This article will explain:
- How to create new Menu Items
- How to edit existing menu items
- How to upgrade changes on WaiterMate
Video Tutorial: Watch Our Video Tutorial - Here
What are Menu Items?
Menu Items are created or edited in OfficeMate and later downloaded to WaiterMate. Creating a new menu item relies on other features to be previously configured so that in the items screen, they can be chosen or attached to the items. Some columns are mandatory and others are only used if required, such as a plus group. Additional guides explain the features that will enhance menu items by including additional features or functions that can be used to guide the user through the ordering process or to improve the functionality of the menu.
Step 1 - Adding a new Item
1. Navigate to the ‘Items’ screen in the navigation panel.
2. Select from the fields shown below and select from the desired drop-down menu to refine the information on this screen.
3. To create a new item select the ‘New’ icon from the toolbar at the top of the screen.
Step 3 - Editing a New or Existing Menu Item
1. The new item will be listed as ‘No Label’ as shown below.
2. Select in each of the fields shown to edit them.
| FEATURE | DESCRIPTION OR DETAILS |
|---|---|
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Menu Section Type: Drop Down |
We use menu sections and sub menu sections to organise menu items into a logical order.
This is the name of the section that this item will be displayed in.
Some of our printing options will also use the sequence of the menu section, so for example if there were items ordered from the entree section and items from the main section in the same order, then it would print the entrees before the mains on the prep docket if that section had a lower sequence number.
We can also run reports and contests based on menu section.
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|
Name Type: Text Box |
The name field is the label that is displayed on the button in the ordering screen.
This name will also be printed on receipts and prep dockets.
There is no character limit, however it is best to keep this as a short and clear as possible and avoid describing the whole dish in this field.
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Short Name Type: Text Box |
An alternate name can be printed on the prep docket so that the Kitchen or Bar staff can see an abbreviated version of the item name. This would not print on the tax invoice.
If left blank, then the Name would print on the prep docket.
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| Description | *Legacy Feature |
|
Minuses Type: Pop up |
Anything that can be removed from a dish by the customer, should be listed individually for the item. Minuses are item specific and are not configured in groups.
If the item has stock items linked to it, then these stock items can be marked as 'Removable' and they would become minus's. This would mean that if a customer removed a stock item, then it would not decrement with the rest of the ingredients for the dish.
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Ingredients Type: Pop up |
Ingredients is a feature that we use to build recipes by linking Menu Items to Stock Items. When we sell a Menu Item in WaiterMate, we will decrement the correct amount of stock, from the correct Stock Item based on this configuration.
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Category Type: Drop Down |
Categories are used to add high level reporting functionality in OrderMate. All menu items are assigned to a category and once they are sold, we can use this feature to separate their sales into these reporting groups. When we create a new menu item, it needs to be assigned to a reporting category.
When we later sell these items we’ll group the sales on some of our reports by these categories.
We recommend minimising the amount of categories to a select few, as this will then provide visibility at high level, such as a split of your food and beverage sales.
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|
Printer Groups Type: Drop Down |
Printer groups are the first step in determining where items print. Items are assigned to printer groups when creating an item. Printer Groups are later assigned to a virtual printer (docket) - per account type - per terminal location. Menu Items are assigned to a printer group in the item set up page.
We can create unlimited printer groups.
We assign an item to only one printer group, but each printer group can print at multiple physical printers if required.
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|
Icon Type: Text Box |
Images can be added to buttons in WaiterMate to make identifying products easier for staff. This is often used in 'fast screens' in fast paced bars and restaurants. The image replaces the entire Image, including the font, so the image created should include the item name.
The images are saved to a directory on the server or terminal and the path is entered into this field.
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Foreground Colour Type: Pop up |
Foreground is the Font Colour in WaiterMate. The system will use a default colour for the font if none is selected, based on the colour theme selected in configure display in system admin in WaiterMate.
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Background Colour Type: Pop up |
Background is the Button Colour in WaiterMate. The system will automatically use the background colour for items that are not assigned a background colour, based on the colour theme selected in configure display in system admin in WaiterMate. |
|
Sequence Type: Text Box |
A sequence number can be given to each item to control the order of the display and/or printing of the items. If no sequence number is given to the items, then the items are shown in alphabetical order.
If more than one item has the same sequence number, then they will be sorted alphabetically within their number.
Sequence printing depends on the strategies selected in virtual printers.
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|
System State Type: Drop Down |
System State determines if items are Active or Inactive in WaiterMate. If an item is Inactive, it will be hidden in WaiterMate. If an item is inactive, it will still report if it has been sold for the reporting period.
It is recommended that items are made inactive if they rotate or will return to the menu, so that on reports, they retain the same ID and report as the same item.
If an item is deleted and then recreated with the same name, it will appear on reports as two seperate items (we use ID in the backend)
If an item is never going to be required on the menu again, we recommend it is deleted. It will always remain on reports.
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|
Price Type: Text Box |
The price should be the Sell price for each item including tax if applicable. If the item is configured as a tax free item, then the listed or sell price would exclude the tax (see tax codes field) |
|
Loyalty Add Type: Text Box |
A loyalty point earn/add value can be manually allocated to an item to enable customers to accumulate a pre-determined amount of points when they purchase the items. Manually adding loyalty points makes it possible to set varied ratios of points or to exclude certain items from either accumulating points, being able to redeem points or both.
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Loyalty Redeem Type: Text Box |
A loyalty point redeem value can be manually allocated to an item to enable customers to use a pre-determined amount of points from their points balance to purchase the items. This technically discounts the item, which can be seen on the discounts report by type
*See above for more information
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|
Tax Codes Type: Pop up |
The Tax Code for the item required to be collected when selling this item. Internationalisation will allow for alternate tax codes depending on the location. |
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Size Type: Drop Down |
Adding sizes to a menu item gives us the ability to edit items available in different sizes separately. It also means sizes can be printed on dockets or receipts and seen on reports. If the same item exists in multiple sizes, such as a glass and a bottle of the same wine or different size pizzas, then having different sizes helps the staff to know which size they need to prepare or charge the customer for when ordering it.
We could add different plus groups or options to different size menu items.
We can report by the size of the items sold
We can decrement different stock from each size.
Sizes print before the item on a prep docket, after the item on a receipt.
Sizes can have have short names, so that they can print differently on the prep docket ie. Lg Latte on a prep v's Caffe Latte (Large) on the receipt
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Portion Type: Drop Down |
The portions feature is used to enable users to be able to order items that are sold in fractions such as Half-Half, Quarters and Thirds, usually for pizza style venue's. Each portion is added as a separate line in menu items, and then matched by name to link them together (on first save).
When an item is ordered, the user can choose to change the portion to Half-Half or Quarters.
Technically we can add any portion to the database, it is assigned a multiplier value ie. 0.5 or 0.25 and each must add up until 1 unit has been ordered.
Any items in the same section of the same portion, would be available to order.
There are several pricing strategies such as;
There are several other pricing strategies that look at , what happens if a portion item is ordered in a combo, what happens if we add a plus to one half etc. All of this is configurable in OrderMate properties.
*see OrderMate properties tab/guide for more information
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Recipes Type: Text Box |
A text recipe can be added to the ingredient icon in the modifier screen in WaiterMate. This is often used for dietary information or instructions on how to make an item, such as a cocktail. Used in conjunction with Ingredient icons, minuses and stock ingredients (all listed in the same page) this can replace cocktail recipe cards in a venue.
It is also possible to use HTML in this field for more advanced users to add colour, bold, font etc.
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Ingredient Icon Type: Text Box |
Images can be added to the ingredients page in the modifier screen in WaiterMate. The images are saved to a directory on the server or terminal and the path is entered into this field.
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Plus Group Type: Drop Down |
A plus group is a way that the user can modify a menu item by choosing from a preset list of additions from the modifier screen. They can choose from a predefined list that would then print on the prep docket for that item or even add a price for the plus if needed.
Only one plus group is attached to an item. Usually plus groups are quite generic such as Food, or even breakfast.
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Default Pluses Type: Pop up |
Default pluses allow any number of pluses from the plus group to be automatically assigned to an item when it is ordered. This is usually done for printing purposes so that the staff see an item on the prep docket, and then the ingredients listed beneath it.
This is also sometimes done for linking stock ingredients to a menu item that can be removed or changed if required.
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Option Groups Type: Pop up |
An option group is a way that the user can make choices about a menu item from a preset list of options as they place orders from an automatic pop up group. They can choose from a predefined list that would automatically pop up once an item is ordered, it would then print on the prep docket or even add a price for the option if needed.
Having option groups attached to menu items can help the staff or the customers to be guided through the ordering process for dishes where choices need to be made, for example how someone might like their steak cooked.
Minimums and maximums can be set on option groups to force or even limit the amount of choices made.
Option groups tend to be a bit more item specific, like how the steak is cooked, or which egg types but they can be reused, like for coffee where the choices are the same for all coffee.
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Default Options Type: Pop up |
Default Options allow any number of options from the option group to be automatically assigned to an item when it is ordered. This is usually done for printing purposes so that the staff see an item on the prep docket, and then the ingredients listed beneath it.
This is also sometimes done for linking stock ingredients to a menu item that can be removed or changed if required.
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Barcodes Type: Check Box |
Barcodes can be added for items for venues that have a scanner attached to their terminals. Barcodes can be manually entered or scanned directly into WM.
For a new venue using barcodes, we would usually try to import the menu with barcodes to remove the need to manually upload then.
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Open Price Type: Check Box |
Open priced menu items can be created so that once a user orders the item, they can manually set the price. This feature is allowed for all users who have permission to order / save and they do not need to discount.
Smaller venues use this more than corporate venues where their staff have more flexibility.
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Auto Item Note Type: Check Box |
Once an item is ordered with auto item note enabled, a text box would pop up so that the staff can add a note to the prep docket. This is usually used for specials etc. On the tax invoice, the item would print as whatever the item name is. The note, would only print on the prep dockets. |
|
Inventory Weight Unit Type: Drop Down |
If an inventory weight unit is set to grams or kilograms, once the item is ordered, the user must select the weight of the product. The item would then be ordered using a fractional quantity and this would become the multiplier for the price. Scales integration work in a similar way, this feature emulates what the scales would do manually.
This is often a good solution for venue that have a small amount of weighed products and don't want to use the integrated scales.
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Num Patrons Type: Text Box |
Manually adding a Num Patrons to an item is one of the methods that allows venues to calculate the patrons. Covers/patrons is a function that works with the table terminal mode. They are used for reports such as $per head and total covers per shift. This following strategy determines how we enter the covers to the table.
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Duplicate (Icon at the top of the screen) |
Make a copy of the selected menu items which are added to the same menu section. The menu items will be identical to the original except the item name which has the word (duplicate) added to the end. |
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Copy to Clipboard (Icon at the top of the screen) |
Will copy the data to the clipboard so that it can be pasted into an external software ie. excel Some customers like to have the ability to review their menu on excel. Sometimes it is also to give it to a graphic designer to give them a copy of the menu to work with. |
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Edit Multiple (Icon at the top of the screen) |
Edit multiple gives customers the ability to select multiple items, and then select a range of fields to edit in bulk. This is used a lot in the initial set up of a menu ie. attach the same plus group to a whole section or colour all of the items at once. |
Step 7 - Downloading changes to WaiterMate
1. Once changes have been made and saved in OfficeMate they will require to be downloaded to WaiterMate.
2. From the toolbar at the top of the screen, select the ‘Save’ icon.
To manually download menu changes;
1. Log in to WaiterMate.
2. Choose ‘System Admin’ from the bottom right hand side of any screen.
3. Select the ‘System’ tab from the top of the screen.
4. Select ‘Download Menu’.
Alternatively;
Menu changes will automatically be downloaded to WaiterMate whenever a user logs out of the ordering screen.