> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.eat-now.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Event Shifts

> Event shifts replace your normal schedule on specific dates — perfect for a special night or a whole season like Ramadan. Understand how they override recurring shifts before you use them.

An **Event shift** is a service tied to specific **dates** rather than to days of the week. Use it whenever a day (or a stretch of days) should run differently from your usual schedule — a New Year's Eve dinner, a themed night, or a whole **Ramadan** period.

<Warning>
  **This is the part everyone misses:** on any date that has an Event shift, **all your recurring shifts are hidden for that date**. The event *replaces* your normal day — it doesn't sit alongside it. Read [The override rule](#the-override-rule) before creating one.
</Warning>

## When to use an event

| Situation                                  | Why an event fits                                              |
| ------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| A one-off special night (NYE, Valentine's) | Different menu, hours, deposit, or capacity for that date only |
| A special period (Ramadan, festive season) | A different schedule across a **date range**                   |
| A private buy-out or gala                  | Replace the normal day with a single bookable event            |

For a **temporary closure** (you're just shutting, not changing the service), use a [Block](/shifts/block-reservations) instead — not an event.

## How an event is scheduled

1. Set **Shift type** to **Event**
2. Pick a **start date** (and an **end date** for a multi-day event like Ramadan)

An event applies on every date in that range, **regardless of the day of week**. Recurring shifts, by contrast, run on the days of the week you select.

## The override rule

This is the key concept:

> If a date has **at least one** Event shift, only Event shifts are bookable that day. Every recurring shift is hidden for that date.

So an event doesn't change *one* service on a day — it takes over the **whole day**. This is exactly what you want for a full special night, but it has an important consequence below.

<Note>
  Existing reservations are never lost. The override only changes what's **available to book** on that date.
</Note>

## Changing just one service for one day

Say you run **Lunch** and **Dinner** every day, and you want a special **Dinner** for one night — but lunch should stay exactly as normal.

Because the event hides **all** recurring shifts that day, creating only a special dinner event would make **lunch disappear** for that date. To keep lunch (and anything else) running, you recreate the whole day as events:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Duplicate the services you want to keep unchanged">
    Duplicate your normal **Lunch** shift, set its type to **Event** on the target date, and leave its settings as they are. Repeat for any other service that should run that day.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Duplicate and edit the service you want to change">
    Duplicate your **Dinner** shift, set it to **Event** on the same date, and make your changes (new menu, deposit, hours…).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the day">
    That date now shows a full day of events — lunch as usual, dinner with your changes — and your recurring schedule resumes automatically the next day.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Use the **Duplicate** action on a shift so you don't re-enter every setting. The rule of thumb: **whatever you want bookable on an event day must exist as an event for that day.**
</Tip>

## FAQ

**Do I need to delete my recurring shifts for the special date?**

No. Leave them as they are — they're automatically hidden on dates that have an event, and they come back by themselves afterwards.

**My lunch disappeared on the day of my special dinner — why?**

Because the dinner event overrode the whole day. Recreate lunch as an event for that date too (see the steps above) so it shows again.

**What's the difference between an event and a block?**

An **event** *replaces* the day with a different service. A [block](/shifts/block-reservations) *closes* part or all of a day without changing the service. Use an event to run something different; use a block to simply stop bookings.

**Can I have more than one event on the same date?**

Yes. Add as many events as the day needs (e.g. a lunch event and a dinner event) — together they make up that day's bookable services.