Use this page as your at-a-glance reference while setting up SmartPrep, plus quick fixes for the snags you might encounter. For the full walkthrough, see the Admin Setup Guide.
Confirm your setup is complete
SmartPrep is only doing its job once these are all done. The first three (★) are what officially count as "activated" and unlock predictions:
Why pars matter so much: SmartPrep two days of pars + on-hand counts before it can predict. If you create a prep list but never add pars, you'll never see the predictions that make SmartPrep worth it — this is the single most common reason setups stall.
Common setup snags & fixes
Symptom |
Likely cause |
Fix |
|---|---|---|
I don't see SmartPrep / Prep List in the menu |
Your role isn't admin |
SmartPrep setup is visible only to MarginEdge Admins and Restaurant Admins. Have an admin grant the role or do the setup. |
I created a prep list but I'm not getting predictions |
No pars entered yet, or not enough days of data |
Add pars on the Manage pars grid (use "Add all missing pars to start predictions") and keep completing on-hand counts for ~2–3 days. Predictions appear with a ✨ icon. |
My prep list never shows up for staff |
It was created but not scheduled, or scheduled for a different store |
Open the template → Schedule → confirm Days to Display, Time to Display, and the correct Assigned Stores. |
A pasted recipe didn't get added |
The entry wasn’t recognized as a new or existing recipe |
When AI matching doesn't recognize a name, make sure you select "Create new" for it — otherwise the row won't become a real recipe. |
Staff can't find the prep list on the tablet |
Looking in the wrong place |
On mobile, prep lists and checklists both live under Complete tasks. |
Labels won't print |
Printer not connected or not ready |
Confirm the printer's status light is green, if orange then hit the pause button. Then try printing from a recipe; if prompted go to Settings → Printers, wait for discovery, and click Connect. |
Expiration date on labels looks wrong |
Recipe shelf life not set |
Set the recipe's Shelf life; the label expiration is calculated from it. |
Wrong staff names in "Counted By" |
Employee list not curated |
In Labor → Employees, add missing names and set departed staff to Inactive. |
Still stuck? Reach out through the in-app help. If a setup step is confusing in the product itself, that's worth flagging - we’d love to improve SmartPrep for you!