Set Up Your Calendar

Why your calendar matters

Your calendar tells DishBooks how to slice your year into periods, so you can compare one stretch of business to the next.

Here’s the catch every operator knows: months aren’t fair comparisons. One month has five Fridays, the next has four. February is short. A month with an extra weekend always looks better on paper.

DishBooks gives each entity two calendars so you get the best of both worlds:

• Fiscal calendar: your official accounting year, the one your accountant and tax filings use.
• Operational calendar: a restaurant-style calendar built on full weeks, so every period is an apples-to-apples comparison.

In reports like the Profit & Loss, you choose Fiscal Calendar or Operational Calendar as the columns, by period, quarter or year.

DishBooks creates both for you automatically in the background after you add an entity. The fiscal calendar starts as calendar months on January 1, and the operational calendar starts as 13-4 on January 1. This article shows you how to check them and adjust them to fit the way you run your business.

Fiscal vs. operational: what’s the difference?

Not sure what to pick? Keep your fiscal calendar matched to your tax year (ask your accountant if you’re unsure), and use the operational calendar for the restaurant-style view.

Your structure options

Both calendars offer the same five choices in the Structure dropdown:

Why full weeks matter: with 13-4, every period has exactly four Fridays and four Saturdays. So when Period 6 beats Period 5, you know it’s your team, not the calendar.

Before you start

Add your entity first. Each entity gets its own calendars. Haven’t done it yet? Start with Set up your entities.

Then answer two quick questions for each calendar:

1. When does your year start? For your fiscal calendar, this is usually January 1. For your operational calendar, pick the first day of your operating week (often a Sunday or Monday) near the start of the year.
2. Which structure fits? See the options above. If you’re switching from another system, match what you used before so your history lines up.

Set up your calendar, step by step

1. Head to Calendars. In the left menu, click Settings, then Calendars. You’ll see one row for each entity and year, newest year first. Each row shows the Fiscal and Operational structure, start date and end date.

   

2. Find your entity’s row for the year you want to set up (for example, Sunny Side Hospitality LLC in 2026). Expand the row to see its periods.

3. Set your fiscal calendar.

   • Fiscal Start: Click the date and pick the first day of your fiscal year.
   • Fiscal Structure: Choose from the dropdown. Most restaurants use Months here.

4. Set your operational calendar.

   • Operational Start: Pick the first day of your operational year. The weekday you choose is the day every period starts on, so pick the first day of your operating week.
   • Operational Structure: Choose 13-4, 4-4-5, 4-5-4, 5-4-4 or Months.

5. Check the periods. Expand the row to see every period of each calendar, its quarter and its exact start and end dates. The end dates fill in on their own. Give them a quick scan to make sure they look right.

   

6. That’s it, there’s no Save button. Each change saves as soon as you make it. If DishBooks can’t accept a change, the cell shows why.

• Changing a start date moves your other years. DishBooks re-dates the rest of that calendar so there are no gaps or overlaps. Later years start the day after the one before ends, and earlier years end the day before.
• A structure change applies to one year only. To switch every year, change each year’s Structure.
• Closed books lock the calendar. Once an entity’s books are closed (see Accounting settings and closing dates), its calendar cells show This period is locked through the closing date and can’t be edited.

You’re all set! Here’s what you’ll see

The Calendars page now shows the new dates and structure on your entity’s rows.

• More than one year: DishBooks keeps a calendar for each year, including the year ahead, so you’re ready before it starts. It fills in any missing years every morning.
• Bringing in history? DishBooks creates calendars back to the year of your earliest transaction, so imported history gets its calendars too.
• Years connect: each operational year picks up the day after the last one ends, so there are no gaps in your reporting. For example, if your 2025 operational year ends Dec 23, 2025, your 2026 year starts Dec 24, 2025.
• More than one entity? Each entity has its own rows. Set up each one the same way.

Tips and common questions

Can I change my calendar later?

Yes, you can adjust your calendars at any time. That said, it’s best to settle on your setup early. Reports build their periods from your calendars, so changing periods later regroups your past reports, which can make trends harder to compare.

Why does my operational year start in late December?

That’s normal. A 13-4 year is 364 days (13 periods × 28 days), one day shorter than a calendar year. So each new operational year starts a day earlier than the last. It keeps every period made of full weeks. DishBooks never adds a 53rd week on its own. When the drift bothers you, change a year’s Operational Start and the other years follow.

Should my fiscal and operational calendars match?

They can, but they don’t have to. Many restaurants keep the fiscal calendar on calendar months for their accountant and use 13-4 for the operational view.

I’m switching from another system. What should I pick?

Match whatever you used before. That way your new numbers line up with your history from day one.

Which day should my periods start on?

Pick the first day of your operating week, often Sunday or Monday. Your weekly and period reports will then line up with how you schedule and review your team.

What’s next

Your year is mapped out. Now let’s get your team in the door.