Commissary Setup & Managing Incoming Orders
A commissary is a central kitchen that prepares food for multiple locations. If your business operates a commissary model - where one location produces items for others - this guide explains how to set up your commissary and manage incoming orders from your locations.
What is a Commissary?
In BarSight, a commissary is a location that:
- Produces items for other locations in your company
- Receives and fulfills internal orders
- Tracks inventory consumption when orders are closed
- Can split production into morning and afternoon batches
When a commissary closes an order, all recipe ingredients are automatically deducted from inventory.
Setting Up a Commissary
Step 1: Create the Commissary
If your location isn't already a commissary:
- Navigate to Kitchen → Settings
- Find the Commissary section
- If you see "Commissary settings not available at this location", you need to create it
- Click the Create Commissary button (only visible to owners)
- Confirm in the popup that appears
This creates:
- A commissary record for your location
- A vendor entry so other locations can place orders with you
[SCREENSHOT: Commissary section with Create Commissary button]
Step 2: Configure Commissary Settings
Once created, the Commissary section shows configuration options:
Days Open
- Check the days your commissary operates
- Unchecked days won't accept orders for production
Day Split (Morning/Afternoon Production)
If you run two production windows per day:
- Check Enable Day Split
- Set the Morning Order Cut-off Time
- Orders placed before this time go to morning production
- Orders placed after go to afternoon production
Example: Cut-off at 7:00 AM means orders placed at 6:30 AM are morning orders, but 7:15 AM orders go to afternoon.
Master Password (Optional)
Owners can set a master password to restrict certain actions like issuing returns.
- Enter a Master Password
- Once set, it cannot be changed without contacting support
[SCREENSHOT: Commissary settings showing Days Open checkboxes and cutoff time]
Step 3: Save Settings
- Click Save in the page toolbar
- Your commissary is now configured
How Orders Flow to Your Commissary
Here's how orders move from other locations to your commissary:
- Location places order: Another location creates a purchase order, selecting your commissary as the vendor
- Order appears in queue: The order shows up in your Kitchen → Orders list
- You fulfill the order: Prepare the items, update quantities if needed
- Close the order: Ingredients are deducted from your inventory
- Location receives: The ordering location receives their items
Managing the Order Queue
Viewing Orders
- Navigate to Kitchen → Orders
- The queue shows all orders for your commissary
The order list displays:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| ID | Order number |
| Source | How the order was created (Manual, API, etc.) |
| Customer | The location that placed the order |
| Order Date | When the order was placed |
| Production Date | When items should be ready |
| Time | Morning or Afternoon (if day split is enabled) |
| Status | Pending, Closed, or Deleted |
| Total | Order value |
[SCREENSHOT: Order queue showing list of incoming orders]
Filtering Orders
Use the filters to find specific orders:
- By status (Pending, Closed, All)
- By date range
- By customer location
Working with Individual Orders
Opening an Order
- Click on any order row in the queue
- The order detail page opens
Order Detail View
The order form shows:
- Order information: Customer, dates, PO number
- Line items: What was ordered with quantities and prices
- Totals: Subtotal, taxes, grand total
Adding Items to an Order
- Click Add Line Item
- Select an Item (recipe or product) from your inventory
- Enter the Quantity
- Enter the Price Each
- Select the Tax code
- Click Save
Note: When you add items, stock is reserved (held for this order but not yet deducted).
[SCREENSHOT: Add line item modal]
Editing Line Items
- Click on a line item row
- Modify quantity, price, or tax as needed
- Click Save
Removing Line Items
- Click on a line item row
- Click Remove
- The reserved stock is released
Closing Orders (Inventory Deduction)
Closing an order is the critical step that deducts ingredients from inventory.
What Happens When You Close
- System looks up all line items in the order
- For each item, it finds the recipe's ingredients
- Calculates how much of each ingredient was consumed (quantity ordered × ingredient amount per recipe)
- Deducts those quantities from your inventory
- Marks the order as Closed
How to Close an Order
- Open the order
- Review all line items are correct
- Click Close Order in the toolbar
- A confirmation popup appears:
"This will mark the order complete and deduct all recipe ingredients from inventory. You can reopen if needed."
- Click Close Order to confirm
[SCREENSHOT: Close order confirmation popup]
Stock Shortage Handling
If you don't have enough inventory to cover an order:
- The system deducts what's available
- Creates a shortage record for the unfulfilled quantity
- The order still closes, but you'll have negative or zero stock
Reopening Closed Orders
Made a mistake? You can reopen a closed order:
- Open the closed order
- Click Reopen Order in the toolbar
- Confirm the action:
"This will reopen the order and restore the deducted ingredients to inventory."
- Click Reopen Order
Note: Reopening requires a higher access level. The deducted ingredients are returned to inventory.
Creating Manual Orders
Sometimes you need to create an order yourself (not from another location's purchase):
- Navigate to Kitchen → Orders
- Click New Order
- Select the Customer Location
- Set the Production Date
- Add line items as needed
- Save and close when ready
Reserved vs. Consumed Stock
Understanding the difference:
Reserved Stock
- When items are added to a pending order
- Stock is "held" but still technically on hand
- Shows in inventory as reduced availability
- Released if the item is removed from the order
Consumed Stock
- When an order is closed
- Ingredients are actually deducted from inventory
- Creates a record of what was used
- Can only be reversed by reopening the order
Production Date Logic
When orders are created, the system suggests a production date based on:
- Your commissary's open days
- The next available production slot
If an order is placed on Friday evening and you're closed Saturday/Sunday, the production date will be Monday.
Tips and Best Practices
- Set realistic cutoff times: Give yourself enough time between cutoff and production start
- Use day splits for high volume: If you produce twice daily, enable the morning/afternoon split
- Close orders promptly: Inventory accuracy depends on closing orders when items are actually produced
- Review shortages: Regular shortages indicate inventory or ordering problems
- Check before reopening: Reopening restores stock - make sure that's what you want
Troubleshooting
Problem: I don't see the Create Commissary button
Solution: Only owners can create commissaries. Contact your account administrator.
Problem: Orders aren't appearing in my queue
Solution: Make sure your location is properly set up as a commissary. Other locations need to select your commissary as their vendor when placing orders.
Problem: Can't close an order
Solution: Check that all line items are valid and have positive quantities. Some validation errors prevent closing.
Problem: Inventory went negative after closing
Solution: You had less stock than the order required. The system created a shortage record. Adjust inventory levels or investigate why stock was lower than expected.
Problem: Can't reopen a closed order
Solution: Reopening requires elevated access (access level 58+). Contact your manager or administrator.