Calso is an AI business assistant built exclusively for hospitality venues. It handles phone calls, emails, stock ordering, scheduling, marketing, and more autonomously, using your venue's context and your tone of communication.

How much does Calso cost?

One flat monthly rate with unlimited actions, all integrations, and personal onboarding included — no per-seat pricing. See current pricing at calso.com.au/pricing.

Does Calso replace my POS system?

No. Calso integrates with your existing POS and booking systems. It reads data from them and acts on your behalf — it does not replace them.

How long does Calso take to set up?

Setup typically takes 1–2 hours with a dedicated 1-on-1 onboarding session. Calso starts handling tasks within the first week.

Is my venue's data safe with Calso?

Yes. Each venue's data is completely isolated. Calso does not use your business data to train shared AI models. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest.

What hospitality venues does Calso work for?

Calso works for restaurants, cafes, bakeries, bars, wine bars, brunch spots, catering operations, and any hospitality venue with 1–50 staff.

Can Calso handle phone calls for my restaurant?

Yes. Calso makes and receives phone calls on behalf of your venue using voice AI. It can negotiate with suppliers, confirm bookings, follow up invoices, and answer customer inquiries 24/7.

Does Calso support multiple locations?

Yes. Calso supports multi-location management from a single account.

How much money do Australian restaurants waste on poor stock control?

Australian hospitality venues waste $10,000–$30,000 annually on food waste alone. For a 60-seat restaurant, that's typically 5–8% of weekly revenue disappearing. Add over-ordering and duplicate deliveries, and margins vanish quickly. Tight inventory systems cut waste by 15–25%.

How often should I do physical stock counts in my restaurant?

Count perishables weekly, dry goods monthly. Proteins need daily or twice-weekly checks if high-volume. Produce twice weekly, dairy weekly, and alcohol weekly due to theft and spillage. Schedule counts during quiet times—early morning or late afternoon—as a quick 15-minute habit.

What is a par level and why do restaurant owners miss it?

A par level is the maximum ingredient quantity you want on hand. It prevents over-ordering and ties up less cash in inventory. Most owners skip this, leading to excess stock rotting in cool rooms. Par levels help you order smarter and maintain better cash flow.

What's the best stock control system for small Australian restaurants?

A spreadsheet works if you actually use it consistently. Most owners start strong then skip weeks when busy—that's when problems occur. The key isn't the tool; it's making physical counts a non-negotiable weekly habit for perishables and monthly for dry goods.

How can stock control help my restaurant's cash flow?

Proper inventory prevents cash sitting in cool rooms instead of the bank. By knowing what you have, when you'll run out, and what's selling, you order smarter, waste less, and free up working capital. This directly improves your bottom line and financial flexibility.

What ingredients should I count most frequently in my restaurant?

Proteins (meat, fish, poultry) need daily or twice-weekly counts for high-volume venues. Produce requires twice-weekly checks, dairy and alcohol weekly. Dry goods, oils, and spices can be counted monthly. Prioritise perishables that spoil quickly and high-cost items.

Stock Control for Small Restaurants: What Actually Works

Stock control isn't glamorous, but it's where small restaurants leak money fastest. A tight inventory system cuts waste by 15–25%, frees up cash flow, and stops you ordering the same ingredient twice because you forgot what's in the walk-in. Here's what actually works in Australian venues—and what most owners get wrong.

Why stock control matters more than you think

Food waste costs Australian hospitality venues an average of $10,000–$30,000 per year, depending on size. For a 60-seat restaurant doing $8,000 a week in covers, that's often 5–8% of revenue disappearing into the bin. Add in over-ordering (because you didn't count properly), duplicate deliveries, and supplier invoicing errors, and your margins vanish.

Stock control isn't just about counting. It's about knowing what you have, when you'll run out, and what's actually selling. When you get it right, you order smarter, waste less, and have cash sitting in the bank instead of rotting in your cool room.

The three layers of stock control that work

1. Physical counts (the non-negotiable bit)

You need a real, hands-on count—at least weekly for perishables, monthly for dry goods. A spreadsheet works, but only if you actually use it. Most owners start strong, then skip weeks when it gets busy. That's when the rot sets in—literally.

What to count:

Proteins (meat, fish, poultry) — daily or every two days if you're high-volume
Produce — twice weekly
Dairy and eggs — weekly
Dry goods, oils, spices — monthly
Alcohol — weekly (theft and spillage add up)

Pick a quiet time—early morning before service, or late afternoon. Make it a 15-minute habit, not a Friday-night panic.

2. Par levels (the secret weapon most miss)

A par level is the maximum amount of an ingredient you want on hand at any given time. It's not about stock-outs; it's about not tying up cash in excess inventory.

For example:

Butter: par level 5 kg (you use 1.5 kg/day, so you order when you hit 3 kg)
Diced tomatoes (canned): par level 24 tins (you use 4/day, so you order when you hit 12)
Chicken breast: par level 15 kg (you use 3 kg/day, so you order when you hit 6 kg)

Set par levels based on:

Daily usage (from your POS or memory)
Lead time from your supplier (Bidvest next-day, PFD 2–3 days, Countrywide regional variance)
Shelf life (fresh herbs par lower; tinned goods par higher)
Storage space (you can't par 50 kg of flour if your dry store is tiny)

This stops the feast-famine cycle: you're not ordering huge when you panic, then sitting on stock for weeks.

3. First-in, first-out (FIFO)—boring but essential

Rotate stock ruthlessly. New deliveries go to the back. Old stock comes forward. This cuts waste more than any other tactic. Expired stock is dead money.

Label everything with the date you received it. Use a permanent marker on the box, container, or jar. Takes 10 seconds, saves hundreds.

The counter-intuitive tactic: reverse-engineer from your menu

Here's what most small restaurant owners don't do: they build stock around what suppliers push, not what their menu actually needs.

Instead, work backwards:

List every ingredient in every dish on your menu (yes, all of it).
Calculate weekly usage for each ingredient based on covers and dish popularity.
Only order what feeds your menu. If beef Wellington isn't moving, don't stock premium beef just because your supplier has a deal.

Example: A 60-seat cafe in Melbourne does 200 covers a week. 60% order eggs (breakfast/brunch). That's 120 eggs per week, or roughly 18 dozen. Par level: 2 dozen (3-day buffer). Order frequency: twice a week. You're never scrambling, never wasting eggs.

Most venues order based on habit or supplier reps' suggestions. That's how you end up with 10 kg of specialty flour that expires before you use 2 kg.

Supplier management: timing and trust

Australian suppliers vary wildly by region and type. Bidvest and PFD have tight logistics in metro areas (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane); Countrywide and independent suppliers work better regionally. Know your supplier's cut-off times and delivery windows—missing a 2 pm cut-off costs you a day.

Pro tactic: stagger deliveries. Don't take everything on Tuesday. Split protein (Tuesday, Friday), produce (Wednesday, Saturday), dry goods (fortnightly). Spreads cash flow, reduces spoilage risk, and stops your cool room exploding.

Seasonal and event-driven ordering

Australian hospitality has hard spikes you can't ignore:

Melbourne Cup (first Tuesday in November): Venues do 2–3× normal covers. Stock 3× protein, 2× produce.
Christmas and New Year: December 20–January 5 is chaos. Pre-order early (suppliers fill up by early December). ANZAC Day (April 25) and Easter bring public holiday penalty rates—plan labour and stock accordingly.
School holidays: Family venues see 40–60% jumps in covers. Order ahead.

These aren't surprises. Mark them in your calendar 8 weeks out and adjust par levels.

Catching invoice errors (the hidden win)

Supplier invoices are wrong about 12–18% of the time in hospitality. Overcharges, duplicate line items, wrong quantities delivered but invoiced as ordered. Spot-check every invoice:

Quantity delivered vs. quantity invoiced (mismatches happen)
Unit price vs. your quote or last order
Items you didn't order (extras slipped in)

One restaurant in Brisbane caught a $3,200 overcharge over 6 months just by checking invoices properly. That's a free staff member's wages.

Where Calso fits in

Stock control works best when you're not doing it manually every week. Calso automates supplier ordering based on par levels and usage patterns you set—so you're not manually counting, calculating, and emailing Bidvest at 3 pm because you miscounted. It also flags invoice errors before you pay them, catching the mistakes suppliers slip in. You still own the strategy; Calso removes the admin friction.

Tools that help (without breaking the budget)

Spreadsheet (Google Sheets): Free, simple, works if you're disciplined. Not scalable.
POS integration: Most modern POS systems (Square, Toast, Lightspeed) track sales by item. Use that data to inform ordering.
Whiteboard in the cool room: Write par levels on a board. Staff see it, count stock, write usage. Low-tech, high-clarity.

Want early access?

Calso is currently invite-only for founding venues. If you're tired of manual stock counts and supplier admin eating your time, join the waitlist at calso.com.au/join. Limited spots per city, and early venues get direct access to the founding team.

Key takeaways

Count weekly (perishables) and monthly (dry goods). Pick a quiet time and stick to it.
Set par levels based on usage, lead time, and shelf life—not guesswork.
Work backwards from your menu, not from what suppliers push.
Rotate stock ruthlessly (FIFO) and label everything with dates.
Stagger deliveries to spread cash flow and reduce spoilage.
Check invoices every time—suppliers make mistakes, and they cost you.
Plan for seasonal spikes (Melbourne Cup, Christmas, school holidays) 8 weeks in advance.

Stock Control for Small Restaurants: What Actually Works