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It’s the most frustrating feeling for a hospitality owner. You’ve had a busy month—the crowds from the Arts Festival, a packed race week, or a string of sunny weekends in Salthill. The tills were ringing, the staff were flat out, but when you look at the bank account, the profit just... isn't there.

Where did it go?

This "mystery gap" between your expected profit and your actual profit is where businesses live or die. This gap is created by two silent killers: Waste and Theft.

They're not just "the cost of doing business." They are profit leaks that can, and must, be plugged. A regular, professional stocktake is the only tool that can find these leaks and give you the data to fix them.

The First Enemy: Waste (The Unintentional Killer)
Waste is often unintentional, but it's just as costly as theft. It’s the result of poor processes, a lack of training, or a culture of carelessness. A professional stocktake makes this invisible waste visible.

· Over-Portioning: This is the most common and expensive form of waste. It’s the "Galway-sized-portion" of fish, the "heavy hand" on the house spirits, or the extra scoop of fries. The customer doesn't notice the 15% extra, but your margin on that dish just vanished.

· Spoilage: A major issue in food-led businesses. It’s the crate of berries, the fresh seafood, or the box of salad leaves that perishes in the walk-in. This is a direct sign of over-ordering, poor stock rotation (FIFO), or a menu item that just isn't selling.

· Spillage & Errors: The dropped pint, the mis-poured cocktail that gets thrown out, the "re-fired" dish due to a kitchen error. If these aren't tracked, they are indistinguishable from theft.

A stocktake report flags this by showing a low "yield" on a product. When you see you're only getting 80 pints from a keg that should give 86 (after ullage), you now have a €30+ problem to investigate.

The Second Enemy: Theft (The Uncomfortable Truth)
No owner in Galway wants to believe it of their team, but in a fast-paced environment with cash and easily-consumed products, theft happens. It's often not even malicious, but it's just as damaging.

· Overt Theft: The most obvious—a bottle of vodka walking out the back door, or cash from the till. This is rarer than you think.

· "Grey" Theft: This is the real killer. It's a thousand small cuts.

o The "free drink for a friend" that isn't rung through the till.

o The unrecorded "staff drink" that isn't part of their comp package.

o The "top-up" for a regular at the bar.

o The "mistake" cocktail that's shared among staff instead of being recorded as waste.

Each one of these incidents is a 100% loss. You've paid for the product and the labour, with 0% revenue.

How a Professional Stocktake Is Your Solution
You can't fix a problem you can't measure. A regular, external stocktake is the security system your business needs, and it works in two ways.

1. It Provides a Powerful Psychological Deterrent This is the most immediate benefit. When your entire team knows that a professional, impartial company is coming in at a random time every month to account for every single bottle, behaviour changes overnight.

It's not the "bad guy" boss watching them; it's an objective system. The incentive to free-pour, give away drinks, or make "errors" disappears. It creates a culture of accountability and professionalism.

2. It Delivers Impartial, Actionable Data A professional stocktake removes the emotion and suspicion. You're no longer "accusing" your staff. Instead, you're having a professional, data-driven conversation.

· Instead of: "I think you're over-pouring."

· You can say: "Lads, the report shows our yield on house vodka is down 10%. We need to re-train on using the jiggers, as it's costing us €200 a month."

This data protects your honest staff and identifies your real problems. It allows you to fix the process, not just blame the people.

Don't let your hard-earned Galway profit "evaporate." As the city's leading stocktake company Galway, we give you the tools to find, fix, and secure your bottom line.