Prepare Your Restaurant for a Seasonal Closure

Last updated: Oct 28, 2026, 2:58 PM

Prepare your Toast account for a seasonal closure by pausing online ordering, reservations, payroll, gift cards, and billing.

In this Article:

 

Before You Begin

Applies to: Toast Web, Toast Online Ordering, Toast Tables, Toast Payroll

 

Permissions needed:

  • Permissions vary by setting — see the Related Articles below for the permission required for each area.

 

What you'll accomplish: You'll prepare your Toast account for an extended seasonal closure by pausing online orders, reservations, payroll, and gift card sales, and optionally requesting a billing pause.

 

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Disable Online Ordering

If you don't disable online ordering, guests can still place orders through your Online Ordering page while you're closed.

 

  1. In Toast Web, navigate to Takeout & delivery > Toast online ordering.
  2. Select the Ordering On dropdown, then select Off.
  3. Select Save, then select Publish all changes.

 

Expected outcome: Guests see your Online Ordering page as closed, and no new online orders come in until you turn ordering back on.

 

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Block Reservation Dates in Toast Tables

If you use Toast Tables, block your closure dates so guests can't book a reservation while you're closed.

 

  1. In Toast Web, navigate to Waitlist & Reservations to open your Toast Tables™ settings.
  2. Set up a table block covering your closure dates. You can block single tables, or group multiple tables into one block, and add a name and description.

 

Expected outcome: Guests can't book in-house or online reservations, or join the online waitlist, for the blocked dates. For full steps, see Toast Tables: Setting Special Dates and Blocking Reservations.

 

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Disable Auto Payroll

If you use Toast Payroll and won't be running payroll during your closure, disable Auto Payroll so it doesn't try to run automatically while you're closed.

 

  1. In Toast Payroll, navigate to Payroll > Pay group settings.
  2. Disable Auto Payroll for each pay group listed.

 

Note: This disables Auto Payroll until you enable it again. If you only need to skip a single upcoming payroll instead of disabling it for the whole closure, select Cancel Auto Payroll for that pay group from the Payroll page instead.

 

Expected outcome: Auto Payroll no longer runs automatically for the pay groups you disabled. For full steps, see Toast Payroll: Auto Payroll.

 

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Manage Gift Card Sales

How you handle gift cards while closed depends on whether you want to stop selling them entirely or only pause online sales.

 

If you want to disable all gift card sales, both physical and online:

  1. In Toast Web, navigate to Finance > Payments > Gift cards > Gift card setup.
  2. Verify that the Enable Gift Cards setting is set to No. If it is not, change it to No to disable gift cards.

 

If you want to disable only online eGift card sales while keeping physical gift cards available in-store, this isn't a self-service setting today. Contact Toast Customer Care to confirm the correct configuration for your account.

 

Expected outcome: Depending on the option you choose, guests either can't buy or use any gift cards, or can no longer buy eGift cards online while in-store gift cards still work.

 

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Prepare Your Hardware for Storage

  • Fully charge all handhelds before powering them down and putting them away.
  • Store devices somewhere temperature-controlled, if possible, to protect the battery and hardware.

 

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Request a Seasonal Pause on Billing

A seasonal pause doesn't stop billing during the pause period — you'll continue to be billed normally, and you'll receive a credit for that period once your pause ends. The pause runs for the duration you set when you request it and ends automatically on that date.

 

If you're closing for an extended period, you can request a seasonal pause on your account for up to six months.

 

To request a pause, call Toast Customer Care. A Payments representative will confirm your eligibility and get your request started.

 

Expected outcome: Your account is scheduled for a seasonal pause, and you'll receive a credit for the pause period once it ends.

 

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