EZchef review
A focused Windows and Excel tool for inventory, costing, ordering, and menu analysis.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
EZchef is a Microsoft Excel-based Windows application for restaurants and bars that combines food and beverage inventory management with recipe costing, vendor ordering, and menu analysis. It is suited to operators who want a downloadable, one-time purchase rather than a recurring subscription. The software supports physical inventory counts and valuation by category or location, recipe and sub-recipe costing, price history, price-change alerts, and multi-unit transfers of menu items, sub-recipes, and associated inventory.
Pricing is split between two paid versions. The Standard Version costs $289 one time and accommodates all food and beverage vendors. The Distributor Version costs $359 one time and supports direct import of a supported distributor’s order guide while also accommodating other vendors. Both versions include the core inventory and costing functions, while the distributor-specific option adds an order-guide import workflow. A 15-day fully functional demo is available; there is no perpetual free plan. Distributor connections listed include Sysco, US Foods, Gordon Foodservice, Ben E. Keith, Shamrock, Performance Foodservice, Cheney Brothers, Flanagan Foodservice, VIP Foodservice, Henry’s, Stanz, Upper Lakes Foods, and Merchants.
EZchef’s strongest fit is for Windows-based restaurant operators who need inventory valuation, weekly vendor order guides, automatic cost updates, menu engineering, and sales-mix analysis in one focused application. It can use Microsoft Excel and accepts menu sales-mix data entered from a POS or cash-register report. The platform requirement is a practical constraint: it requires the Windows version of Microsoft Excel and does not work with the Mac version. Operators seeking a one-time purchase with recipe costing and multi-unit transfers should consider it; teams requiring Mac support or a different POS workflow should look elsewhere.
EZchef pros and cons
- Where it wins
- One-time purchase with Standard and Distributor versions
- Recipe, sub-recipe, portion, and menu costing tools
- Inventory valuation, order guides, and multi-unit transfers
- Where it doesn't
- Requires Windows and the Windows version of Microsoft Excel
- POS sales-mix data is entered from reports
- Distributor imports depend on supported order guides
EZchef fact sheet, pricing and score →
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