Set beverage par levels

A par level is the target quantity of a product to have on hand at a defined point, usually just after a delivery. Its purpose is to cover expected usage between orders plus a margin for variability, without tying up cash in product that sits unsold.

Par levels are ordering guides, not compliance rules. They should change when sales patterns, menus, delivery schedules, or seasons change.

The most defensible par starts from measured usage over comparable recent periods, adjusted for the ordering interval and delivery lead time.

The par level formula is: (usage in the period / days in the period) * days of coverage + safety stock. Use the same unit throughout. Round to a bottle or case you can actually buy. The public calculator at /par-level-calculator runs that arithmetic. par level is the definition. bar metrics places par beside pour cost and variance.

1. Measure average usage per day for the product over several comparable weeks.
2. Multiply by the number of days between deliveries, including lead time.
3. Add a safety margin sized to the product's usage variability and stockout cost.
4. Round to a practical order unit such as a case or bottle.
5. Review pars on a fixed schedule and after menu or season changes.

Safety stock exists to survive a late truck or a spike night. Dead stock is cash on a shelf that does not turn. Pars that only go up create the second problem. Review zero-movement SKUs on a schedule and stop replenishing them.

Seasonal rooms should keep two par sets or a documented seasonal override. A rooftop in July is not the same store in January. ExactPour par and low-stock alerts are only as honest as the targets you maintain.

Round pars to cases or bottles you can actually buy. A par of 1.4 cases that the distributor sells as 1 or 2 will be ignored. Tie suggested orders to the last count, not to a clipboard guess on Tuesday.

Multi-location groups should not copy pars blindly. A lobby bar and a nightclub can share a catalog and still need different targets. Compare depletion, then set pars.

Par levels computed from short or unrepresentative periods will misfire. Promotions, private events, weather, and one-time menu features can distort the usage history a par is based on. Document the period used so future reviews can judge whether it was typical.