You’re ready to start tracking theoretical versus actual costs in Garde — nice. The first step is PMIX Mapping for any ingredients you want to track.
This article walks you through the basics. There’s also an intro webinar you can watch, and we offer a Theoretical Reporting Setup Service if you’d rather have one-on-one support.
If you need more context, start here: Getting Started with Theoretical Usage Reporting
What Is PMIX Mapping?
PMIX Mapping (short for Product Mix) is the process of connecting your POS buttons to products or recipes in Garde. Which one you connect to depends on what you’re selling.
Mapping to Products:
This is for items where the POS button corresponds directly to something you purchase. Most common with beer, wine, and liquor. For example, you might have a POS button called “Sam Adams Lager Bottle” that you connect to the product “Sam Adams Lager Btl” in Garde.
Mapping to Recipes:
This is for menu items made of multiple ingredients. For example, your POS button “Salmon Dinner” would connect to a recipe called “Salmon Dinner” in Garde that lists out all the components.
You don’t have to build out a complete recipe to get started. For the Salmon Dinner example, you could create a recipe with just the salmon itself and immediately start tracking your salmon theoretical vs. actual usage. Add the rest of the ingredients later.
Webinar Support — Theoretical Reporting and PMIX Mapping Intro
This webinar covers the basics of theoretical reporting setup and PMIX mapping. Good if you like to see things in action before jumping in.
Watch now!
Paid Support — Theoretical Reporting Setup Service
If your team is stretched thin, our experts can help you get set up faster without eating into your staff’s time. The package includes three 45-minute one-on-one calls:
- Set up and Review package: We’ll help you map your products and recipes, review the work together, and train your team to manage mappings going forward | $250
- Mapping for Add-on Units: Already mapped at one location? We can copy it to your other units | Price based on number of lines copied
More details: Theoretical Reporting Setup Service
Want to get started? Contact contact@garde.app.
Let’s Get Into It — PMIX Mapping Orientation
The PMIX Mapping screen lives under Accounting > PMIX Mapping in the Garde main menu. First time here, it’ll look something like this — labels in the Major column, numbers in Quantity and Sold:
First: Set Up Category Types
Before you start mapping POS buttons to products and recipes, you need to assign Category Types (Food, Beer, Wine, Liquor, NA Bev, Retail & Other) to all the PMIX Product Groups coming in from your POS.
Click the PMIX Setup button. On that page, double-click the Category Type column for each line and select the right category. Hit “Save Changes” when you’re done.
Step-by-step instructions: see this article
Getting Oriented on the PMIX Mapping Screen
Here’s what the buttons across the top do:
View By:
Once your POS categories are associated with Garde categories, you can filter this page to show just one category at a time (Beer, Wine, Food, etc.).
View Sold or All Items:
By default, you’ll only see POS items that actually sold in the selected date range. Clicking “View All” shows everything from the POS, including items that haven’t sold recently. (Some POS systems don’t support this.)
Date Selector:
Defaults to the current period. When you’re actively mapping, widen this to several months or even a full year. You want to catch those items that sell infrequently — seasonal cocktails, holiday specials, that kind of thing.
PMIX Setup:
Takes you to the category type setup screen (covered above).
Save:
Saves any mapping changes. Don’t forget this one.
Export:
Exports your PMIX mapping details to CSV or PDF.
Understanding the Data Grid
The main grid is where the actual mapping happens. You’ll double-click fields in the “Product/Recipe” column to select a product or recipe for each POS item. Here’s what each column means:
Major / Minor / Items
The left side shows data straight from your POS. By default you see Major categories — click the ”+” to expand into Minor categories and individual items. Click the ”+” next to “Major” to expand everything at once.
By default, this page only shows POS items sold in the selected date range. Widen the date range to several months or a full year so you don’t miss infrequently sold items.
Second: Start Mapping
Start with your top 20 menu items. The 80/20 rule applies here — a handful of items probably drive most of your revenue and food cost. Map those first and you’ll get meaningful theoretical data fast, without having to map your entire menu upfront.
High Value / Top Sellers
You don’t need to map every single product or POS button. Focus your energy on what actually drives your food costs. That side of whipped cream? Not a priority. Your proteins and top sellers? Absolutely.
Here’s how to prioritize:
- Map your high-value inventory items (usually proteins). Garde lists these for you in order under Total Purchases Mapped.
- Map your top sellers. Garde lists these under Total Sales Mapped.
Two helpful links at the top of the page: View Unmapped Sales shows POS buttons that have been sold but aren’t mapped yet. View Unmapped Purchases highlights products you’ve purchased but haven’t connected to any POS button.
Alcohol
Alcohol is another great place to start. Beer, wine, and liquor don’t usually require recipes, so you can map them even before your food recipes are built. Quick wins.
Once you’ve mapped some items, you’re ready to see your Theoretical Usage reports. For more: How do I see my Theoretical Usage 
