Free order guide template for restaurants and stores

Updated October 10, 2026

An order guide is the list of everything you regularly buy from one supplier, with a par level beside each item. On order day you count what is on the shelf, subtract it from the par, and that is your order. It is how restaurants, cafés and stores place the same order quickly every week, and how someone other than the owner can place it correctly.

Fill in the template below for one supplier. Enter your par levels once; on order day, type in your counts and the Order column fills itself in. Print it for the walk-in or back room, or download it as a CSV for Excel or Google Sheets. It runs in your browser and is saved on this device only.

What to put on an order guide

• Category and item, listed in the order you walk them: walk-in, freezer, dry storage, front of house. Counting is faster when the sheet follows the room.
• The vendor’s item number. It is what goes on the purchase order, and it stops the wrong size from turning up.
• Pack size, such as 4/1 gal or 36/1 lb, so everyone counts and orders in the same unit.
• Par level: how many you want on hand after the delivery. If you have not set pars yet, use the par level calculator.
• On hand and order quantity, filled in each order day.

Keep the supplier’s order day, cut-off time and delivery day at the top of each guide. Missed cut-offs cause more emergency runs than wrong counts do.

Tips for order guides that actually get used

1. One guide per supplier. Each vendor has its own cut-off, minimum and item numbers.
2. Start with what you buy every week, not everything the supplier sells. Add items as they come up.
3. Count in the same unit you order in. If you order milk by the case, count partial cases as fractions.
4. Review pars monthly and after menu, season or product changes.
5. Send a written purchase order with the item numbers and prices you expect. The purchase order template covers that.

When you outgrow the spreadsheet

Order guides on paper or in a spreadsheet work well until you have many suppliers, prices change often, or several people order. Ordering Guru keeps an order guide for each supplier inside the same catalog as their current price list. You load a guide into the cart in one click, adjust the quantities, and each vendor gets its own purchase order by email, from your own address.

Frequently asked questions

What is an order guide in a restaurant?

An order guide is a list of the products a restaurant regularly buys from a supplier, with item numbers, pack sizes and par levels, used to count stock and place the same order quickly each week.

Is an order guide the same as a par sheet?

They overlap. A par sheet lists items with their par levels for counting; an order guide adds the supplier, item numbers and pack sizes so the count turns straight into an order. Many businesses use one sheet for both.

How do I calculate the order quantity?

Order quantity is the par level minus what you have on hand, rounded up to whole packs. The template does the subtraction for you.

Does Sysco or US Foods give you an order guide?

Large distributors usually build an order guide in their ordering portal from what you have bought before. It only covers that distributor, so businesses that use several suppliers often keep their own guide for each one.