A practical restaurant revenue-leak checklist

Start with a shared measurement period

Choose one recent period and use it consistently across ordering, payment and marketing reports. Comparing different date ranges creates noise before the review has begun.

Record where each number came from and whether it represents an order placed, an order accepted, a payment settled or cash received. Those stages are related, but they are not interchangeable.

Map every active order route

List marketplace, direct web, phone and walk-in routes. For each one, record the number of orders, gross order value, known fees, refunds and payment costs for the chosen period.

• Confirm whether cancelled and refunded orders are included.
• Keep gross sales, fees and retained cash in separate columns.
• Note any channel-specific discounts funded by the restaurant.

Look for missed demand

Review unanswered calls, failed checkouts, unavailable menu periods and obvious gaps in opening information. Treat any estimated value as an opportunity range, not recovered revenue.

Measure repeat behaviour carefully

Define what counts as a repeat customer and keep the definition stable. A useful review distinguishes new, returning and lapsed customers without assuming that every retained contact can be marketed to.

Finish with owners and next actions

Rank the issues by evidence, likely commercial relevance and effort. Give each action an owner, a due date and a measure. A shorter action list that is reviewed is more useful than a long list without responsibility.