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Tracking Waste

Creation date: 7/22/2026 5:13 PM    Updated: 7/27/2026 8:47 AM   oc pro optimum control shrinking spoilage variance waste
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Optimum Control Guide
Tracking Waste
Every spill, burn, and comp — on the record instead of showing up as mystery shrinkage.
ℹ
Recording waste is optional — but without it, every spill, burn, and comp shows up as unexplained shrinkage. Entering waste puts it on the record where it belongs, as part of your ideal usage on the Usage Summary report.
🗑️  Entering waste
1
Click Waste on the main toolbar.
2
The Waste Calendar opens. (Double-click a value on a date to open waste already saved for that day.)
3
Click New.
4
Choose the date. Entering waste for a whole week or period? Use the last date of that period.
5
Click Add Item, Add Prep, or Add Product on the waste toolbar, depending on what was wasted.
6
Enter the quantity wasted.
7
Choose the unit of measure — any unit in the drop-down works.
8
Enter a reason — a short note on why it was wasted.
9
Repeat for anything else being recorded.
10
Click Save. The stock comes off your inventory.
🕐  Record it when it happens
Waste reconstructed from memory at the end of the week is fiction. Jot it down the moment it happens — a paper waste sheet kept near the line works fine — and enter it into Optimum Control regularly. If you enter a batch covering several days, date it with the last day of that period.
💡  Write a real reason
The reason field is the difference between waste data that's useful and waste data that's just a number.
"Spoiled" tells you nothing. "Case of romaine gone off — walk-in too warm over weekend" tells you to check the walk-in.
Useful reasons to distinguish between:
  • Spoilage / out of date
  • Dropped, spilled, or broken
  • Overproduction
  • Cooking error / remake
  • Comped or returned by guest
  • Staff meal (if you record it here)
⚠
Waste reduces your stock
Saving waste removes that stock from inventory. That's the point — but it means don't enter the same waste twice, and don't enter waste you've already accounted for another way.
📊  Where it shows up
Waste appears on the Usage Summary report as part of the ideal usage for that item. On that report, double-click the waste figure to drill into the detail of what was wasted and why.
That's what makes waste tracking worth the effort: instead of a mystery variance, you get a line that says exactly where the product went.
🆘  If something goes wrong
Program problem — errors, crashes, failed saves, a report that won't run → TracRite support at Support@tracrite.net (they know their software best).
"How do I / why does my data look like this?" — missing items, vendors, recipes, or numbers that look off → your F&B manager or executive chef. These are operational questions, not software faults.
Hardware, network, a lost license, or OC missing from a workstation → that's the short list Argus IT handles.
See Optimum Control — Common Issues and How to Get Help (KB-210001) for the full "who to contact for what" breakdown before reaching out.
ArgusIT KB# 210011 · Tags: optimum control · oc pro · waste · spoilage · shrinkage · variance
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