Restaurant Inventory Barcode & Local Purchasing Guide

Choose between existing product barcodes, internal Gravity barcodes, or no barcode—and handle Walmart, Sam’s Club, Costco, and local purchases without duplicate items.

Three valid barcode choices

• Use the existing product barcode when the package already has a stable code that works for your counting process.
• Create an internal Inventory Center barcode for bulk, local, unlabeled, repacked, or restaurant-specific items that need a scannable identity.
• Leave the barcode blank when scanning adds no real value. A barcode should reduce friction, not become paperwork for its own sake.

Local-source purchasing

• A restaurant may buy the same item from a normal distributor, Walmart, Sam's Club, Costco, a grocery store, or another local source depending on availability.
• Keep the inventory item stable. On each receiving transaction, record the actual source, quantity, cost, and receipt/reference information available.

Protect the item master

• Do not create a second item merely because the package design, store, or source changed if the restaurant is still counting the same operational item in the same unit.
• Do create a distinct item when the restaurant genuinely needs separate counts, units, costs, storage, allergens, specifications, or ordering decisions.

Test before relying on scanning

• Print and scan a sample internal label before creating a large batch. Verify the code opens or identifies the intended item and remains readable at the size and material you plan to use.

Next step

Use this guide on its own, or move into Gravity Inventory Center when you need to build, record, verify, or maintain the work.