App builder

A kitchen inventory app for
the walk-in, the line and the prep list.

Tell Netiva’s agent how your kitchen runs. It builds a web app your cooks open on a phone to count storage areas, work the prep list and log waste, and you watch it take shape.

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Starter prompt

Build a kitchen inventory web app for a 90-seat restaurant. Each ingredient has a storage area (walk-in cooler, reach-in, dry storage or freezer), a shelf position, a count unit with its cost and a recipe unit with the recipe units per count unit. Cooks sign in and count each area on a phone in shelf order. Recipes are menu items or prep items; each line names an ingredient or a prep item, its amount per batch and a trim yield percent. Show a prep list by station that subtracts on hand from each par and rounds up to whole batches, a waste log with reasons and each dish’s plate cost and food cost percentage.

Build it in Netiva Paste the prompt into a new workspace and adjust it to your business.
Overview

Who this kitchen inventory app is for

Most restaurant kitchens still keep inventory on a clipboard and a whiteboard. The month-end count happens in whatever order people remember, prep pars live in the sous chef’s head and nobody is sure what the short rib costs to plate since the last price change. Build a kitchen inventory app in Netiva and ingredients, recipes, prep pars and the waste log sit in one web app. Cooks count the walk-in, dry storage and freezer in shelf order on a phone, the prep list works out what to make and every dish shows its current plate cost.

Key features

What your kitchen inventory app can do

  • Counts by storage area

    Every ingredient belongs to a storage area and has a shelf position, so the count sheet follows the walk-in, reach-ins, dry storage and freezer the way they’re actually stocked.

    • Count sheets in shelf-to-sheet order for each storage area
    • Part cases and opened packs entered as decimals
    • On-hand value at cost for each storage area
    • Saved views for a weekly key-item count and the full month-end count

  • Prep pars and station prep lists

    Each prep item has a par and a batch yield. Before service a cook enters what’s left, and the prep list shows how many batches each station needs to make.

    • Batches to make: par minus on hand, divided by the batch yield and rounded up
    • Separate lists for grill, sauté, garde manger and pastry
    • A use-by date for each batch, with the day it’s made as day 1
    • Cooks sign in with their own accounts before they update on hand

  • A waste log the whole line uses

    Spoiled herbs, an overproduced batch of soup, a plate sent back — each goes in the log with a reason, so the chef can see what is being thrown away and why.

    • A short entry form that fits a phone on the line
    • Reasons such as spoiled, past hold date, overproduced and returned
    • Each entry valued at cost from ingredient and recipe costs
    • A Monday email to the chef with last week’s totals by reason

  • Recipe costs and ingredient usage

    Recipe lines tie each dish to its ingredients and to the prep items it uses, with trim loss priced in, so the app works out batch cost, plate cost, food cost percentage and weekly ingredient usage.

    • Batch cost from the lines, divided by batch yield for the plate cost
    • Food cost percentage against the menu price
    • Ingredient totals for the portions you enter, in count units by storage area
    • Recipe lines drafted by the collection assistant for you to check
Data model

The collections behind it

Netiva keeps your records in built-in collections. Here’s a starting structure — the agent adapts it to your prompt, and you can change it any time.

Ingredients

Everything the kitchen buys, filed by where it’s stored and how it’s counted.

  • Name (required) Text
  • Storage area (required) Walk-in cooler, Reach-in, Dry storage or Freezer Text
  • Shelf order (required) Position on the count sheet, matching how the shelf is stocked Number
  • Count unit (required) Case, lb, each, #10 can… Text
  • Cost per count unit (required) From the latest invoice Number
  • Recipe unit (required) The unit recipe lines use: oz, fl oz, each… Text
  • Recipe units per count unit (required) 16 if you count in pounds and recipes call for ounces Number
  • On hand In count units, decimals for part cases; set by the latest count Number

Recipes

Menu items and the prep items that go into them, with pars, hold times and prices.

  • Name (required) Text
  • Kind (required) Menu item or Prep item Text
  • Station Grill, Sauté, Fry, Garde manger, Pastry Text
  • Batch yield (required) Portions for a menu item; quarts, pans or pieces for a prep item Number
  • Prep par Prep items only, in the batch yield unit Number
  • Prep on hand Entered on the prep list before each shift Number
  • Hold days Prep items; the day it’s made counts as day 1 Number
  • Menu price Menu items only, used for food cost percentage Number

Recipe lines

One ingredient or prep item in a recipe, with the amount one batch uses.

  • Recipe (required) Relation to Recipes
  • Ingredient The raw item; fill either this or Component recipe Relation to Ingredients
  • Component recipe A prep item used in this recipe; fill either Ingredient or Component recipe Relation to Recipes
  • Quantity (required) Edible portion for one batch, in the recipe unit or the prep item’s yield unit Number
  • Yield percent Usable share after trim or peeling; blank means 100 Number
  • Prep note Diced, picked, zested… Text

Waste log

Every ingredient, prep batch or plate thrown out, with the reason and who logged it.

  • Ingredient For raw stock; fill either this or Prep item or dish — every entry names exactly one Relation to Ingredients
  • Prep item or dish For a prep batch or a plated dish Relation to Recipes
  • Quantity (required) Number
  • Unit (required) Count unit, recipe unit or portions Text
  • Reason (required) Spoiled, Past hold date, Overproduced, Trim, Dropped or burnt, Returned Text
  • Station Text
  • Logged at (required) Date & time
  • Logged by (required) Taken from the cook’s sign-in Text

Required field. Types are Netiva collection field types.

Screens

Pages and screens to start with

A typical first version. Ask the agent for more, or annotate the preview to change any of them.

  • Count sheet

    One storage area at a time on a phone, in shelf order, with a box for full and part cases; saving updates on hand and the area’s value.

    Signed-in users

  • Prep list

    Today’s prep items by station with par, on hand and batches to make, plus the use-by date to write on each label.

    Signed-in users

  • Log waste

    A short phone form: pick an ingredient, prep item or dish, enter the amount and unit, choose a reason and save.

    Signed-in users

  • Waste report

    Last week’s waste at cost by reason, station and item, so the chef can adjust pars and portion sizes.

    Signed-in users

  • Recipe card

    Ingredient lines with quantities and prep notes, plus batch yield, plate cost and food cost percentage for one recipe.

    Signed-in users

  • Usage planner

    Type portions per dish for a week and see each ingredient’s usage, pulled through prep items and converted to count units, beside what’s on hand. Typed for the run, not stored.

    Signed-in users
How it works

From prompt to a live kitchen inventory app

  1. Map your kitchen

    Tell the agent which storage areas and stations you have and how you count — cases, pounds or each. It drafts collections for ingredients, recipes, recipe lines and waste.

  2. Load ingredients and recipes

    Enter ingredients in the collection grid in shelf order, then describe each recipe to the collection assistant and check the ingredient lines it drafts.

  3. Run a practice count

    Open the preview URL on a phone and count one storage area. Back in Netiva, annotate the preview wherever the order or units feel wrong and the agent adjusts it.

  4. Publish before the next count

    Publish in one click, have cooks sign in and turn on the Monday waste email. Menu changes are one more chat away, and every change is checkpointed.

Why Netiva

Netiva vs a traditional build

Building a kitchen inventory app with Netiva compared with a traditional build
Criterion With Netiva Traditional build
Prep lists A prep list that subtracts on hand from each par and rounds up to whole batches Pars on a whiteboard, rewritten by whoever closes and guessed at when it gets wiped
Recipe costing Plate costs worked out from current ingredient costs, unit conversions and trim yields A costing spreadsheet that falls out of date with the next invoice
Getting started Describe what you need in chat and watch it take shape in a live preview Hire developers, or stitch together templates, plugins and a hosting plan
Content and data Built-in collections with nine field types, bound straight to your pages Set up and connect a separate database or CMS
Making changes Ask the agent; every change is checkpointed and reversible File a ticket, wait for a sprint, redeploy
Hosting and domain Global hosting and automatic SSL; connect a custom domain from the Starter plan Buy hosting, then install and renew SSL certificates yourself
Code ownership Clean production code you own and can export Locked into a template, plugin or agency setup
Examples

Ways teams use it

  • A chef-owned bistro

    The chef and the owner work on the app together in the same workspace. The owner takes the month-end count value to the bookkeeper, and the chef checks plate costs before each menu change.

  • A pizzeria with busy weekends

    Dough balls, sauce and shredded mozzarella get separate Friday and Saturday pars, so the opening cook’s prep list grows on the days that need it and overproduction shows up in Monday’s waste email.

  • A commissary kitchen for two food trucks

    Sauces and proteins are prepped centrally in batches. Each batch carries its use-by date, and the usage planner shows how much a weekend of events will pull from the walk-in and dry storage.

Good to know

Before you build

  • Sales and ordering stay in your other systems

    Netiva doesn’t replace your POS or your distributor’s ordering site. Enter portions sold from your POS sales report, or pull them through the POS provider’s API if it offers one.

  • Date marking follows your health code

    The FDA Food Code, a model code for state and local regulators, has ready-to-eat TCS food held over 24 hours date-marked and used within seven days at 41°F or below. Your local code decides, and the app doesn’t replace temperature logs.

  • Decide units before you cost recipes

    Set a count unit, recipe unit and conversion for every ingredient first. One wrong conversion, such as ounces treated as pounds, puts a plate cost off by a factor of 16.

  • Someone has to keep costs current

    Netiva doesn’t read invoices or import price lists. When a price changes, update the cost in the collection grid or ask the collection assistant to change a group of rows at once.

FAQ

Questions about building a kitchen inventory app

How does the prep list decide how much to make?

Each prep item has a par and a batch yield in the same unit, such as quarts. Before service a cook enters what’s left, and the prep list subtracts that from the par and rounds up to whole batches. With a 6-quart par, 2 quarts on hand and a 2-quart recipe, the list says two batches. If weekends run heavier, ask the agent for separate Friday and Saturday pars.

Can the app work out plate cost and food cost percentage?

Yes, once you ask the agent for it. Each line converts the ingredient’s cost into recipe units and divides by the line’s yield percent, so trim loss is priced in: edible portion cost is the as-purchased cost divided by the yield. A prep item line is costed at that recipe’s cost per batch-yield unit. The lines total the batch cost; batch cost divided by batch yield gives the plate cost, and plate cost divided by the menu price gives the food cost percentage.

Can cooks count the walk-in on a phone in shelf order?

Yes. Netiva builds web apps that open in the phone’s browser, so there’s nothing to install. Each ingredient has a storage area and a shelf position, so the count sheet lists items in the order they sit on the shelves, often called shelf-to-sheet. Cooks sign in, enter full and part cases as decimals and the saved count updates on hand and the area’s value.

Can it show how much of each ingredient a week of sales uses?

Yes. On the usage planner you enter portions per dish for last week or next. The app divides those portions by each recipe’s batch yield, multiplies the lines by the result and follows any prep item line into that recipe’s own lines. Each ingredient line is then divided by its yield percent and by the recipe units per count unit, so totals by storage area sit in the same units as on hand. Portions come from your POS sales report, or its REST API with your key stored securely.

How does the app handle hold times for prepped food?

Each prep item has a hold days value, with the day it’s made counted as day 1. The prep list shows the use-by date for anything made today, so cooks can copy it onto their labels, and food past its date is logged as waste with its own reason. The FDA Food Code allows up to seven days at 41°F or below for refrigerated ready-to-eat TCS food, but your local health code decides.

What happens to the app when the menu changes?

Keep chatting with the agent. Add dishes and recipe lines in the collection grid, ask for a new station or a seasonal par and check the result in the live preview before you publish. Every edit is checkpointed, so you can compare versions and roll back if a change breaks the prep list. The code is yours to read, edit and export at any time.

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Drafted with AI assistance from Netiva’s product pages and reviewed by the Netiva team. Example data models, screens and prompts are illustrative starting points, not customer projects.

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