Plain-English summary#
Session reconciliation means everything adding up at the end of a register shift: every order, every payment received, every cash movement in the drawer, and the difference between expected and counted cash at close. The till reconciliation (drawer count vs Expected) is the headline part, but session reconciliation is wider: the whole record of the session agrees with itself and stands up to a check. The result is a closed session with a Z-report, a known variance, and a record of who opened and closed the till.
When you'd use this#
- A manager reviewing the day's sessions wants to know what "reconciled" really means — not just one number.
- A new staff member asks "what does it mean to close a register cleanly?" and the answer is more than the drawer count.
- An auditor is checking that a session's orders, payments, drawer movements and reports all agree.
- Comparing what the Z-report printed against the receipts and orders.
Key concepts#
- Session reconciliation (broad) — the full end-of-shift accounting: orders, payments, cash movements, drawer count and audit trail.
- Till reconciliation (narrow) — drawer count vs Expected only.
- Reconciled session — a closed session where all of these agree.
- Anomaly — something that doesn't add up (missing receipt, unrecorded withdrawal, vague Comments, missing handover record). Some block the close: an open ticket, an on-hold sale, a sale still being posted, entries in the Discard bin waiting for review (if your outlet uses it), and — if your organisation requires unique transfer references — blank or duplicate transfer references. A cash variance and the softer checks don't block it.
- Chain of custody — who is responsible for the till. Foodops records the opening cashier, the closing cashier, and who currently holds the register — not every handover in between.
- Expected cash — at close, Expected = opening float + cash payments − refunds − withdrawals. The variance is Counted − Expected.
- Z-report — the printed summary managers use to review the session.
Common questions#
Q: Is "session reconciled" the same as "session closed"? A: No — closed is a status in Foodops; reconciled means everything agrees across orders, payments, drawer and audit trail. A session can be closed without being fully reconciled.
Q: Where do I see the reconciliation status of a session? A: Foodops doesn't show a single "reconciled / not reconciled" flag. Check each tab: Sales Orders for open tickets, and the variance figure for the till.
Q: Will Foodops stop me from closing if something doesn't add up? A: It depends. Foodops does stop the close if there are on-hold sales, open sales orders, transfer-reference problems (when unique references are required), sales still being posted, or entries in the Discard bin waiting for review (if your outlet uses it) — nothing is saved until you fix them. It does not stop the close for a cash variance: the count is recorded and the session goes to Pending Close. If you can see the Expected amount, a Balance Difference Warning offers Close Anyway or Cancel (Cancel puts the session back to Open for a recount). If your role can't see Expected, a close with a difference is finished for you automatically. With no difference the session waits in Pending Close until someone selects Approve Close. So an open ticket is caught up front; a variance is flagged at the close itself.
Q: Does Foodops track which sessions are NOT reconciled? A: Indirectly — problems show up in their own tabs (open orders in Sales Orders, a non-zero variance on the Z-report). There's no ready-made list of "all unreconciled sessions".