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Mapping Menu Items from MealSuite Core to the POS/Portal App (via a Food & Beverages Grid)

Kevin U
  • Updated

About Mapping Menu Items from MealSuite Core to POS/Portal App

The means to map menu items from the MealSuite core system to the POS and the Portal app is via a food and beverages grid that you build and maintain in the Touch Admin software.

Once a food and beverages grid is built in Touch Admin, the grid displays on the POS. The first screenshot below shows the menu categories in the grid for the lunch meal service. When a menu category is tapped, the items in that category (second screenshot below) are shown for the operator to tap to add to the diner's order.

food_beverages_grid.png

grid_Items_entree.png

In addition, the categories on the grid will be available on the Portal app.

portal_app_categories.png

Building the Food and Beverages Grid to Map Menu Items

During the whole POS configuration process, it is recommended to leave grid configuration until the end. Fluctuations and changes will occur with the menus during the POS configuration process, and therefore there is no need to build the grid until the menu offerings are finalized.

When you first start to build your grid, it is recommended to use the MealSuite core system menu as a guide to see the order of categories, and follow that order when creating your tiles. For example, assume the standard menu for lunch in MealSuite displays the categories in the following order: Entrée, Bread, Vegetable, Beverage, etc. Therefore your first tile in the food and beverages grid will be Entrée, the second tile will be Bread, the third tile will be Vegetable, the fourth tile will be Beverage, etc.

POS_Grid_mapping.png

To build a food and beverages grid to map menu items, complete the following steps:

  1. In Touch Admin, select POS Settings > Grids. The Grids screen appears. 

    grids_empty.png

  2. To create a new grid, click the Add a Grid button at the top right of the screen. The Add POS Grid pop-up appears.

    add_POS_grid.png

  3. Enter or select the following:
    • Name - provide a name for the grid that identifies its location (e.g., “Restaurant”, “Bistro”).
    • Grid type - select Food & Beverages.
    • POS Location - select the POS location the grid will be used at.
  4. Click the Add POS Grid button. You are returned to the main screen where the newly-added grid is listed.
  5. Click the grid name link. The Grids screen appears.

    empty_food_beverages_grid.png

  6. A separate grid needs to be built for each meal service: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Click the meal service tab (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) for the meal service you want to build a grid for. You will see that a grid has 16 available tiles for you to build on.
  7. Continue with Creating a Menu Category Tile below. 

Creating a Category Tile on a Food and Beverages Grid

When a category tile is created on a food and beverages grid, it will automatically port over its the items assigned to that category.

To create a category tile, complete the following steps:

  1. With the grid for the meal service (breakfast, lunch, dinner) open (as per above steps), click the Add button of the first tile (first screenshot below). The Add New Tile pop-up appears (second screenshot below).

    first_tile.png

    add_new_tile_beverages.png

  2. Click Category at the top of the pop-up.

    category_tab.png

  3. From the drop-down, select the category to be assigned to the tile (note that only categories associated with the meal service of the grid are available).

  4. In the Include section, select the Standard menu check box, which will pull in items from the category tile's counterpart menu category in the standard menu scheduled in the MealSuite core system.

  5. To have the category tile pull items from its counterpart menu category in an also available menu scheduled in the core MealSuite system, select the Also available menu check box. 

  6. To have the category tile pull in products/services that were added to the POS and assigned to that category, select the Products check box. 

  7. On the POS, the tile name will be the category name. If you prefer another name, then enter it in the Category Name Override field.

  8. Click the Add New button. You are returned to the main page, where the newly-added tile appears. Note that the top of the tile is CATEGORY.

    category_tile.png

  9. Repeat the above steps to add other category tiles.

Using Subpages on a Food and Beverages Grid

The system allows a tile to be configured as a subpage, which in turn exposes another 16-tile grid. A subpage allows for another means to organize menu items and also is a solution to deal with situations in which the original 16-tile grid is going to max out.

An example of a subpage is “Beverages”, which contains a “Hot Beverages” category tile and a “Cold Beverages” category tile. Another example of a sub-tile is “Sauce/Condiments/Garnish”, which contains a “Sauce” category tile, “Condiment” category tile, and a “Garnish” category tile.

sub_page_exposed.png

(Right-click image to open and expand in a new tab)

Note: Subpage tiles do not transfer to the Portal app. However the categories within that tile will appear on the Portal app. 

To create a subpage, complete the following steps:

  1. Select POS Settings > Grids. The Grids screen appears.

    macro_grids_screen.png

  2. Click the grid name link of the Food and Beverages grid that requires a sub page. The screen specific to the food and beverages grid appears. 

    food_beverages_grid_admin.png

  3. A grid exists separately for each meal service (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and as such can be independently modified for a meal service. Click the meal service tab (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) of the food and beverages grid you want to modify. 

    food_beverages_grid_meal_periods.png

  4. Click the Add link for an empty tile (first screenshot below). The Add New Tile pop-up appears (second screenshot below). 

    add_new_tile_food_beverages.png

    add_new_tile_beverages.png

  5. Click Sub page at the top of the pop-out. The pop-out refreshes accordingly. 

    click_sub_page2.png

  6. In the Sub Page Name field, enter a name for the subpage tile.  
  7. Click Add New. The pop-up is closed and a grid of empty tiles appears in a slide-out panel for the newly-created subpage.

    sauce_condiments_garnish_.png
     
  8. Create the menu category tiles as needed. Instructions to do so are in the separate article above: Creating a Menu Category Tile
  9. You are returned to the main screen where the newly-added page appears. Note that the top of the tile is SUB_PAGE and the sub-page icon (subpage.png) exists for you to click to edit the tiles of the sub-page. 

    sub_page_tile.png

Adding an Image to a Menu Category Tile

A tile on a food and beverages grid can be branded with a system image for easier identification on the POS. Note that the images are available are system images and at this time there is no ability to use outside images or edit existing system images.

  1. Select POS Settings > Grids. The Grids screen appears.
  2. Click the grid name link of the grid you want to open.
  3. For the tile you want to add an image to click its image icon. The Add Image screen appears displaying a library of system images.

    image.png

  4. Select the desired image and click the Save button. You are returned to the main page where the tile displays its newly-added image.

Adding a Colour to a Menu Category Tile

A tile on a food and beverages grid can be branded with a colour for easier identification on the POS. 

  1. Select POS Settings > Grids. The Grids screen appears.
  2. Click the grid name link of the grid you want to open.
  3. For the tile you want to add a colour to, either click its edit icon or its paintbrush icon (first screenshot below). The Edit Tile pop-up appears (second screenshot below). 

    paint.png

    paint2.png

  4. Click the paintbrush icon (paint3.png). The pop-up refreshes with a row of available colours.

    paint4.png

  5. Click the colour you want to add to the tile.
  6. Click the Edit [name of tile] button. You are returned to the main page where the tile displays its newly-added colour.

Changing POS Location of a Food and Beverages Grid

The systems allows the flexibility for an existing food and beverages grid to be assigned to another POS location.

However, the system rule is that if a POS location is currently assigned a grid, then that POS location will not be exposed to another grid for assignment. Therefore, you first have to break the existing POS location/grid assignment to expose that POS location for a new grid assignment.

When you open an existing grid (via POS Settings > Grids), you can see its assigned POS location in the POS Location field at the top right of the screen (below the Update Meal Grid button). To break this assignment, just clear the field and then click the Update Meal Grid button. 

change_POS_location.png

With the grid assignment broken, the POS location is now available for a new grid assignment, which is done by selecting the new POS location from the POS Location field and clicking the Update Meal Grid button. 

How do I edit a tile in my Food & Beverages grid?

  1. In the Touch Admin software, select POS Settings > Grids. The Grids screen appears.
  2. Click the grid name of the grid you want to open.
  3. Select the meal service (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) you want to open.
  4. For the category tile you want to edit, click its Edit icon. 

    edit_category_tile.png
     
  5. Make your changes, and then click the Edit [name of tile] button.

How do I remove a tile from my Food & Beverages grid?

  1. In the Touch Admin software, select POS Settings > Grids. The Grids screen appears.
  2. Click the grid name of the grid you want to open.
  3. Select the meal service (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) you want to open.
  4. For the category tile you want to remove, click its Delete icon and click OK to the confirmation message. 
    remove_category_tile.png

How do I sort the tiles in my Food & Beverages grid?

  1. In the Touch Admin software, select POS Settings > Grids. The Grids screen appears.
  2. Click the grid name of the grid you want to open.
  3. Select the meal service (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) you want to open.
  4. You can move a tile to an area in the grid by clicking and holding its = icon, moving the For the category tile you want to edit, click its Edit icon. 
    move_tile.png
     
  5. Click the Update Meal Grid button to apply your changes.

Note: At this time, the sort order of menu category tiles on a Food & Beverages grid does not reflect on the Portal app. Therefore, at this time, the sort order of categories in the Portal app is determined by the system and cannot be changed. 

How do I prevent items from my Also Available menu from appearing in the POS/Portal app? How do I remove Also Available menu items from the POS/Portal?

Each category tile in your Food & Beverages grid pulls in menu items from its counterpart category in your scheduled Also Available menu. 

also_available_in_grid.png

To stop a category tile from pulling in menu items from the Also Available menu, complete the following steps: 

  1. In the Touch Admin software, select POS Settings > Grids. The Grids screen appears.
  2. Click the grid name of the grid you want to open.
  3. Select the meal service (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) you want to open.
  4. For the category that is pulling in Also Available menu items, click its edit icon to open the tile.
  5. Clear the Also Available menu check box. 

    clear_also_available_check_box.png
     
  6. Click the Edit [name of tile] button to apply your changes.
  7. Repeat steps 3 to 7 for other category tiles. 

Does a subpage tile get reflected on the Portal app?

No. A subpage tile does not transfer over to the Portal app. However, the categories in that subpage tile will appear on the Portal app.