Is ClearCOGS Right for Your Restaurant Group?

Is your restaurant too big for gut feel but too small for analysts? Do you find yourself questioning when AI forecasting makes sense (and when it doesn’t)? Caught between single-unit chaos and enterprise complexity? Here’s your path forward…

If you operate 5–20 restaurant locations, you’re likely in an uncomfortable middle ground.

You’re too big to rely on gut feel but not big enough to have analysts, planners, or complex forecasting teams. That’s exactly where ClearCOGS fits.

ClearCOGS is a strong fit if you operate 5–20 locations and…

Prep decisions still live in managers’ heads

At this stage, prep is often:

Based on experience rather than data
Different at every location
Dependent on who’s working that day

That leads to over-prepping “just in case,” under-prepping on busy days, and constant fire drills.

ClearCOGS turns your historical sales data into daily prep plans, so managers don’t have to guess.

Manager time is stretched thin

With 5–20 locations:

Managers wear multiple hats
Prep planning eats up 30–60 minutes a day; minimum
Time spent planning is time not spent on the floor

ClearCOGS automates prep planning so managers can focus on execution, coaching, and guest experience not spreadsheets or mental math.

Food cost variability is becoming a real problem

You may not have a food cost crisis, but you likely have:

Big swings between locations
Inconsistent prep habits
Waste that’s hard to pinpoint

ClearCOGS helps stabilize food costs by aligning prep to real demand, not worst-case assumptions.

You want consistency without ripping out systems

Most sub 20 unit groups already use:

A POS system
Some form of inventory or reporting

ClearCOGS doesn’t replace those tools.

It sits on top of your existing POS and makes your data actionable, specifically for daily prep decisions.

Worried your data is too dirty to provide unreliable forecasting? We’ve got you covered. ClearCOGS works with you to uncover the valuable insights and weed out the distractions.

You’re trying to reduce reliance on tribal knowledge

As you grow:

“Only Maria knows how much to prep on Fridays” stops scaling
New managers struggle to match experienced ones
Training takes longer than it should

ClearCOGS creates a consistent, repeatable prep process across every location.

**ClearCOGS may not be the right fit if…**

You operate fewer than 5 locations

ClearCOGS delivers the most value once complexity starts to show up across locations. Many single- and two-unit operators adopt ClearCOGS after they grow or enable it through our Toast integration.

You want deep analytics or custom dashboards

ClearCOGS is built for operators, not data teams.

The focus is simple: What should we prep today — and how much?

You’re looking for inventory counting or ordering software

ClearCOGS doesn’t replace inventory systems.

It focuses specifically on forecasting demand and planning prep.

What ClearCOGS Does

ClearCOGS turbocharges your existing POS, inventory, and scheduling systems. No rip-and-replace required. Our AI transforms the data you already have into simple daily actions for prep, ordering, and staffing. Increase profits by 2%, reduce food waste by 25-30%, cut labor costs by 15%, and gain 10+ hours weekly. Built for multi-unit restaurants ready to scale profitably without disruption.

ClearCOGS uses your historical sales data to:

Forecast demand by item
Generate daily prep plans by location
Adjust for trends, seasonality, and day-of-week patterns

No spreadsheets. No guesswork. No rip-and-replace. No scales and cameras.

What 5–20 unit operators typically see

While results vary, many ClearCOGS customers report:

30–60 minutes saved per manager, per day
Less over-production and food waste
More consistent food costs across locations
Faster onboarding for new managers
Stronger operational consistency at scale