Kitchen FAQ & troubleshooting

Q: Why is my dish cost showing â‚¬0.00 or an unrealistically low number?

This is almost always due to unlinked ingredient rows: - In Culizen, typing an ingredient name does not automatically attach a price. An ingredient row only incurs a financial cost when it is linked to a Pantry product with a recorded invoice or purchase price. - How to fix: Open the recipe in Recipes, look for rows with a red "Not linked to pantry" badge or amber "No supplier assigned", click the chain link icon, and search for the matching pantry item.

Q: How should I account for butchery trim, bone loss, or cooking evaporation?

Use the Waste % field on the ingredient line: - For example, if whole cleaned salmon yields 70% usable fillet after trimming skin, head, and pin bones, set the waste percentage to 30%. - Culizen automatically factors this into your true portion cost without forcing you to manually calculate complex yield ratios.

Q: Can I import recipes from spreadsheets or handwritten notes?

Yes. In Recipes â†’ New Recipe, select Import Recipe. You can upload PDF files, Excel spreadsheets (.xlsx), Word documents, or photos of handwritten kitchen recipe binders. Culizen's AI extracts ingredients, standardizes units (g, kg, ml, l), and creates an editable draft recipe. --- ## Invoices & Suppliers

Q: What if the AI matched an invoice line item to the wrong pantry product?

You can correct matches directly during the review step: 1. In the invoice review modal, click on the matched product row. 2. Search your pantry and select the correct existing product, or choose Create new pantry item. 3. Culizen saves this mapping as a supplier alias, ensuring that future invoices with the identical supplier description automatically match correctly.

Q: What happens if staff uploads the same invoice twice?

Culizen includes automated duplicate detection: - If an invoice matches an existing record with the same Supplier, Invoice Date, and Total Amount, Culizen flags a warning modal asking if you wish to view the existing invoice or proceed with a re-scan. This prevents accidental double-counting of inventory and expenses.

Q: What is the difference between logged waste and inventory variance?

- Logged Waste: Real-time entries recorded during service (e.g., dropped steaks, prep over-portioning, sour milk) logged via Inventory â†’ Quick Waste Entry. - Inventory Variance (Drain Report): The mathematical discrepancy revealed during a periodic stock take comparing what should have been used (theoretical sales-driven usage) against what was actually consumed (opening inventory + invoice purchases - closing inventory). - Logged waste explains variance: The more diligently your kitchen logs kitchen waste, the smaller the unexplained shrinkage on your Drain Report.

Q: How often should we conduct a stock take?

- Weekly: High-cost, fast-moving items (fresh meat, seafood, premium dairy, and high-value bar spirits). - Monthly: Dry goods, canned items, frozen items, packaging, and general cellar supplies. --- ## Team Roles & Permissions

Q: Can line cooks or waitstaff see the restaurant's net profit?

No, if you assign them the Viewer role: - Viewers have access to dish recipes, ingredient quantities, preparation instructions, and allergen information needed to execute service. - All financial metrics (cost per serving, food cost %, gross margin, supplier purchase prices, and the Financials P&L tab) are hidden from Viewer accounts.

Last updated: 2026-09-01

Practical troubleshooting and answers to the most common questions restaurant owners, head chefs, and kitchen teams encounter when using Culizen day-to-day.

Recipe Costing & Ingredients

Why is my dish cost showing â‚¬0.00 or an unrealistically low number?

This is almost always due to unlinked ingredient rows:

In Culizen, typing an ingredient name does not automatically attach a price. An ingredient row only incurs a financial cost when it is linked to a Pantry product with a recorded invoice or purchase price.
How to fix: Open the recipe in Recipes, look for rows with a red "Not linked to pantry" badge or amber "No supplier assigned", click the chain link icon, and search for the matching pantry item.

How should I account for butchery trim, bone loss, or cooking evaporation?

Use the Waste % field on the ingredient line:

For example, if whole cleaned salmon yields 70% usable fillet after trimming skin, head, and pin bones, set the waste percentage to 30%.
Culizen automatically factors this into your true portion cost without forcing you to manually calculate complex yield ratios.

Can I import recipes from spreadsheets or handwritten notes?

Yes. In Recipes â†’ New Recipe, select Import Recipe. You can upload PDF files, Excel spreadsheets (.xlsx), Word documents, or photos of handwritten kitchen recipe binders. Culizen's AI extracts ingredients, standardizes units (g, kg, ml, l), and creates an editable draft recipe.

Invoices & Suppliers

What if the AI matched an invoice line item to the wrong pantry product?

You can correct matches directly during the review step:

In the invoice review modal, click on the matched product row.
Search your pantry and select the correct existing product, or choose Create new pantry item.
Culizen saves this mapping as a supplier alias, ensuring that future invoices with the identical supplier description automatically match correctly.

What happens if staff uploads the same invoice twice?

Culizen includes automated duplicate detection:

If an invoice matches an existing record with the same Supplier, Invoice Date, and Total Amount, Culizen flags a warning modal asking if you wish to view the existing invoice or proceed with a re-scan. This prevents accidental double-counting of inventory and expenses.

How do credit notes work?

When a supplier delivers damaged goods or shorts an order, record the credit note in Suppliers â†’ Add Invoice by toggling Credit Note. The credited amount is deducted from the supplier's balance and reflected in the period's purchasing figures in Financials.

Inventory & Waste

What is the difference between logged waste and inventory variance?

Logged Waste: Real-time entries recorded during service (e.g., dropped steaks, prep over-portioning, sour milk) logged via Inventory â†’ Quick Waste Entry.
Inventory Variance (Drain Report): The mathematical discrepancy revealed during a periodic stock take comparing what should have been used (theoretical sales-driven usage) against what was actually consumed (opening inventory + invoice purchases - closing inventory).
Logged waste explains variance: The more diligently your kitchen logs kitchen waste, the smaller the unexplained shrinkage on your Drain Report.

How often should we conduct a stock take?

Weekly: High-cost, fast-moving items (fresh meat, seafood, premium dairy, and high-value bar spirits).
Monthly: Dry goods, canned items, frozen items, packaging, and general cellar supplies.

Team Roles & Permissions

Can line cooks or waitstaff see the restaurant's net profit?

No, if you assign them the Viewer role:

Viewers have access to dish recipes, ingredient quantities, preparation instructions, and allergen information needed to execute service.
All financial metrics (cost per serving, food cost %, gross margin, supplier purchase prices, and the Financials P&L tab) are hidden from Viewer accounts.

Can I run multiple restaurant locations under one account?

Yes. On the Executive plan (designed for multi-unit operators and restaurant groups), you can create and switch between multiple Venues using the venue switcher in the sidebar. Each location maintains independent inventory counts, local supplier invoices, and branch P&L statements, while allowing group owners to review consolidated performance.

Need Further Assistance?

If your question is not covered above, reach out directly:

Email Support: support@culizen.gr
Live AI Assistant: Click the emerald sparkle icon (âœ¨) at the bottom right of any screen to ask Chef Intelligence.