When you set up an order guide in Garde, you can add a few extra columns that make ordering faster and more consistent. All of these are enabled through checkboxes in the Order Guide Setup (more general info on that here).
Here’s what each one does:
Pars let you set target quantities — how much of each item you want to have on hand. You can set one fixed par or different pars for each day of the week.
On Hand gives you a spot to enter what you currently have. Garde then does the math and tells you how much to order to bring you back up to par.
Last Count pulls in the most recent inventory count for the product tied to each vendor item. If you’re already doing regular inventory, this saves you from counting twice.
Here’s how pars work in practice. Say you set a par of 5 cases of chicken thighs. When you go to place an order, you enter that you have 2 cases on hand. Garde automatically suggests ordering 3 cases to bring you up to par. You can always override the suggestion, but it gives you a solid starting point — especially useful when someone other than the head chef is placing the order.
How to Set Up Pars
On the Order Guide Setup screen for a vendor, check the Par and On Hand checkboxes.
When “Par” is selected, you choose between:
- One Par — A single target number for each item, used every day.
- Daily Par — Different targets for different days of the week. Handy if your volume varies (more prep on Thursdays before a busy weekend, for example).
If you choose One Par, you’ll see a single field to fill out per item.
If you choose Daily Par, you can set a “default par” that populates every day. Then adjust individual days as needed.
Using Pars When Ordering
When you place an order, your pars automatically populate from the order guide settings. Enter an on-hand amount and Garde calculates the suggested order quantity in the “Qty” column. If you manually change the quantity, the on-hand amount clears out.
Important: On-hand amounts are entered manually — they don’t pull from your inventory automatically.
How to Set Up Last Count
Check the Last Count box in your order guide settings. This displays the most recent inventory count for the product associated with each vendor item. If you do inventory regularly, this can be a real time-saver.
The Last Count column shows the date of your last count, and you’ll see a yellow warning if that count is more than 3 days old. Stale numbers aren’t much help, so that’s your nudge to do a fresh count.
One thing to know: If you order the same product from multiple vendors, every order guide will show the same inventory count for that product. For example, if your last count showed one case of avocados, you’ll see that number on both your Gordon Food Service guide and your Sysco guide. Garde doesn’t split it between vendors. 
