Spec

Overview

Spec brings food and beverage records, recipe costing, menu analysis, and order drafting into one platform for bars and restaurants. It is best suited to operators who want to connect menu decisions with ingredient and labor costs; the free tier offers a useful starting point, while stock counts and invoice tools require Pro.

Its strength is the link between costing and day-to-day inventory work. The main constraint is that the free plan stops short of stock counts, so businesses needing a full stock-control workflow will need to budget for the paid tier.

Key features

Products, recipes, and menus

The product library holds the food and beverage items a business carries. Spec calculates recipe ingredient, labor, and sub-recipe costs, then lets users build menus from products and recipes and analyze pricing effectiveness. That combination can help operators examine costs alongside menu pricing. Free users can create up to 30 ingredient costings, 30 labor costings, 30 sub-recipes, and 10 menus, which is a bounded workspace for a smaller program rather than an unlimited system for a growing catalogue.

Ordering and stock operations

Spec drafts orders for text or email and can split bulk orders by vendor. It also supports purchase orders and waste tracking. Pro adds stock counts on web and mobile, plus multiple inventory locations. Those additions matter for teams that need to keep counts current across sites; without Pro, the free plan's costing features do not extend to stock counting.

Invoices and staff access

Pro includes digitized invoices, product price alerts, and invoice and price-change reporting. These tools give paying operators a way to work with invoice information and monitor product prices alongside inventory. Staff can use Spec's mobile app to view recipes, product information, and training materials, which makes the mobile offering useful for reference as well as stock counts on Pro.

Onboarding and account details

Businesses can email an inventory spreadsheet for Spec's team to ingest, a practical route for moving existing product records into the platform. Account sign-up offers Google, Facebook, and Apple options. Spec operates its services from the United States and transfers, stores, and processes user information there. Its privacy policy says precise real-time device location is not shared with other users or business partners unless the user consents. Feedback and support requests go to [email protected].

Pricing

Spec is freemium, with a 30-day trial and a free plan priced at $0 (billed $0/mo). Free includes 30 recipe ingredient costings, 30 recipe labor costings, 30 sub-recipes, and 10 menus. It can suit a small menu-planning effort, but has no stock counts, limiting its usefulness for operators who need regular inventory control.

Spec Pro costs $99 a month (billed $99/mo). It includes unlimited recipe, labor, and sub-recipe costing, unlimited menus, web and mobile stock counts, multiple inventory locations, and invoice and price-change reporting. This is the relevant plan for businesses that need operational inventory functions as well as costing. The annual option costs $999 a year (billed $999 Billed Annually (SAVE 16%)) and includes Spec Pro features. Choosing annual billing lowers the stated total against twelve monthly payments, but commits the buyer to a yearly term.

Platforms

Spec is available on web, Android, and iOS. Mobile access supports staff viewing recipes, product information, and training materials; Pro users can also count stock on mobile.

Who it's for

Spec fits bars and restaurants building or running food and beverage programs that want recipe and menu costing tied to product records, with order drafting and inventory tools available as needs grow. It is a better match for multi-location operators on Pro than for businesses that require stock counts on a free plan. Teams comparing it should also consider whether its food and beverage focus and United States data processing align with their requirements.

Pros and cons

• Recipe costing covers ingredients, labor, and sub-recipes: operators can account for more than ingredient costs when reviewing recipes.
• Menu analysis connects products and recipes: users can assess pricing effectiveness against the items and recipes on their menus.
• Order drafts can be split by vendor: bulk ordering can be organized for different suppliers, with drafts sent by text or email.
• Free plan omits stock counts: businesses needing routine stock control must move to Pro at $99 a month.
• Free-plan limits cap continued use: 30 ingredient costings, 30 labor costings, 30 sub-recipes, and 10 menus may constrain a broader or changing program.
• Annual billing requires a year commitment: the 999.00 USD yearly option is cheaper than twelve monthly payments at the stated rates, but less flexible.

Alternatives

For more restaurant inventory options, browse the Restaurant Inventory Management Software list.

Choose OrderNow Inventory if broad platform availability and a lower-cost paid plan matter: its Pro plan is $44 a month and includes unlimited menu items, ordering and KOT, one location, and standard chat and email support. Spec is the more direct fit when recipe labor and sub-recipe costing, menu analysis, or multiple locations on a paid plan are priorities.

growyze is another free-plan option for operators comparing stocktakes, supplier orders, delivery notes, invoice validations, recipes, dishes, and waste tracking. Spec may suit those prioritizing menu costing and multi-location counts on its paid plan.

Marji offers a free QR Menu plan for one location, with a hosted menu, downloadable QR code, live price edits, and sold-out controls. Choose it when customer-facing menu display is the need; Spec focuses on food and beverage inventory and costing.

ScanOrbit is free during launch, with infrastructure and hosting included; its page says paid plans will come later. It is an alternative for readers seeking a free web option during launch.

Galley has an SMB Accelerator plan starting at $99 a month with recipes, menus, costing, simplified onboarding, and no long contracts. It is worth comparing when those terms and onboarding are the priority; Spec's Pro plan explicitly adds stock counts, multiple inventory locations, and invoice reporting.

Craftable is a paid alternative for readers comparing restaurant software across Android, iOS, and web.

Nory is a paid option across Android, iOS, and web for readers willing to book a chat for pricing.

PlateSense costs $59 per location / month for its Pro plan, which includes unlimited invoices, inventory, recipes, and menu items for the whole team on one account. It may be the better fit when per-location pricing and unlimited invoice capacity are the key considerations; Spec adds labor and sub-recipe costing and multiple inventory locations on Pro.

Verdict

Choose Spec if your bar or restaurant needs food and beverage inventory tools alongside recipe costing, menu analysis, and order drafting. The free plan is a sensible way to start costing a small program, but its caps and lack of stock counts make it a limited long-term choice for active inventory management. Pro is the stronger fit for operators who need counts across locations and invoice reporting; look elsewhere if those tools must be free or if Spec's paid price does not suit your operation.