BarSight
Overview Pricing Resources Community Register Login
Sales or Support
1-855-715-1274
Kitchen

Kitchen Inventory: Adding Items & Understanding UOMs

Kitchen Inventory: Adding Items & Understanding UOMs

BarSight's kitchen inventory system tracks every item you use - from ingredients to supplies. This guide explains how to add inventory items and how the Unit of Measurement (UOM) system works to ensure accurate tracking across purchasing, storage, and recipe usage.

Before You Start

  • You need access to the Kitchen module
  • Your location must have kitchen features enabled

Understanding the Three UOM Types

BarSight uses three different UOMs for each inventory item. Understanding these is essential for accurate inventory tracking.

Default UOM (Stock UOM)

This is the foundational unit - how the system internally tracks and stores your inventory quantities.

  • Purpose: All stock is stored in this unit in the database
  • Example: Flour tracked in kg, Tomatoes tracked in lb
  • Important: Once you've used an item (in recipes, purchases, or counts), the Default UOM cannot be changed

Display UOM

This is what your staff sees when viewing inventory levels - it can be different from the Default UOM.

  • Purpose: Makes stock easier to read for your team
  • Example: Flour stored as kg but displayed as lb for US-based staff
  • Flexibility: Can be changed anytime without affecting actual stock levels
  • Conversion: System automatically converts between Default and Display UOMs

Purchase UOM (via Vendor Definitions)

This is how your vendors sell the item to you - defined separately for each vendor.

  • Purpose: Vendors may sell in cases, bags, or different units than you track
  • Example: You track olive oil in L, but Vendor A sells 6-packs of 1L bottles
  • Setup: Configured in Vendor Definitions (covered in the separate vendor guide)

How Conversions Work

The system automatically converts between compatible UOMs:

  • Weight UOMs: kg, g, lb, oz (all convert to each other)
  • Volume UOMs: L, mL, gal, qt, fl oz, tbsp (all convert to each other)
  • Each: Does not convert to weight or volume
  • Custom UOMs: Must be linked to a system UOM to enable conversion

Example: If your Default UOM is kg, you can only select Display UOMs that convert to kilograms (like lb, g, or oz).

Adding a New Inventory Item

Step 1: Open the Inventory Item Form

  1. Navigate to Kitchen → Inventory
  2. Click the New Item button in the toolbar

Step 2: Enter Basic Information

  1. Enter the Title - the item name (e.g., "All-Purpose Flour")
  2. Select the Default UOM - how you'll track this item internally
    • Choose carefully - this cannot be changed once the item is in use
    • Pick the unit that makes sense for how you measure during inventory counts
  3. Select the Display UOM - what staff will see
    • Options are limited to UOMs that can convert to your Default UOM
    • Can be the same as Default UOM if no conversion needed
  4. Add any Notes for internal reference

[SCREENSHOT: Inventory item form showing Title, Default UOM, Display UOM fields]

Step 3: Configure Setup Options

  1. Select or create a Category to organize your items (e.g., "Dairy", "Produce", "Dry Goods")
  2. Choose Storage Location(s) where this item is kept
    • You can select multiple locations (e.g., "Walk-in Cooler" and "Prep Station")
    • Type a new name to create a storage location on the fly
  3. Select the Type:
    • Ingredient: Used only in recipes (most common)
    • Consumable: Can be used in recipes AND sold directly
    • Beverage Stock: Specialized for drinks, can be used in recipes and sold
  4. Optionally set stock alerts:
    • Warn Level: Generates a warning when stock falls below this number
    • Alert Level: Generates an alert (more urgent) when stock falls below this number

[SCREENSHOT: Setup section showing Category, Storage Location, Type, and alert level fields]

Step 4: Configure Purchasing Settings

  1. Select a GL Account for accounting integration (if applicable)
  2. Check Taxable if purchases of this item include tax
  3. Select the Default Tax Code that applies

Step 5: Save the Item

  1. Click Save & Back to save and return to the inventory list
  2. Or use Save & New to save and immediately create another item
  3. Or use Save & Duplicate to save and create a copy of this item

Creating Custom UOMs

If the standard UOMs don't fit your needs, you can create custom ones.

Step 1: Access UOM Settings

  1. Navigate to Kitchen → Settings
  2. Find the Units of Measure section
  3. Click Add UOM

Step 2: Define Your Custom UOM

  1. Enter the Title (e.g., "6-Pack")
  2. Select the Type (Weight, Volume, or Custom)
  3. If Custom, link it to a system UOM and define the conversion factor

Tip: Custom UOMs are great for case quantities or specialty packaging that you use often.

Managing Existing Items

Editing an Item

  1. Navigate to Kitchen → Inventory
  2. Click on the item row to open its form
  3. Make your changes and click Save

What Gets Locked?

Once an item has been used (in recipes, purchases, inventory counts, or orders), certain fields become read-only to protect data integrity:

  • Default UOM: Locked after any use
  • Type: Locked after use in recipes, purchases, or orders

You can still change:

  • Title, Notes, Category, Storage Locations
  • Display UOM (anytime)
  • GL Account, Tax settings
  • Warn/Alert levels

Viewing Stock Levels

When editing an existing item, the Counts section shows all stock on hand:

  • Modifier: If the item has variations (size, color, etc.)
  • Qty On Hand: Current quantity (shown in Display UOM)
  • Received: When this stock batch was received
  • CPU: Cost Per Unit for this batch

Click the Edit button on any row to adjust stock levels manually.

Tips and Best Practices

  • Choose Default UOM wisely: Pick the unit you'll actually count in. If you count flour by the bag, consider using "each" as the default and creating a custom UOM for "5kg Bag".
  • Use Display UOM for preference: If your staff prefers pounds but you buy in kilos, set Default to kg and Display to lb.
  • Organize with categories: Create categories that match how you think about inventory (by storage area, by usage, by vendor, etc.)
  • Set alert levels: Stock alerts help prevent running out of critical ingredients.

Troubleshooting

Problem: I can't change the Default UOM

Solution: The Default UOM locks after the item has been used. If you need to change it, you'll need to create a new item with the correct UOM and transfer your stock.

Problem: The Display UOM I want isn't available

Solution: Display UOMs must be convertible to your Default UOM. Weight UOMs only convert to other weight UOMs, volumes to volumes. If you need a custom UOM, create one in Kitchen → Settings.

Problem: My stock quantities look wrong

Solution: Check if your Display UOM is different from your Default UOM - the system converts automatically. If quantities are stored in kg but displayed in lb, they'll appear as larger numbers.

Related Articles