Mezeh Mediterranean Grill: Balancing Flavor and Food Costs

Mezeh Mediterranean Grill is a fast-casual restaurant chain known for fresh, made-from-scratch Mediterranean dishes from flatbread wraps and rice bowls to baklava and beyond. They've expanded beyond the D.C. metro area into new East Coast markets and are managing over 50 locations with full control (no franchises).

Jesse Foster, Supply Chain Coordinator & Data Analyst at Mezeh, wears many hats. He tracks store budgets, closely monitors food costs, and builds reports analyzing supply chain trends and KPIs.   

Before COGS-Well, Mezeh did not have a cost control system. They had no way of automating manual processes or tracking inventory and recipes. Now, he's using the system to help improve efficiency and add food and beverage cost controls across their operation.

Managing Key Inventory Items  

Mezeh now has each store manager enter daily, weekly, and monthly counts. They focus on 20–25 key items every day – high-cost ingredients like proteins. This gives them clear visibility into inventory usage and variances. 

Because of frequent and regular inventories, Mezeh minimizes the risk of over-ordering or running out of key ingredients between deliveries. Since everything is seasoned a specific way, there’s no room for swapping or improvising in their bold flavor profile.

Insightful Ordering  

Mezeh’s managers use COGS-Well to order, rather than placing orders manually. COGS-Well suggests what items to order and the quantity to order. Order Templates are used to organize the items ordered from each Vendor. Completed orders are emailed to their vendors.

The managers now have a simple process that helps them order exactly what they need, when they need it. Jesse says this has helped create a culture of control – one that gives each store confidence and keeps inventory flowing smoothly.  

“We look at what each store is ordering for a week on average, and what our top ten stores are ordering per week on average," Jesse shared. "I look at their next two days of sales or projected sales and say this is what you have, and this is what you'll need.”  

Production Tracking 

Mezeh produces recipe items freshly in each of their stores (salad dressings, shredded meats, hummuses, etc.). They use COGS-Well to track their production quantities for each recipe and to convert the recipe items that are produced.

In COGS-Well, the production feature automatically depletes the raw ingredients in a recipe when the production quantity is entered and saved. It also converts the produced recipe item into an inventory item that can be counted if the full quantity prepared is not used.

The production process adjusts the on-hand inventory calculation, and when produced items are counted, credits against food cost are provided. This level of traceability enables Jesse and the team to compare raw vs. cooked yield and spot inefficiencies that would otherwise go unnoticed.  

Controlling Food Costs  

At Mezeh, food cost control is central – driving operations and accountability at every level. Jesse uses COGS-Well to help push food cost awareness across the brand and trains new managers to operate with an efficiency-first mindset. 

Jesse compares what each store orders weekly, how that ties to sales and inventory usage, and pinpoints locations with higher food costs for deeper analysis. This process also helps him and his store managers keep their fingers on the pulse of the prices that suppliers are charging.

“We do a price check for every item based on our contract price for that week for the vendor,” Jesse said.

COGS-Well flags price changes and, when necessary, generates a cost alert for inventory items. That kind of oversight turns price creep into a manageable variable rather than a hidden loss.  

Customer-Centric & Consultative Support  

Best-in-class restaurant tech is valuable, but having a true partner behind it makes all the difference. Jesse says what stands out most about COGS-Well isn’t just the platform itself, but the way the team supports Mezeh.   

He describes COGS-Well's support team as quick, attentive, and genuinely caring, noting that he never has to chase answers because they're always "right on it.”  

“I just want to say we're really happy. Of all the people that we work with, you guys answer right away.”  

Mezeh’s feedback, in turn, helps shape the product. COGS-Well’s consultative approach and willingness to absorb customer insights mean the system keeps evolving in ways that benefit everyone.  

"Of all the people that we work with, you guys answer right away.”

The Power of Staying a Step Ahead  

Mezeh Mediterranean Grill’s journey with COGS-Well shows what happens when a restaurant team embraces structure and accountability. From counting more consistently, to ordering more precisely, to controlling food costs across dozens of locations, the gains compound.  

When technology becomes second nature, operations shift from reactive to proactive. And with the right partner, that kind of transformation isn’t just possible – it’s expected.