Your first week with a prep labelling machine
Kitchen technology that gets bought and then forgotten about and left in a corner somewhere isn’t doing anything for your kitchen. Which is exactly why the first week of a new system is the most crucial one, it’s when a machine has to convince everyone in the kitchen to use it.
If you do the first week right, you should see the rewards of an improved labelling system immediately. So we’ve written this to explain what that first week should look like, and how you can ensure you make the most of it.
Day one: unbox and print something
The Labl.it device arrives charged with label rolls included. Connect it to your wifi, and you're ready to print.
Add one product manually, something you prep every day, and print a label for it. That's the whole first interaction, and it takes seconds.
With most systems, you might not be able to load your entire menu on day one. Labl.it makes that part easy though, with the Menu Analyser tool. It reads your menu and outputs your products with their ingredients and allergens, ready for someone on your team to review and approve before importing. If you already hold product data in a spreadsheet, you can bulk import a CSV through the back office instead.
Either way, your full prep list can be in the system in minutes. With a lot of labelling systems, the first week is just data entry, and a machine that can only print three products is a machine your team doesn’t bother to pick up.
Day two: check the data and set your rules
Now you've got products in, spend some time going through them properly.
Check the imported data
The Menu Analyser does the heavy lifting but a person still needs to sign it off. Look at the products where you'd expect trouble first: house-made components, anything with a compound ingredient, dishes that changed recently etc.
Set your shelf lives by storage method
The same product lasts a different length of time depending on its storage method, so it’s important to get that difference right. You set that rule once per product and the device calculates the date automatically every time after that.
Mark your allergens
When you set up a product you choose which words in the ingredients list get bolded or underlined. Do it once and every label printed for that product carries the formatting, so there’s no risk of inconsistency.
Day three: put it through a full prep run
Hand it to the team and let them use it properly.
Use bulk printing for the first real prep run, it can do ten labels in the time it takes to handwrite two or three. That's the moment most teams get persuaded, when they can see a real, tangible time saving.
Scan to reprint is perfect here too. Every Labl.it label carries a barcode, so when one gets damaged in the walk-in or you need to prep the same thing again, scanning it reprints a new label instantly rather than anyone recreating it from memory.
The rest of the week: step back
Printing runs on three taps from saved products, so most new starters can manage the system easily without being shown. The useful thing you can do now is watch rather than instruct.
Does anyone reach for a pen? If a section keeps handwriting, find out what the device isn't doing for them rather than chasing them about it.
Check the print log. It records every label and who printed it, which tells you within days whether it's being used across all your sections or sitting on one bench.
Sort the practical bits. A charging spot near the pass that everyone knows about. Someone who knows how to reorder labels from the device. Small things that decide whether it's still being used in month three.
What takes longer than a week?
In a word? Habit. A week or two can tell you whether the device suits your kitchen but it takes a month or more to figure out whether it has actually stuck. Use the reports dashboard or print logs to see how many labels are being printed and who is printing them, that’s the easiest way to determine whether or not the system has been properly adopted.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to set up a labelling machine?
With Labl.it, printing starts within seconds of connecting to wifi, and your full prep list can be loaded on day one using the Menu Analyser tool or a CSV import in under an hour. Many other systems take considerably longer, because products have to be entered by hand.
What is the Menu Analyser tool?
It reads your menu and outputs products with their ingredients and allergens, ready for someone on your team to review and approve before importing into the back office.
Do we need training?
Not for Labl.it. Printing works on three simple taps from saved products, so most new starters manage easily without being shown. UK-based support is available on weekdays with live chat outside those hours.
Can we add products gradually instead?
You can, but there's less reason to with Labl.it. A part-loaded system is the main reason teams stop picking a new device up in week one.
How do we know if the team is actually using it?
The print log records every label and who printed it, so you can see within days whether it's being used across all your sections.
Try it for a fortnight
Two weeks is long enough to know whether a labelling machine fits your kitchen, and short enough that you don’t have anything to lose by trying it.
Labl.it comes with a 14-day free trial, including some label rolls to get you started and always free delivery and returns.
