Catch food cost variance before it eats your margin
Every Monday, WebRun opens Restroworks recipe costing, compares each outlet's theoretical food cost against actual usage for the past week, checks Xero for any vendor price change that could explain the gap, and logs the variance by outlet and menu category to a shared Google Sheet.
- No credit card
- Under $0.01 per run
- Cancel anytime
How do I track food cost variance against theoretical recipe cost automatically?
Every Monday, WebRun opens Restroworks recipe costing, compares each outlet's theoretical food cost against actual usage for the past week, and checks Xero for any vendor price change that could explain the gap. It logs the variance by outlet and menu category to Google Sheets, worst gap first, with the trend carried forward.
- Food cost creep is caught weekly by outlet, not discovered at month end
- Every large variance comes with a first read on vendor pricing versus usage
- The trend carries forward so a one-off blip is not mistaken for a pattern
Built for executive chefs · restaurant chain finance teams · F&B cost controllers · multi-outlet restaurant operators
What does WebRun do on every run?
The exact actions WebRun takes, in order - in plain language, so you can adjust anything.
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WebRun signs in and gets to work
Opens
app.restroworks.comin a real browser with your saved login - no setup, no API keys. -
1
Restroworks - compare theoretical against actual food cost
restroworks.com How to Automate Restroworks
WebRun opens Restroworks to compare theoretical against actual food cost. - Open Restroworks recipe costing and pull each outlet's theoretical food cost percentage for the past week
- Pull the actual food cost percentage from consumption and closing stock for the same outlets
- Capture the variance in percentage points by outlet and by menu category
Done when Theoretical and actual food cost are compared for every outlet and menu category.
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2
Xero - check vendor spend for price changes
xero.com How to Automate Xero
WebRun opens Xero to check vendor spend for price changes. - Open Xero and pull the past week's purchase bills for the vendors behind the largest variances
- Check for any price increase on key ingredients versus the prior costed rate
- Note whether a price change likely explains part of the gap, or whether it looks like a usage issue
Done when Each large variance has a note on whether vendor pricing or usage looks like the cause.
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3
Google Sheets - log the variance by outlet and category
google.com How to Automate Google Sheets
WebRun opens Google Sheets to log the variance by outlet and category. - Open the shared food cost tracker in Google Sheets
- Log this week's variance by outlet and menu category, worst variance first
- Carry forward last week's numbers so the trend, not just a single week, is visible
Done when This week's food cost variance is logged in the tracker with the trend visible.
How is each run configured?
Secure by default
Connect once, stays signed in
WebRun signs in once and keeps each session in a persistent environment, so every run picks up right where it left off.
Every action is checked against this policy before it runs.
Questions, answered
Does it change any recipe or costing data in Restroworks?
No. WebRun only reads the theoretical and actual food cost that Restroworks already calculates. It never edits a recipe, a costed ingredient, or a stock count.
How does it tell a pricing problem from a usage problem?
It checks Xero for a recent price change on the ingredients behind the largest variances. If a vendor's price has moved, that is noted as a likely cause. If pricing looks unchanged, the gap is flagged as a usage issue for a chef to review.
Does it cover every outlet in the chain?
Yes. It pulls theoretical and actual food cost for every outlet Restroworks tracks recipes for, so the report shows which specific outlets and menu categories are driving the chain's overall variance.
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