggest Losses and Biggest Savings
Two side-by-side sections highlight the items with the most significant variances:- Biggest Losses — the top 5 items where actual usage exceeded theoretical usage, shown in red. These are the items costing you the most money through waste, over-portioning, or other loss.
- Biggest Savings — the top 5 items where actual usage was below theoretical usage, shown in green. These items are performing better than expected.
Breakdown by Category
The detailed breakdown organizes all items by category in collapsible sections. Expand any category to see item-level detail, including:| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Actual Usage ($) | The dollar value of what you actually used based on inventory counts |
| Theoretical Usage ($) | The dollar value of what you should have used based on sales and recipes |
| Variance ($) | The dollar difference between actual and theoretical |
| Variance (%) | The percentage difference between actual and theoretical |
What to Do with Your Variance Data
Once you have your AvT report, focus on the items and categories with the largest dollar variances. Common causes and actions include:- Over-portioning — retrain staff on portion sizes and consider using portioning tools such as scales and ladles
- Waste and spoilage — review storage practices, ordering quantities, and shelf-life management
- Theft — investigate items with consistently high unexplained variance
- Recipe inaccuracies — if an item always shows negative variance, your recipe may understate the true portion size; update the recipe to reflect reality
- Unrecorded sales or comps — ensure all sales, comps, and employee meals are captured in your POS so they are reflected in theoretical usage
For AvT variance to be accurate, you need reliable inventory counts, up-to-date recipes, and complete PMIX mapping. If your variance numbers seem unrealistic, start by auditing those three inputs.