Help - Dining Hall Billing

🚀 Quick Start Guide

New to the system? Start here to set up your first billing week.

1

Initialize Your Season

Go to Settings and use the "Initialize New Season" section to set up your season dates and year. This only needs to be done once at the start of summer.

2

Import Member Directory

In Settings, sync your member data from Google Sheets. This populates the member list for cottage assignments.

3

Enter Board Rates

In Settings, enter the meal prices (board rates) that were set by the association board for the season.

4

Set Up Your First Week (Wednesday)

On Wednesday after the first billing week, collect the dining hall sheets from the tables. On the Home page, select the billing week (Thursday that just ended) and assign members or renters to cottages based on the sheets. Click "Setup Queue" when ready.

5

Enter Meal Data (Wednesday)

Go to the Queue page to enter meal quantities from the dining hall sheets for each diner.

6

Finalize and Generate Document (Wednesday)

Review all invoices in the queue, then click "Finalize Queue" to generate the PDF document. The document is uploaded to Google Drive where the accountants can access it to send invoices via QuickBooks Online.

📅 Weekly Workflow

The standard billing cycle runs from Thursday breakfast through Wednesday lunch. All administrative tasks are completed on Wednesday.

Throughout the Week

Members Record Their Meals

Dining hall sheets are left on tables in the dining hall
Members fill out their own meal information throughout the week
Sheets remain in the dining hall for collection on Wednesday

Wednesday - Step 1: Set Up Assignments

Enter Cottage Assignments

Collect the completed dining hall sheets
Go to the Home page
Select the billing week start date (Thursday of the week that just ended)
Optionally click "Load Previous Week" to copy last week's assignments
Assign Bill_To parties to cottages based on the sheets
Click "Setup Queue" to create draft invoices

Wednesday - Step 2: Enter Meal Data

Fill in Invoice Details

Go to the Queue page
Click each invoice to expand it
Add/remove diners as needed
Enter meal quantities from the dining hall sheets (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Add tips and any extra charges
Click "Save" for each invoice

Wednesday - Step 3: Finalize

Generate Invoice Document

Review all invoices for accuracy
Click "Finalize Queue"
Enter the starting invoice number
System generates PDF and uploads to Google Drive
Accountants will retrieve the document from Google Drive and send invoices via QuickBooks Online

✅ Common Tasks

Adding a New Diner

Go to the Queue page
Click to expand the invoice
Click "Add Diner"
Enter name, age category, and meal quantities
Click "Save"

Adding Extra Charges

Open an invoice in the Queue
Scroll to "Extra Items" section
Click "Add Extra Item"
Enter description (e.g., "Birthday cake") and amount
Click "Save"

Viewing Past Invoices

Go to the Reports page
Select "Invoice Search" from the dropdown
Enter search criteria (name, cottage, date range)
Click "Search"
Click any invoice to view details

Generating Statistics

Go to the Reports page
Select "Statistics" from the dropdown
Choose your date range
Click "Generate Statistics"
View meal consumption and revenue data

Entering Board Rates

Obtain the board rates set by the association board
Go to Settings page
Scroll to "Board Rates Configuration"
Enter the meal prices as published by the board
Set the effective date
Click "Save Board Rates"

Checking Week Status

Go to the Status page
View all billing weeks for the season
See which weeks are finalized, in queue, or not started
Click action buttons to manage each week

🔧 Troubleshooting

I can't select a date for the billing period

Billing periods must start on a Thursday. Make sure you're selecting a Thursday date from the calendar.

The queue is empty after clicking "Setup Queue"

This can happen if no cottage assignments were entered, or if a queue already exists for that billing period. Check your cottage assignments and verify the date.

Pre-populated diners are incorrect

The system copies diners from the previous week to save time. Simply edit the diner list in the queue - add or remove diners as needed. The system will remember your changes for next week.

Invoice totals seem wrong

Verify that meal quantities are entered correctly and check the current board rates on the Settings page. Remember that rates are based on age category (Adult, Youth, Child, Toddler).

Can't finalize queue - "Invoice number already exists"

The starting invoice number conflicts with existing invoices. Use a higher number. The system should suggest the next available number based on the previous week.

Member not found in directory

Go to Settings and sync the latest member directory from Google Sheets. If the member is still not listed, you can manually enter their name in the cottage assignment field.

Invoice document didn't generate

Wait a few minutes and check Google Drive again. If the issue persists, verify your Google Drive integration is configured correctly in Settings.

ℹ️ System Information

Age Categories

Adult: 13 years and older
Youth: 9-12 years
Child: 5-8 years
Toddler: Under 5 years

Billing Period

A billing period runs from Thursday breakfast through Wednesday lunch (10 days total).

The season typically consists of 10 billing periods over the summer.

Invoice Numbering

Invoices are numbered sequentially starting with [year]0001 (e.g., 20260001).

Numbers continue throughout the season and are assigned when you finalize the queue.

Data Protection

Your data is protected with Point-in-Time Recovery, allowing restoration to any point in the last 35 days.

AWS also creates automatic daily backups of all billing data.

Board Rates

Board rates are the meal prices set annually by the association board.

Rates can vary by age category and meal type (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner).

Historical invoices always use the rates that were active when they were created.

Tips and Extras

Tips: Can be entered as a dollar amount or percentage of the meal total.

Extras: Additional charges like birthday cakes, special events, or other items not included in regular meals.

Invoice Delivery

After finalization, the invoice document is uploaded to Google Drive.

The association's accountants retrieve the document from Google Drive and send invoices to members via QuickBooks Online (QBO).

💡 Best Practices

✓

Double-check meal quantities before finalizing. Once finalized, invoices cannot be edited.

✓

Complete all Wednesday tasks in order: First set up cottage assignments on the Home page, then enter meal data in the Queue, and finally finalize to generate the document.

✓

Collect dining hall sheets on Wednesday from the tables in the dining hall before starting data entry.

✓

Save frequently when entering data in the queue. The system auto-saves, but manual saves ensure your work is stored.

✓

Use "Load Previous Week" on the Home page to quickly replicate cottage assignments from the previous week.

✓

Keep member directory updated by syncing from Google Sheets regularly, especially at the start of the season.

✓

Review the Status page regularly to track which weeks have been completed and which need attention.

✓

Generate end-of-season reports for the association board showing meal consumption and revenue statistics.

📖 Glossary

Bill_To

The person or entity responsible for payment of an invoice.

Billing Period

One week from Thursday breakfast through Wednesday lunch.

Queue

Draft invoices that can be edited before finalization.

Board Rate

The price for a meal based on age category and meal type.

Diner

An individual person who consumes meals during a billing period.

Cottage Assignment

The association of a Bill_To party with a specific cottage for a billing period.

Finalize

The process of converting draft invoices into final, numbered invoices with a generated PDF document.

Season

The summer period (typically 10 weeks) during which the dining hall operates and billing occurs.

🍽️ Dining Hall Billing System

Help & Documentation