· 8 min read
Seasonality, Events, and Demand Planning From Historical POS Data
Your past covers are the best forecast you have. Layer holidays, school calendars, and local events on top of year-ago sales to prep inventory and labor without guesswork.
Build a simple calendar
Mark major lifts and dips from last year’s POS exports. Note what caused them—weather, concerts, competitor openings—so you do not misread noise as trend.
Staff before promo
Running a promo without extra hands trains guests to expect slow service. Schedule first, market second.
Inventory buffers
For predictable spikes, stage high-velocity SKUs early. For one-off events, limit specials to what you can execute perfectly.