This article explains the feature and offers instructions on how to set up your Sales Forecast.
- How is this Created and Used?
- Setting Up Sales Forecasting
- Multi-Unit Setup Notes
- More details on the Math
How is this Created and Used?
the HOW- The Garde forecast analyzes up to three years of past sales data – accounting for holidays, seasonality, weather and trends to create an accurate sales forecast
- Forecast is automatically updated daily based on actual sales (but typically, we don’t see any big swings)
- More details about the math are below…
- Understand how you’re pacing to inform planning for next period
- View how sales are trending this year vs last year to help stay on track
- Use forecasts to align labor with expected demand
- Order with confidence — budget tracking is coming soon, and when available you’ll be able to use sales forecasting in combination with your budgets to reduce waste and avoid shortages
Key Components
Required :- You must have at least 28 days of sales data recorded in Garde
- To generate a forecast, you must have the permissions of either a Garde Admin, Restaurant Admin, or Accountant.
- Mark which days your restaurant is closed
- Import your own sales forecasting instead of using our model’s data
- Add notes on a day for special events
- Copy the settings across to other units in your company to speed up setup
Setting Up Sales Forecasting
You can choose how your forecasts are generated, set them up for multiple locations, and even import your own forecasts. Here’s how to get started. Tip : You can always come back and update your forecasting settings later from the forecasting page.Step 1 : Access the Setup Page
Go to Performance > Sales Forecasting. Click the “Get Started ” buttonStep 2 : Select Your Forecast Method
You have two options:- Garde Model (recommended)
Automatically generated by Garde using your historical sales. Available after 28 days of sales.
- Manual Import
Upload a CSV to provide your own forecasts. You’ll get a template to download during setup.
Step 3: Choose Days of Operation
Indicate which days your restaurant is typically closed.- Closed days will be marked visually on the calendar and will not receive an auto-generated forecast.
- You can override closures later if needed, or make changes ad hoc for opening hours.
Final Step : Review and Save
When you’ve completed setup, you’ll be dropped into the calendar view of your forecast. If you need to make changes, click “Back ”, otherwise click “Save settings ”. You can edit, import, or adjust your settings anytime by clicking “More Options” > Adjust SetupMulti-Unit Setup Notes
If you manage multiple locations, you have the option to:- Apply setup steps to multiple units at once, or
- Complete setup for each location individually.
(If you don’t see this box, you may need to ensure you have the appropriate permissions in each of your units.)
More details on the Math
Our sales forecasting system combines time series frameworks like Meta’s Prophet to analyze multiple patterns in your historical sales data to predict future performance. Here’s the core components that go into each forecast:- Historical Trend - Your restaurant’s overall growth or decline trajectory over time, accounting for gradual changes in your baseline sales
- Seasonal Patterns - Recurring cycles we’ve identified in your data (like day of week patterns, weekend vs. weekday performance, monthly patterns, or predictable busy/slow periods throughout the year)
- Holiday Effects - Impact of major holidays and local events that historically drive changes in your sales
- Weather Effects - Impact of weather events that historically drive changes in your sales