Comps vs Voids: The Difference and How to Track Them
Comps vs voids in a restaurant: what each one is, how they affect sales and food cost, reason codes to use, approval rules, what to review every day and a worked example.
What is the difference between a comp and a void?
A comp gives an item away: it was made and served, the guest is not charged, and the product cost stays in your food cost. A void cancels an item that should not be on the check, ideally before the kitchen makes it. Comps always cost product; voids cost nothing when caught in time, but a void after the item was made is waste, and an unexplained void can hide theft.
Point-of-sale systems handle them differently. In most, a void removes an item from an open check, while a comp keeps the item on the check and takes its price off with a reason code. Check how your system records each one, because that decides where they show up in your sales and food cost reports.
Comps and voids side by side
| Comp | Void | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An item given away free | An item removed from the check |
| Typical reasons | Quality complaint, long wait, guest recovery, manager decision | Wrong item entered, guest changed their mind, duplicate entry |
| Product used? | Yes | Only if the item was already made |
| Effect on food cost | Product cost with no sale: food cost % goes up | None before prep; after prep it is waste |
| Who approves | A manager, with a reason code | Anyone before it is sent; a manager after |
Why the difference matters for food cost
A comp uses product and brings in no revenue, so it raises actual food cost above theoretical food cost. That is fine when it is recorded: you can see it, explain it and decide whether it was worth it. The trouble starts when product leaves the kitchen without any record, because then the loss lands in the shrinkage you cannot explain.
Reason codes to use
- •Quality: the dish was wrong, cold or not to spec.
- •Wait time: the guest waited too long.
- •Kitchen error: wrong item made, dropped or burnt.
- •Guest recovery or VIP: a manager decision to look after a guest.
- •Promotion: a planned giveaway or tasting.
- •Staff meal: if your POS rings them this way, keep them as their own code.
- •Entry error and changed order: for voids before the item is made.
How to track comps and voids
- Require a reason code for every comp and void.
- Set the POS so that a void after an item is sent to the kitchen needs a manager.
- Log anything voided after it was made in the waste log as well, so it is not counted twice or missed.
- Review the comp and void report every day, by reason, by server and by shift.
- Track comps as a percentage of sales week by week and look at what changes, not at one bad night.
- Look closely at voids made after a check was paid, especially cash checks: it is a known pattern for hiding theft.
Worked example
In a week with $18,000 in sales, comps total $450, which is 2.5% of sales. Sorting them by reason shows that 12 of the 30 comps were for long waits, all on Friday night. That points to ticket times in the kitchen, not to the servers, and the fix is a prep or staffing change for Friday rather than a talk about comps. These numbers are an example.
Comps vs Voids FAQ
Comps vs voids FAQ
What is the difference between a comp and a void?
Do comps count as sales?
How do comps affect food cost?
Should servers be able to void items?
What is a normal comp percentage?
See what is missing from your counts
The free inventory variance calculator compares actual and theoretical usage item by item, for the bar or the kitchen, and ranks the gaps by cost.
Open the inventory variance calculator