Close for a holiday or open with different hours on a specific date. Special hours update your website, online ordering and reservations for that day.

Regular Hours and Special Hours in Location Settings

Special hours let you change your hours for one specific date without touching your regular weekly hours. Use them to close for a holiday, a vacation day or a private event, to open on a day you're normally closed, or to open with shorter or different hours. Your regular hours come back automatically the next day.

What special hours change

A special date overrides your regular hours for that date only:

  • Your website: the hours shown on your website include your special dates, with their hours (or Closed) and the reason you entered.
  • Closed: guests can't choose that date for online ordering (pickup or delivery), and Sociavore reservations are not available on that date.
  • Open: online ordering and Sociavore reservations use the special hours you set for that date, even if you're normally closed on that day of the week.

Where to find Special Hours

  1. Log in to your Sociavore dashboard.
  2. If you have more than one location, choose the location from the address menu at the top of the dashboard first. Special hours are set for each location separately.
  3. Click your avatar in the top right corner and select Location Settings.
  4. Scroll to the Hours section. Your regular weekly hours are on the left, and Special Hours with the Add Special Date button are on the right.
Open Location Settings from the avatar menu

Add a special date

  1. Click Add Special Date. The Add Special Hours window opens.
  2. Enter a Reason, for example Christmas Day, Vacation closure or Private event. The reason is shown in your Special Hours list so you remember why the date was added.
  3. Pick the Date from the calendar. Past dates can't be selected.
  4. Set the Operating Mode to Closed or Open (see the next two sections).
  5. Click Apply. The date appears in your Special Hours list.
The Add Special Hours window

Close for a holiday or a single day

Leave the Operating Mode switch on Closed and click Apply. The date shows as Closed in your Special Hours list. On that date, guests can't place online orders for pickup or delivery, reservations are not available, and your website shows that you're closed.

Closing for a specific date

Open with different hours

Switch the Operating Mode to Open and enter the opening and closing time for that date. Use this for shorter holiday hours, or to open on a day you're normally closed.

  • To add split hours (for example lunch and dinner), click Add Range and enter a second time range.
  • To remove a time range, click the minus icon next to it.
  • Click Apply. Online ordering and reservations will use these hours on that date.
Opening with split hours on a specific date

Close for several days in a row

Each special date covers one day. To close for a longer break, for example from December 24 to January 2, add a special date set to Closed for each day of the break.

Change or remove a special date

To change a special date, click it in your Special Hours list, update the reason, date, operating mode or hours, and click Apply.

To remove a special date, click the trash icon next to the date. Your regular hours apply again on that date.

Holiday menus with their own pickup schedule

Special hours take priority over menu schedules

Special hours are added to your pickup and delivery schedules and take priority over them. If you open on a special date and one of your online ordering menus is meant to be available only on other dates (for example a Christmas menu for December 24 or a bread menu for Saturdays), guests may be able to choose the special date on that menu too.

To prevent this, create a temporary pickup schedule for that menu using Specific calendar dates, select only the dates the menu should be available, and set it on the menu. After your last special date has passed, switch the menu back to its regular schedule. Please check Pickup Schedules for Online Ordering Menus to understand how to set the days and times guests can pick up an online order, for each menu that offers pickup.

Other holiday options

Before the holidays: a quick checklist

  1. Add a special date for every holiday you close or change your hours.
  2. Check each online ordering menu with its own pickup or delivery schedule, especially holiday-only menus.
  3. Let guests know about your holiday hours on your website, for example with an announcement on your home page.
  4. Place a test order and try a test reservation for a special date to make sure everything works as expected.