Article Contents
Introduction
When viewing a POS Item, the History tab shows any changes that affect its cost percentage over time. This includes:
The cost of an ingredient increased or decreased
The quantity of an ingredient increased or decreased
An ingredient was switched with another one
The menu price of the item increased or decreased
At the end of each day, if there is a change to a POS Item's cost percentage, it's recorded in the History tab.
This appears as a data point in a graph. When you place your cursor over a point it shows all the relevant data including the menu price, cost, and profit.
This allows you to see how a POS Item's cost percentage changes over time.
In addition to seeing the cost percentage, another graph shows the breakdown of each ingredient, including the quantity and cost.
Viewing a POS Item's History
To view a POS Item's History:
On the POS Items page, click the "Details" button beside a POS Item
Click the "History" tab
This shows all data available for the item. You can use the slider at the top or the presets to show a specific time period
Note: Data collection for this feature was added in late August 2024. There is no data in venues prior to this.
The following graphs appear in the POS Item History:
Cost Percentage History
Ingredient Cost History
Ingredient Cost History - Expanded (this only displays if the POS Item contains batches)
Cost Percentage History
This graph shows how the POS Item's cost percentage changes over time. As a reminder, this includes any changes to the cost or quantity of ingredients, or the selling price of the POS Item.
When you mouse over a data point the following information displays for that date:
Cost percentage
Alert percentage (if you have set a cost alert for the POS Item)
Cost
Price (the menu price from your POS)
Profit
Note: If you have set a cost alert for the POS Item, it shows an email was sent if the cost percentage goes above the alert level.
Ingredient Cost History
This graph shows a breakdown of the POS Item cost by ingredient.
On each date it displays the quantity and the cost of each ingredient when you mouse over it. In this example the latest cost of the POS Item is $3.57 and it shows the breakdown of each ingredient.
Each ingredient is assigned a color, and the size of its section shows how much it makes up the overall cost of the POS Item.
By comparing data points, you can see how the cost and quantity of each ingredient changes over time, impacting the overall cost of the POS Item.
Note: If a POS Item contains a batch, this graph shows the cost of the batch overall. To see the cost of each individual ingredient in the batch, there is a graph below that provides an expanded view. In this example, the Pomodoro Sauce is a batch with a cost of $1.07 for 250ml. The graph below shows all ingredients that make up the $1.07.
Adding, Removing or Swapping Ingredients
Whenever you modify an ingredient in a recipe, it logs it on the date it was performed.
There will be clear points in the history where the item was first added, and when it was removed / replaced with another ingredient.
Ingredient Cost History - Expanded (For Batches)
This graph only appears if the POS Item contains a batch.
This graph provides an expanded view of the batch, showing each individual ingredient. This way you can see what ingredient caused the cost of the batch to increase or decrease.
In this example, 250ml of the Pomodoro Sauce costs $1.07. For each ingredient in the batch, it shows the quantity and cost.
POS Item Example - Cheeseburger
This section provides a quick walkthrough of a POS Item history.
In this example we are looking at a Cheeseburger, that started off with a cost of $2.70, a cost percentage of 27%, and an alert level of 28%.
In the next data point, the cost rose to $3.07 and the cost percentage went above the alert level, and an email notification was sent.
By scrolling down and checking the ingredient costs, we can see the cost of the ground beef used in the recipe was originally $2:
But after adding an invoice, the cost increased to $2.37:
To handle this increase in cost, the menu price of the POS Item was modified in the POS. It was changed from $10 to $12, which lowered the overall cost percentage of the POS Item and put it back below the alert level.
