Article Types

In bessa, you can create different article types that differ in function and behavior. The article type is set when creating or editing an article in the "Basic Data" tab via the "Type" dropdown.

Overview of Article Types

Article (Standard)

The standard article type for all regular sales products and services.

Properties:

• Appears on receipts and invoices

• Can have article options (e.g., sides, extras)

• Supports inventory management

• Can be configured with price levels

• Can be placed on order screens

Use cases:

• Food and beverages in hospitality

• Products in retail

• Services (hairdresser, cosmetics)

Option

Option articles are booked as additions to other articles and can be used in Article Options.

Properties:

• Either used directly in an article option

• Or attached as a free option to the last booked article

• Cannot have article options itself

• Appears on receipts and invoices

• Supports inventory management

Behavior when booked freely: When an option article is booked without a previous main article, it behaves like a regular article.

Use cases:

• Sides (fries, salad, rice)

• Extras (extra cheese, double meat)

• Preparation notes with surcharge (spicy, gluten-free)

• Additional services (express service, gift wrapping)

Deposit

Special article type for tax differentiation and separate reporting of deposit items.

Properties:

• Shown separately on invoices

• Enables dedicated reports for deposit intake and returns

• Can have article options

• Supports inventory management

Tax consideration: Deposits are subject to special tax regulations in many countries. Separate recording enables correct booking and reporting.

Use cases:

• Bottle deposit

• Crate deposit

• Reusable cup deposit

• Dish rental fee

Info

Info articles serve only as additional information on kitchen receipts and are not printed on customer invoices.

Properties:

• Only printed on receipts (e.g., kitchen receipt)

• Does not appear on customer invoice

• Has no price

• Cannot have article options

• No inventory management

Use cases:

• "Please no salt"

• "Allergy: nuts"

• "For table 7"

• "Rush!"

• Preparation notes without surcharge

Delivery Fee

Special article type for charging delivery costs for delivery services.

Properties:

• Appears on invoices

• Automatically added to delivery orders

• No article options

• No inventory management

Use cases:

• Standard delivery fee

• Express delivery

• Delivery fee by distance (different articles for different zones)

bessa Card

Special article type for loading and unloading bessa gift cards and balance cards.

Properties:

• Appears on invoices

• For adding and redeeming credit

• No article options

• No inventory management

Use cases:

• "Add credit"

• "Redeem credit"

• Gift card activation

• Discount voucher

• Promotional voucher

Voucher

Standard vouchers managed by the POS system.

Properties:

• Appears on invoices

• Managed and validated by the POS

• Usable in all connected locations

• Not usable for online orders

• No article options

• No inventory management

Difference from bessa Card: While bessa Cards can be bought and used local and onlien, standard vouchers can only be redeemed within the POS venues.

Use cases:

• Gift voucher €50

Single-purpose vs multi-purpose voucher

For VAT purposes (EU VAT Directive, transposed in Austria as Einzweckgutschein / Mehrzweckgutschein under § 3 (14)–(15) UStG) two variants must be distinguished when creating a voucher article:

• Single-purpose voucher — the supply and the applicable VAT rate are already known at issuance (e.g. a "€12.90 breakfast voucher" for a specific venue, 10 % VAT for food). VAT becomes due at the time of sale and is shown on the sales receipt at the assigned rate.

• Multi-purpose voucher — the supply to be rendered and/or the applicable VAT rate are not yet known at issuance (e.g. a "€50 cash voucher redeemable against food or beverages" at different VAT rates). VAT becomes due only on redemption against the concrete product; the sale of the voucher itself is not subject to VAT.

Setup in bessa

The fiscal handling in bessa is steered through the article group the voucher article belongs to — more precisely, the tax rate of that group.

• Single-purpose voucher → create it in an article group with the matching tax rate (e.g. "Vouchers — Food 10 %").

• Multi-purpose voucher → create it in an article group with 0 % tax (e.g. "Vouchers — Cash 0 %").

At sale time the group's tax rate flows into the fiscal turnover counter automatically: multi-purpose vouchers stay outside VAT thanks to the 0 % rate, single-purpose vouchers feed in directly at their assigned rate.

The article group "Vouchers" that is auto-created when the module is licensed is a 0 % group by default and is therefore intended for multi-purpose vouchers. Before selling single-purpose vouchers, make sure a matching tax-rate group exists.

Details and accounting examples in Invoices for Vouchers and Term: Voucher.

Inventory

Special inventory articles for recipe management and raw material tracking.

Properties:

• Is not printed on receipts or invoices

• Is not displayed on the POS layout

• Serves exclusively for tracking inventory changes

• Primarily for recipes and article options of type "Inventory"

• Supports inventory management

How it works: Inventory articles are linked to sales articles in the background. When selling the main article, the corresponding amount of the inventory article is automatically deducted from stock.

Example 1: Coffee Recipe

You want to track coffee consumption per cup:

Result: When selling an espresso, 8g is automatically deducted from the coffee package stock. Inventory management is enabled on the coffee package itself, not on the individual coffee drinks.

Example 2: Wine by the Glass

Result: From one bottle, exactly 6x 1/8 or 3x 1/4 can be served. The inventory shows the current bottle count.

Example 3: Cocktail Recipe (Rum and Coke)

The cocktail "Rum and Coke" is created as a regular Article. Ingredients are linked via Article Options of type "Inventory":

• Bacardi: 0.04 L per cocktail

• Coke: 0.15 L per cocktail

More complex example – Cosmopolitan:

• Vodka: 0.04 L

• Triple Sec: 0.015 L

• Lime juice: 0.015 L

• Cranberry juice: 0.03 L

Example 4: Burger with Components

The "Cheeseburger" as an article consumes per sale:

• 1x Bun (Quantity content: 1 piece = 0.1 of the 10-pack)

• 1x Patty (Quantity content: 1 piece = 0.05 of the 20-pack)

• 0.05 kg Lettuce

• 1x Cheese (Quantity content: 1 slice = 0.02 of the 50-pack)

More information on setup can be found under Inventory Management for Articles and Inventory Management.

Changing Article Type

The article type can be changed afterwards:

1. Open the article for editing

2. Select the new type from the dropdown in the "Basic Data" tab

3. Save the article

Related Topics

• Articles

• Inventory Management for Articles

• Article Options

• Inventory Management

• Pricing Levels