Get Started with Toast Inventory (Canada, Ireland and UK)

In this Article:

• Get Started with Toast Inventory
• Toast Inventory Stock Overview
• Download Your Inventory Stock Data Template
• Build and Submit Your Inventory Stock Data Template
  • Inventory Stock Data Template Video Tutorial
  • Inventory Stock Data Template Step-by-Step Guide
• Access Your Ingredient Library
• Set Up Storage Areas
  • Initial Setup via Template (Optional)
  • Create and Manage Storage Areas in Toast Web
• Start a Stock Count
  • Review Counts and Reorder suggestions
• Access the Reorder Suggestions List
• Set Up Suppliers
  • Associate Ingredients With a Supplier
  • Bulk-Add Ingredients to a Supplier
• Additional Resources

Get Started with Toast Inventory

Toast Inventory gives you the tools to manage your ingredients, track stock levels, and streamline your ordering processes, all within Toast Web. This guide will walk you through the essential steps for submitting your data, accessing your ingredients, setting up your count areas, and performing your first stock check.

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Toast Inventory Overview

To get started with Toast’s Inventory product, you’ll need to populate your Ingredient Library with all your stock item data. As you are likely to have a large number of stock items, our Onboarding Team can support you to get these imported in bulk.

The Inventory Stock Data template is used to gather as much information as possible about your stock item data during your Toast onboarding process before it's built out in your Toast POS. This template can be completed using the provided Google Sheet spreadsheet below.

Continue reading to learn how to successfully create an Inventory Stock Data template for your restaurant. 

Download Your Inventory Stock Data Template

If you're ready to get started, you can download your by navigating to the link provided below. We strongly recommend using this Google Sheets template for enhanced features and better compatibility. Please select "Make a copy" and rename the template to include your business name and location.

Build and Submit Your Inventory Stock Data Template

Now that you've downloaded your template, you will need to prepare the spreadsheet containing all your stock item data and submit your completed template to your Onboarding Consultant for review and import.

All items on the sheet must be unique and not already exist in your Ingredient Library. Updates to existing items cannot be made via the Google Sheets import. All item fields can be added/edited within Toast Web once the import is complete, though it may take longer to update large quantities of items in this manner. 

Inventory Stock Data Template Video Tutorial

The following video will help to outline the template-building process and clarify commonly asked questions.

This video covers completing the Inventory Stock Data template and how to submit it to your Toast Onboarding Consultant.

Inventory Stock Data Template Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these steps to fill out your Inventory Stock Data template:

1. Download and fill out your to include all of your inventory stock details, including the ingredient name, category, allergens, primary unit of measure (with container size if applicable), unit price, par amount, secondary unit of measure (with container size if applicable), unit conversion, and storage area.
2. Name your template with the following naming convention Toast Inventory-Ingredient Import-your restaurant name-location. In Google Sheets, you can do this by selecting the sheet title and entering a new name.
3. After you've finished filling out all applicable columns, email your template to your Onboarding Consultant by sharing (external link) the Google Sheet.

Access Your Ingredient Library

Your Onboarding Consultant will import the stock data you provided into your Toast system. You can view and manage these ingredients anytime in Toast Web.

1. Log in to .
2. On the left-hand navigation menu, select Inventory.
3. In the sub-navigation that appears, scroll down and select Ingredient Library.
4. You'll see a list of all ingredients in your system. Select any ingredient's name to view its details, make edits, or update information.

Set Up Storage Areas 

Storage Areas are used to define the physical locations where ingredients are stored in your venue (e.g., walk-in cooler, dry storage). These areas serve as the count lists you'll use for your stock checks.

Initial Setup via Template (Optional)

Providing Storage Area information upfront is optional, but highly recommended:

• In the template: When you include a location name (like Walk In or Cellar) in the Storage area column of your template, Toast will automatically create that Storage area and assign the ingredient to it upon import.

Note: If your entire Inventory is entered into the template, adding Storage areas now saves you significant setup time later.

Create and Manage Storage Areas in Toast Web

You can easily manage your existing Storage areas and create new ones directly within the Toast platform.

1. In Toast Web, navigate to Inventory and then on the navigation menu on the left-hand side of the screen, navigate to Inventory and ordering > Storage areas.
2. You will see a list of Storage areas that were either created automatically from your template upload or set up previously. These areas serve as the physical count lists you'll use for your stock checks.

Create a New Storage Area:

1. In , navigate to Inventory and then on the navigation menu on the left-hand side of the screen, navigate to Inventory and ordering > Storage areas.
2. Select Add storage area.
3. Enter a unique name for the new storage area (e.g., "Front Bar Fridge," "Offsite Storage").
4. Select Add storage area.

Once you’ve created your storage area, you can start adding ingredients.

1. Choose +Add Ingredient in the top right corner of your builder.
2. Search for and pick your ingredient from the drop-down menu.
3. Once you have added your ingredient, confirm by selecting Add ingredient in the bottom right corner of your builder. 

Note: If you are missing an ingredient, this is likely because the ingredient has not been created and linked to your Ingredient library.

View Ingredients Assigned to a Storage Area:

1. In , navigate to Inventory and then on the navigation menu on the left-hand side of the screen, navigate to Inventory and ordering > Storage areas.
2. Select the Storage area you want to view from the list.
3. You will see all ingredients that have been assigned to that area. You can manage which ingredients belong to which area directly from this screen.

Start a Stock Count

You can start a stock count from three different types of devices. Choose the method that works best for your restaurant.

Counting Tips:

• Enter counts for each ingredient. If an ingredient has multiple units of measure set up, you can use either input box. You are not required to use both.
• If an item is out of stock, use the Out of Stock button to skip it quickly.
• If you spot an error in ingredient details, you can edit fields on the fly.
• When finished, select Submit to save your entries. Repeat the process for all storage areas.

Note: When performing a stock check, you don't need to enter a count for every item. If you submit a partial count with blank rows, the system will prompt you for action:

1. Cancel: Return to the stock check to enter the missing counts.
2. Count as 0 (Out of Stock): The system records items with blank rows as having a count of 0.
3. Skip: The blank-row items are excluded entirely from this count, allowing for a partial stock check.

Review Counts and Reorder Suggestions 

After completing your first stock check, you can use the data for tracking and ordering. To view your count history, follow these steps:

1. In , navigate to Inventory > Inventory and ordering > Count History.
2. Here, you'll see a record of all completed stock counts. You can review your historical data and even edit any errors in completed stock checks here.

Access the Reorder Suggestions List

1. In , navigate to Inventory > Purchasing > Reorder suggestions.
2. This list shows:
   • Items that are low in stock based on the par levels you’ve set.
   • Items that are completely out of stock.
3. Use this list to guide your restocking decisions.

Note: This list will update when you receive any deliveries.

Set Up Suppliers in Toast Inventory

To add a new supplier navigate to Inventory > Suppliers > + Add supplier. Fill out the Overview tab with your supplier's name, address, and other relevant information.

Note: Populating the Supplier Country first will enable the address auto fill picker when entering the supplier address.

Include a minimum spend amount, Purchase Order (PO) notes or Internal notes as needed. You can add your sales representative and/or account manager information to the Contact name field for easy future reference.  
Select Save when you're finished and your new supplier will automatically be added.

Associate Ingredients With a Supplier

To use ingredients in orders and deliveries, each item must be linked to a supplier. You can do this for individual items or in bulk.

From an Individual Ingredient

1. In , navigate to Inventory > Inventory and ordering > Ingredient Library.
2. Select the Ingredient you wish to edit.
3. Scroll to the Suppliers section at the bottom of the details screen and select + Add.
4. Choose an existing supplier from the drop-down menu.
5. Configure the following optional fields:
   • Supplier Item Name: This is the name the ingredient is listed under in your supplier’s catalog. If your PO needs to reference a different name than your internal library name, edit it here.
   • Pack Configuration: Enter the Quantity and Unit of Measure (UOM) for how you purchase the item.
     • Example: If you purchase soda in a pack of 24 cans, the quantity is 24 and the UOM is set up as cans in Toast Web.
   • Supplier Item Code: Enter the specific SKU or reference code provided by the supplier.
   • Supplier Pack Price: Set the cost for this specific pack configuration.

Bulk-Add Ingredients to a Supplier

If you need to link multiple ingredients to the same supplier quickly, use the bulk action tool:

1. In the Ingredient Library, select the checkboxes next to the ingredients you want to associate.
2. A bulk action bar will appear at the bottom of the screen.
3. Select Set Suppliers.
4. Choose the specific supplier to link them all simultaneously.

Note: While bulk actions are an efficient way to link many ingredients at once, they do not allow for setting custom pack sizes or individual supplier item names. These must be edited individually if required.

Additional Resources