Setting Up Par Levels

Setting Up Par Levels

• Define standard daily production quantities for each recipe
• Set different par levels for each day of the week to match customer demand patterns
• Let the production scheduler automatically plan baking to meet your par levels

What are par levels?

Par levels are the baseline quantities you want to produce each day for each recipe, regardless of customer orders. Think of them as your "safety stock" — the amount you always want on hand to serve walk-in customers and meet expected demand.

For example, you might set a par level of 20 croissants on weekdays but 40 on Saturday, since you know Saturdays are busier. BakeOnyx's production scheduler uses these par levels as targets when planning your daily baking schedule.

How to set up par levels

1. From the BakeOnyx dashboard, navigate to Production > Par Levels.
2. You'll see a list of all your recipes with a 7-day grid (Sunday through Saturday).
3. Click on any cell in the grid to enter the quantity you want to produce for that recipe on that day of the week.
4. Enter the number and press Enter or click outside the cell to save.
5. Repeat for each recipe and day combination you want to set.

Setting different quantities for different days

Most bakeries have busier days and slower days. Use the 7-day grid to reflect your actual demand patterns:

• Weekdays: Set lower quantities if your weekday traffic is lighter
• Weekends: Set higher quantities for your busier Saturday and Sunday shifts
• Slow days: If Tuesday is typically slow, reduce par levels for that day
• Special days: Adjust par levels around holidays or known events

You can update par levels anytime — changes take effect immediately and will influence future production schedules.

Activating and deactivating par levels

Each par level can be toggled on or off. If you want to temporarily stop producing a recipe at par level (perhaps while it's out of season), you can deactivate it without deleting your saved quantities.

1. Find the recipe in the par levels list.
2. Look for the toggle or checkbox next to the recipe name.
3. Click to toggle the par level active or inactive.
4. When inactive, the production scheduler won't use that recipe's par levels to plan production.

How par levels work with the production scheduler

Once you've set par levels, BakeOnyx's production scheduler automatically includes them in your daily production plan. The scheduler will:

• Start with your par level quantities as baseline targets
• Add any specific customer orders on top of par levels
• Account for your available equipment and staff when scheduling baking times
• Suggest production quantities that meet both par levels and actual orders

This means you'll always have fresh stock available for walk-in customers, even on slower days.

Best practices for par levels

• Review and adjust par levels quarterly based on seasonal trends
• Use your sales history to inform realistic quantities
• Account for shelf life — don't set par levels so high that products go stale
• Consider your storage capacity when setting quantities
• Involve your team — they know which items sell fastest

Next steps

• Creating a Recipe — Add new recipes to BakeOnyx before setting par levels for them
• Configuring Production Equipment and Staff — Set up your equipment and team capacity so the scheduler can plan around your par levels
• Using the Calendar — View your planned production and see how par levels feed into your daily schedule