To send commissary orders or internal transfers to your accounting system, you need to set up specific Payment Accounts to accommodate those transfers. The accounts you create and the configuration you choose depend on your company structure.
Why separate payment accounts matter for commissary: Commissary transfers are not regular vendor purchases — they are internal movements of product and cost between your own locations. Routing them through your normal payment accounts can obscure your AP reporting and make reconciliation more difficult. A dedicated payment account (mapped to a clearing or other current liabilities account in your accounting system) keeps these transactions clean and easy to trace.
Step 1: Select Your Payment Account Configuration
When completing the initial setup for internal transfers or a commissary vendor, you see three configuration options for your payment accounts. Here is what each one does.
A) One payment account for all transfers to and from this restaurant
If you use one bank account for all of your units, this is likely the best configuration. It allows you to select a single payment account to close all internal transfers to and from your restaurant.
For this option, create one Payment Account called “Internal Transfers” (or “Commissary Orders”) and map it to an internal Clearing Account or Other Current Liabilities account.
B) Different payment accounts for each restaurant
If your restaurants move money between each other to pay for these transfers, set up separate Payment Accounts for each restaurant. This configuration allows you to select different payment accounts based on where the transfer is coming from and going to.
For example, if you are Restaurant A and you have two other restaurants, you would create separate Payment Accounts for “Transfers To/From Restaurant B” and “Transfers To/From Restaurant C.”
The advantage: you can split out internal transfer activity by restaurant unit both in Garde and in your accounting system, giving you a net balance per unit.
C) Different payment accounts for each restaurant based on direction [Advanced]
This configuration maps different Payment Accounts to internal transfers based on both the direction and the counterparty.
For example, if you are Restaurant A with two other restaurants, you would create four separate payment accounts:
- Transfers to Restaurant B
- Transfers from Restaurant B
- Transfers to Restaurant C
- Transfers from Restaurant C
The advantage: you can split out activity by transaction type, letting you identify exactly how much you are transferring to and from each restaurant. You would see the balance due to (as a liability) and the balance due from (as an asset).
Step 2: Create and Map Payment Accounts
After selecting your configuration, choose the appropriate Payment Accounts.
If you have not yet created your Payment Accounts, go to Accounting > Payment Accounts. For a walkthrough, see Setting Up Payment Accounts.
Create the necessary Payment Account(s) and set the Type to “Account Type - Other.” This tells Garde to send a journal entry to your accounting system instead of an invoice or bill.
After naming your Payment Accounts in Garde, map them to a balance sheet account in your accounting system that will accommodate these transfers. This is typically an “other current liabilities” type account.
Internal Transfers cannot be exported to Accounts Payable or Accounts Receivable.
QuickBooks Online: Location-Wide Class Mapping
If you use QuickBooks Online, you can assign a QBO class at the location level for commissary transfers. Instead of mapping classes on a per-transfer or per-account basis, you set a single class for an entire location. This is particularly useful for multi-unit operators who use QBO classes to track profitability by location — set it once, and every commissary transfer for that location carries the correct class automatically.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Internal Transfers and Commissary Transfers?
Both features require your restaurant units to share a Concept in Garde. The Commissary Feature lets you convert recipes into products and transfer them from a designated central location to your other restaurant units. Internal Transfers handle bi-directional product transfers between your different restaurants.
One key difference: Commissary Transfers are initiated by the receiving unit. Internal Transfers are initiated by the sending unit.
Can I book my Commissary Transfers as Sales?
No. Commissary transfers are booked as credits to your COGS — not as revenue at the Commissary location. There is currently no way to book commissary transfers as sales.
How will this look in Garde reporting?
If the product names match products already in Garde, the vendor item created by the transfer is associated with the existing product. At the sending location, the transfer value is subtracted from the purchased amount and corresponding COGS reporting — similar to receiving a vendor credit, except the “vendor” is another one of your restaurants. At the receiving location, the transfer is added to the purchased quantity and corresponding COGS category as if it were purchased from any other vendor.
How will this look in my accounting system?
At the sending location, a journal entry credits the appropriate COGS categories and debits the balance sheet account designated for transfers. At the receiving location, an equal but opposite journal entry credits the balance sheet account and debits cost of goods. How this is set up in your accounting system (which balance sheet accounts you map to) is up to you.
How can I create a report showing my transfers?
This requires some spreadsheet work. See How to use the Purchasing Export for guidance.
Can I export these transfers as invoices to be received and bills to be paid?
No. Garde cannot export an invoice to accounts receivable. Transfers are only exported as journal entries as described above. 
