How to Set Bar Par Levels (and Stop Overstocking)
Calculate how much of each product to keep on hand so you never 86 a top seller or tie up cash in dusty bottles.
A par level is the amount of a product you want on the shelf right after a delivery. Set pars well and ordering becomes simple: count, compare to par, order the difference.
The par level formula
A real example
Your house vodka goes through about 1.5 bottles a day. Your rep delivers every 7 days, and you want a 3-bottle cushion for a busy weekend.
If you count 5 bottles on order day, order 9.
How to find average use
- Count the product at the start of a week.
- Add everything delivered during the week.
- Count again at the end of the week.
- Start + delivered − end = what you used. Divide by 7 for a daily average.
Use three or four weeks of counts if you can. One slow or wild week can throw the number off.
Adjust for real life
- Raise pars before holidays, game days, and big events.
- Lower pars on slow sellers. One backup bottle is often enough.
- Match pars to each distributor's delivery schedule, not one weekly number.
- Review pars every season as your menu and crowd change.
Signs your pars are off
- You run out of the same items every weekend (pars too low).
- Bottles collect dust in the back (pars too high).
- You're placing emergency orders or running to the liquor store.
How NIX86 handles it
NIX86 displays your saved par levels right on your digital order guide, organized by distributor. Simply tap in what you need to get back to par, and send the order straight to your rep via email or text.
$74.99/month flat after your trial. No credit card to start.