Correctly configuring how your business day starts and ends, along with defining specific service periods (Dayparts), is crucial in Salido. These settings not only ensure accurate sales reporting but also prevent operational disruptions, such as menus becoming unavailable while your restaurant is still serving customers. Misconfigurations, particularly around overnight operations, can lead the system to incorrectly determine your business hours. Let's break down these interconnected concepts:

1. The Fiscal Day: Your Business's Operating Clock

• What it is: The Fiscal Day is your official "business day" as defined in Salido for accounting and reporting purposes. It might not align perfectly with the calendar day (midnight to midnight).
• How it's set: You define your Fiscal Day by setting the "Start of Fiscal Day" time within the Daypart Schedules settings in the Bridge (Restaurant Operations > Daypart Schedules). This can be set at the Organization level and overridden for specific Locations.
• Why it matters: The "Start of Fiscal Day" time is the anchor. Salido determines the current active fiscal day based on whether the current time is before or after this set start time. For example, if your "Start of Fiscal Day" is 4:00 AM, then any time between midnight and 3:59 AM on a Tuesday calendar day is still considered part of the Monday fiscal day.

2. Dayparts: Segmenting Your Service

• What they are: Dayparts are distinct segments you define for your operating hours, typically corresponding to meal periods like "Breakfast," "Lunch," "Dinner," or "Late Night."
• Purpose: They allow you to track sales and analyze performance specific to these different times.
• Configuration: Dayparts are created and managed in the Bridge (Restaurant Operations > Daypart Schedules > View Dayparts).

3. Daypart Schedules: Defining When Dayparts Begin

• What they are: For each day of the week, you create a Daypart Schedule that dictates the start time for each Daypart you intend to run on that day.
• Crucial Interaction with Fiscal Day: Salido only looks at the Daypart Schedule assigned to the current active fiscal day. Using the example above (Start of Fiscal Day at 4:00 AM), at 2:00 AM on Tuesday, the system references the Daypart Schedule configured for Monday to determine which Daypart is active.
• How Dayparts Run: A Daypart, once started according to the schedule, continues to be the active Daypart until the start time of the next scheduled Daypart begins. This is critical for understanding overnight operations.

4. End of Day (EOD): Closing the Books

• What it is: EOD marks the official closing of the Fiscal Day in the system.
• Configuration: You can set an "Auto EOD Time" in the Bridge (Business Units > Locations > Auto EOD Time) for the system to close the day automatically. This time must be set for after all business operations have ceased but before the next 'Start of Fiscal Day' time begins for your location. This ensures one fiscal day is fully closed before the next one begins.
• Manual Option: EOD can also be triggered manually from a POS terminal.
• Purpose: Finalizes transactions for the completed Fiscal Day, making data ready for reporting and ensuring accurate accounting.

How They Work Together & Preventing Common Problems

Understanding the interplay, especially around the "Start of Fiscal Day," is key to avoiding issues. Here are two common problem scenarios:

1. The "Early Opening Gap":
   
   • What Happens: This issue occurs if your first scheduled Daypart for a specific Fiscal Day (e.g., "Breakfast" at 8 AM) begins later than your defined "Start of Fiscal Day" time (e.g., 4 AM).
   • The Problem: This creates a time gap (in the example, 4 AM to 7:59 AM) where the Fiscal Day has officially begun, but no Daypart is explicitly scheduled to be active on that day's schedule. If your restaurant operates during this gap (perhaps opening earlier than the first scheduled Daypart), the system correctly identifies the current Fiscal Day but finds no active Daypart defined for that time. The previous day's schedule (and any wrap-around Daypart from that day) is no longer relevant because the "Start of Fiscal Day" time has passed. This can lead to errors like menus being unavailable.
   • Example: "Start of Fiscal Day" is 4:00 AM Saturday. The first Daypart on Saturday's schedule is "Breakfast" starting at 8:00 AM. If the restaurant opens early at 7:00 AM, at 7:30 AM the system looks at Saturday's schedule, finds no Daypart covering the 4:00 AM - 7:59 AM window, and issues occur.
2. The "Overnight Rollover Gap":
   
   • What Happens: This frequent issue involves operating past midnight but before the next "Start of Fiscal Day" time (e.g., open until 2 AM, but the next Fiscal Day starts at 4 AM).
   • The Problem: During these hours, the system is still operating under the previous Fiscal Day (e.g., Saturday's Fiscal Day is still active at 1 AM Sunday). It consults the Daypart Schedule for that previous day. If the last Daypart scheduled for that previous day doesn't implicitly cover these late-night hours (because it ended too early or another schedule configuration creates a gap), the system might again find no active Daypart, causing disruptions. Remember, the last Daypart effectively runs until the next day's "Start of Fiscal Day" unless explicitly ended earlier by another scheduled Daypart.

The Solution for Both: Ensure your Daypart Schedules comprehensively cover all potential operating hours for each Fiscal Day. This means:

• The first scheduled Daypart should ideally align with or start shortly after your "Start of Fiscal Day" if you might operate then. Alternatively, ensure a Daypart covers any gap between the "Start of Fiscal Day" and the first main service period.
• The last scheduled Daypart must implicitly cover all operating hours past midnight until the next "Start of Fiscal Day."

By carefully defining your "Start of Fiscal Day" and ensuring your Daypart Schedules leave no gaps during operational times (considering both early openings and late closings relative to the fiscal day), you ensure Salido always knows which Daypart is active, maintaining smooth operations and accurate reporting.

Configuration Best Practices:

1. Set "Start of Fiscal Day" accurately: Define precisely when your business day begins for reporting.
2. Define Dayparts clearly: Create Dayparts that match your operational periods (Breakfast, Lunch, Happy Hour, Dinner, Late Night, etc.).
3. Build Comprehensive Daypart Schedules: For each day of the week, ensure the scheduled Dayparts cover all hours your business is operational. Pay close attention to the last Daypart scheduled for the day – ensure its implicit duration covers any late-night hours before the next "Start of Fiscal Day."
4. Align Auto EOD: Set your "Auto EOD Time" to occur safely after your closing time but before the next "Start of Fiscal Day" begins.

By understanding how these three elements depend on each other, particularly the anchoring role of the Fiscal Day and the continuous nature of Dayparts based on that day's schedule, you can configure Salido accurately and avoid disruptions.