When to use multiple storage locations and how to work with them

Using multiple storage locations can make it easier to track stock balances and manage reporting. It's also essential if you have several locations under one account. That said, incorrect setup or not knowing the rules can make inventory tracking incredibly complicated. 😵‍💫

In this article:

• When to use multiple storage locations
• How to configure detailed stock deductions by storage
• When you don't need to configure stock deductions by storage

When multiple storage locations make sense

• You have different kitchen stations that use the same products — for example, fruit used in both the «Bar» and the «Pastry station».
• Different stations have different people in charge — the head chef in the kitchen, the senior bartender at the bar, the head pastry chef in the pastry station. Separate storage locations help track accountability.
• You store products and preparations in different physical locations — for example, separate fridges for mousse cakes and sponge cakes.
• You have several locations with the same or similar menus under one account — for example, bars in different parts of the city.

The logic works the same regardless of how many storage locations you have: you can add supplies, track balances, deduct ingredients, and run inventory checks.

You can also transfer stock between storage locations. For example, if milk is needed across different stations, receive the supply into one storage location and then transfer the required quantity to another.

Set up deduction rules if the same products are used across different stations, so you can track where deductions are coming from. For example, lemons used for cocktails at the bar, for Caesar dressing in the kitchen, and for lemon tart in the pastry station.

In this case, your stock deduction settings should specify which storage each station deducts from.

If you don't configure this, all stock deductions will come from the last storage location where any movement occurred — a supply, manual stock deduction, or transfer. No deductions will happen from the other storage locations.

Here's an example:

A supply of 10 kg of lemons was added to the «Kitchen»  storage. Current balances across storage locations:

• Bar — 2 kg
• Kitchen — 10 kg
• Pastry station — 1 kg

Over a given period, the following quantities were used:

• 4 kg at the bar
• 5 kg in the kitchen
• 4 kg in the pastry station

Since all deductions were coming from the «Kitchen» storage only, the result would be:

• 2 − 4 = −2 kg at the bar
• 10 − 5 = 5 kg in the kitchen
• 1 − 4 = −3 kg in the pastry station

📖 How to configure stock deductions by storage

When you don't need to configure stock deductions by storage

If your location has multiple storage locations but sellable products are only in one of them — for example, a kitchen storage and a household supplies storage. Cleaning products or cloths aren't directly linked to recipes, even though they're used in day-to-day operations.

When a dish is sold, only food ingredients and sometimes single-use consumables are deducted — for example, napkins or wooden chopsticks for an Asian kitchen.

In this case, linking one storage location to the location is enough for automatic deductions at the point of sale. Household supplies should be tracked separately.

You also don't need detailed deduction settings if your storage locations hold completely different types of products. For example, a café where the menu consists of drinks and ready-made dishes:

• One storage holds everything bar-related: coffee, teas, milk, syrups, and add-ons.
• Another storage holds everything from the display counter: buns, sandwiches, pastries, pies.

Products from the first storage — like syrup — physically can't be part of a pastry dish, since the pastry arrives as a nearly finished product that only needs baking.

This also applies to small locations with a single person in charge — for example, a head barista with senior staff reporting to them on each shift.