Bill numbers without gaps
Every paid bill gets the next number of its counter's series, such as MAINC1/26/000123, restarting each financial year. Tablets reserve blocks of numbers to number bills offline. Every unused number is listed as void, so the series has no holes.
PLANSEvery plan
The problem it solves
- Your accountant asks why bill numbers jump from 1045 to 1052, and nobody knows.
- Two counters print the same bill number on the same day.
- Offline bills are numbered later, so the paper the customer holds does not match the books.
- A reprint looks like a second sale.
How it works
- Each counter gets its own series when it is made, with a code from the outlet's name, such as MAINC1. Orders without a counter get one series per outlet and channel.
- A number is given only when a bill is paid in full, never to a draft or a cancelled bill. A payment that fails gives its number back.
- Each counter tablet holds a block of numbers, 50 to start with, and gets a new block when half is used. It numbers its bills from the block in order, also offline.
- When the tablet sends a bill, the server checks the number belongs to its block. Online, a wrong number is refused. Offline, the sale is recorded with the next server number, the printed one is made void and a conflict tells the supervisor.
- Numbers a tablet never used are made void when its block is given back. That happens on a new pairing, a block, a move to another counter or the year end.
- Reprints say DUPLICATE COPY with the copy number, when and by whom, and are logged.
Everything it does
The series
- Format CODE/YY/number: the code is 1 to 6 capital letters or digits. YY is the year the financial year starts. The number has 4 to 8 digits, 6 to start with
- Numbers restart at 1 each financial year; set the Entity's fiscal year to end on 31 March for India
- Channels for orders made without a counter: Aggregator Orders, Pre-bookings, Guest Meals, Meal Plan Renewals, Headcount Charges, Back Office
- Code and digits cannot change once a number is issued; a used series is archived, never deleted
- Two counters never get the same number: each number is taken under a lock
Numbers on tablets
- Blocks of Bill Numbers per Device Block (50), a new one when fewer than half are left, at most 3 open blocks per tablet
- The device form shows its blocks on the Bill Numbers tab
- A tablet with no numbers left stops selling offline until it syncs; no provisional numbers are printed
- A number used offline before its block was given back is taken off the void list
Void numbers
- Food Service > Selling > Orders > Void Bill Numbers: each void number with its series, year, reason and note
- Reasons: Reserved, not used; and Sale not recorded (a printed offline sale the server could not take)
- The series form shows each financial year with its next number, and the void numbers
Reprints
- Bill copies print DUPLICATE COPY n with when and by whom; kitchen tickets print REPRINT n
- Food Service > Selling > Orders > Reprints: every copy with its number, reason, who printed and who approved
- Ask the Reason for Reprints and Reprints Need a Supervisor: off to start with
Who uses it
AccountsReads the series, the void numbers and the reprints for the tax return.
CashierSells; the number is given by itself and cannot be chosen or skipped.
Food AdministratorSets the block size and the reprint rules.
Where you use it
- Web: Food Service > Configuration > Billing > Bill Number Series; Food Service > Selling > Orders > Void Bill Numbers and Reprints. The Bill Numbers tab of each device
- The SmartMy Feast Counter app: the number on every receipt, also offline (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- Not built: a screen or report that adds up issued, void and missing numbers for the return. The series and the void list are read as they are
What you control
Settings
- Bill Numbers per Device Block: 50; on the outlet's Counters tab
- Ask the Reason for Reprints and Reprints Need a Supervisor: off; on the outlet's Selling tab
- Series code and digits: set by the system, changeable until the first number is issued
Notifications
- Food Counter Sync Conflict: to the outlet's managers when an offline bill number could not be used. In the app and by email (app push once the apps are in the stores). Sent at once
Questions
Can two counters print the same bill number?
No. Each counter has its own series, and each tablet numbers only from the block the server reserved for it.What happens to numbers a tablet never used?
They are made void, with the reason, when the block is given back. They appear under Void Bill Numbers, so the series stays whole.Does an offline bill get its final number on paper?
Yes. The tablet prints the number from its block. Only if the server cannot accept that number is the sale recorded under another one, the printed one made void and the supervisor told.Do the numbers restart every year?
Yes, at 1 each financial year, with the year in the number. Set your Entity's fiscal year end to 31 March for the Indian year.Is this an e-invoice?
No. These are the numbers of your counter bills. E-invoicing is not part of SmartMy Feast.Related features
COUNTERSelling when the network is downWhen the network drops, the counter tablet keeps serving and selling. It checks meals, limits and wallet balances from its own copy and numbers bills from a reserved block. Everything goes to the server in order when the network is back. Anything the server cannot take as it was goes to the supervisor as a sync conflict.COUNTERTax invoice on a paid orderWhen a customer needs a GST invoice for a counter sale, the cashier or accounts opens the paid order and clicks Tax Invoice. A posted customer invoice is made with the taxes of each line, and the counter payment is registered on it.TABLE SERVICE AND KITCHENReceipts and token slips on thermal printersThe counter tablet prints receipts, token slips and kitchen tickets on network thermal printers that take ESC/POS. On cash sales it opens the cash drawer through the receipt printer. Printers are set up once in the back office and reach every tablet.COUNTERVoids, refunds and discounts with a supervisor PINDiscounts on a line or a whole bill need a reason and stay within the cashier's, supervisor's and administrator's limits. Voids and part refunds need a reason and a supervisor, who approves with a PIN on the cashier's own tablet.ACCOUNTING AND REPORTSDaily accounting entry for food serviceOnce a day SmartMy Feast posts one journal entry per Entity for everything the food service did. It covers money taken by mode, wallet and plan advances, revenue as meals are served. Also subsidy and complimentary meals by cost centre, taxes, and, if you choose, food cost and wastage.COUNTERShifts, cash count and X and Z reportsEach cashier opens a shift with the cash in the drawer and records cash in and out with a reason. At closing they count by note and coin. The system works out the expected cash, the shortage or excess and the X and Z reports.
See it with your own menu.
Tell us how many outlets you run and how people pay today. We will show you a day in your mess or canteen on SmartMy Feast.