Invoice capture
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Key takeaway: Capture a delivery invoice as photos or a PDF, review the extracted lines and ingredient matches, then post it to your records. Recipes and dishes use the recorded purchase prices for matched ingredients. Review pack sizes, units and quantities so the costing reflects what you bought.
What it's worth: one point of food cost on $1M in food sales is $10,000 a year. Varastiq helps you review item usage in reporting and large count changes while counting.
Why does invoice capture matter for food cost?
Food cost has two inputs you control: what you use and what you pay. Counts tell you what you used. Invoices tell you what you paid. If invoice prices never make it into your recipe costs, your plate costs drift from reality one delivery at a time. Invoice totals also feed the "purchases" line in the food cost formula.
How does invoice capture work in Varastiq?
- Capture it at the back door. Take a photo of the paper invoice or upload the PDF your vendor emails you.
- Varastiq reads the lines. Items, pack sizes, quantities and prices.
- Review the item matches. Confirm each line's ingredient, pack size, units, quantity and price before posting the receipt.
- Prices flow through. Recipes, preps and plates using those items re-cost. See live plate cost.
- Use posted receipts in usage reporting. Received quantities help reconcile actual usage between submitted counts. The current Stiq count flag separately compares against the previous count.
What does a price change look like?
Suppose your chicken thigh case goes from $42 to $48 for 10 lb. That's $4.20 to $4.80 a pound. A dish using 8 oz raw at an 88% trim yield moves from about $2.39 to about $2.73 in chicken alone. Varastiq shows that on every dish that uses thighs, the day the invoice comes in. You can check the math with the recipe cost calculator.
What does invoice capture not do?
Varastiq doesn't pay your bills. If you want invoice capture tied to bill pay and accounts payable, a tool such as MarginEdge (which includes bill pay for U.S. restaurants, per its pricing page as of October 20, 2026) may suit you better. See our MarginEdge alternative page for an honest comparison.
Who is invoice capture for?
Kitchen managers and chefs who receive deliveries, and owners who want costing to reflect real prices without retyping invoices.
Frequently asked questions
Can I photograph a paper invoice?
Yes. Take a photo of the paper invoice or upload a PDF, and Varastiq reads the line items.
Does Varastiq update recipe costs from invoices?
Yes. When an invoice changes an ingredient's price, every recipe, prep and dish that uses it re-costs.
Does Varastiq do bill pay?
No. Varastiq captures invoices for costing and inventory. It does not pay vendors.
Do I need to capture every invoice?
For accurate food cost and variance, yes. A missing invoice makes usage look lower than it was and throws off the next count.
Can I try invoice capture before signing up?
Yes. After you upload a menu on See your menu, you can add up to three invoices so dishes re-price from what you actually paid.