Docs / Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

The problems that come up most, and what to do about them.

At the till

"Open a shift before taking orders"

Nobody opened a shift. Click Open shift on the POS and enter the float. If the previous shift is still open, close it first.

Nobody can take orders at all

Check whether Spicy is still running. If the server restarted and no one started Spicy again, nothing will work until someone starts it.

A drink appears greyed out on the menu

It is out of stock, or already held on someone else's open order. Check Inventory → Stock balance.

If the shelf is full but Spicy thinks it is empty, someone used stock without recording it. Check Inventory → Stock ledger for what happened.

The order will not send to the kitchen

"Configure a production unit before sending" means a station is missing. A manager needs to finish Setup — the kitchen or bar needs a production unit with its accounts assigned.

Spicy refuses a payment

• "Payment must cover the full total" — the amount entered is short. Only cash can be overpaid.
• "Only cash payments may include change" — a card or transfer cannot be overpaid.
• "Payment mode has no GL mapping" — a manager must give that method a ledger account.
• "Payment mode was not declared when the shift opened" — you enabled the method after the shift started. It works from the next shift.
• Reference already used — someone entered that reference before. Find the other transaction or use the correct reference.

I cannot edit an order

"This order was sent to the kitchen or bar" means the kitchen has it, so you cannot edit it. Cancel it and take a new one. Only a manager can cancel.

I cannot see a colleague's order

Each cashier sees only their own orders. Ask a manager.

Receipt did not print

The sale completes regardless — a printer problem never blocks a sale. Take the receipt another way and tell your manager, because the ticket may not have reached the kitchen.

Check that the printer has paper and power, and that it is still on the network.

Shifts

The shift will not close

Finish or delete any open draft orders first. Spicy will not close a shift with orders still open.

It will not accept my counted figure

A cash figure below expected is fine — that is a shortage. But Spicy rejects a transfer or card figure higher than expected. You cannot deposit money into the bank that you never took, so the count is wrong.

A large difference needs approval

If the difference is over the threshold you set, closing needs a manager and a written explanation of what happened. That is the theft-and-error control working. See POS.

I need to correct a closed shift

You cannot edit it. Reopen and close it again if no other shift opened since. If a later shift is already open, ask an administrator — the correction has to go through the ledger.

Stock

Consumption count is higher than I have

Spicy will not let the count exceed what the kitchen bin holds. Either the previous count was wrong, or stock left the kitchen without a transfer or a sale on record. Check Inventory → Stock ledger for that warehouse.

You cannot use "Opening Stock"

That reason only works on a warehouse with no history at all. To correct a warehouse that already has stock, use Adjustment.

I need to reverse a receipt or transfer

Cancel it if nothing changed since. You cannot cancel a receipt with a supplier invoice attached. Deal with the invoice first. You also cannot cancel a transfer after the destination warehouse used the stock. Transfer the remainder back, or file an adjustment.

A cost figure surprises me

Spicy keeps a running average cost. Receiving stock blends the new price in, which moves the cost of everything in that warehouse. A drink you bought much cheaper than usual lowers the average for the whole bin. Check the Stock ledger for the movements behind it.

A dish shows no food cost

Either it has no recipe, or nobody filed a kitchen count that day. Both are on the Food usage report.

Reports

Food cost shows as zero

The kitchen did not file a count for that day. The statement says so. File one — see Inventory. If you submit the count after the statement, the statement does not change.

The day's figures look wrong

• Business day start hour — if you close after midnight, a 1am sale belongs to the previous day. Check Reports → P&L settings.
• The server's clock and time zone — Spicy uses them to decide the trading day. If they are wrong, every date is wrong.
• Returns — a refund nets off on the day you processed the return. A sale and its refund in different days will not cancel out.

My two profit and loss figures disagree

This is normal. The daily statement includes expenses you typed in and uses the kitchen's count. The accounting one includes only what Spicy posted. See Reports.

Can I get yesterday's statement back

If you submitted it, you can cancel and amend. If you deleted it before submitting, it is gone — create a new one. It recalculates from the day's sales.

Accounts and access

Someone cannot sign in

Check that their account is active. Administrators can reactivate it under Settings → User roles.

Someone sees "waiting for approval"

They signed in but have no role. An administrator needs to assign one under Settings → User roles.

Someone cannot see a page they should

Their role does not include it. Cashiers cannot reach the back office at all. Managers cannot assign roles. Check Back office for who can do what.

Someone forgot their password

There is no reset flow. An administrator creates them a new login.

Setup problems

Everything looks unconfigured

Nobody loaded the standard accounts. Run:

make manage ARGS='seed_pos_setup'

The POS is empty

No menu is active, or you disabled every menu item. Check Settings → Restaurant settings.

Spicy refuses sales

The cause is almost always a missing account. The message names what is missing. Work through Setup — payment methods need accounts, production units need income and returns accounts.

Still stuck

Before you ask for help, note down:

• The exact message on screen.
• What you were doing at the time.
• The invoice or order number, if it involves a transaction.
• Whether the till and the printers were working.

That turns a slow support request into a fast one.