Discounts and Promotions: Stack Promos Without Stacking Losses

Promotions fill seats on a slow Tuesday — until two stackable coupons, a happy-hour price, and a loyalty reward combine into a check sold below cost. Stack promos without stacking losses: every discount should know its rules before it ever touches a check.

Design promos with guardrails, not good intentions

• Scope every promotion by time window, item or category, and location so a happy-hour price never leaks into Saturday dinner service.
• Set stacking rules up front — which discounts combine, which override, and the maximum total discount per check — so cashiers never have to do margin math at the register.
• Require approval or a permission tier for manual discounts above a threshold so the big comp stays a manager decision, not a shortcut.

Run the classics without the chaos

• Schedule happy hours and daypart pricing to shift automatically so staff never toggle prices by hand during a rush.
• Issue promo codes with redemption limits and per-check caps so a viral coupon drives trial instead of draining a weekend.
• Tie BOGO and bundle deals to specific items so the free side is the one with margin to spare, not the premium pour.

Reconcile every dollar you gave away

1. Report discounts by type, employee, and promotion so you can see which campaign drove traffic and which one just discounted regulars.
2. Tie each discounted check back to its original totals at close so promo dollars reconcile against tendered revenue with nothing unexplained.
3. Review promotion performance against margin weekly and retire or retune anything that moves volume without moving profit.

Use Swagger UI or OpenAPI for the current discount, promotion-schedule, and redemption-limit shapes.