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

Kevin U
  • Updated

About Mapping Menu Items to the POS/Portal App

The means to map menu items to the POS and the Portal app is via a food and beverages grid that you build and maintain in your Core account. 

Once a food and beverages grid is built in your Core account, 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 your Standard 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 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 your Core account, from the left navigation sidebar, select Point of Sale > Grids. The Grids listing screen appears. 

    grids_screen.png
     
  2. To create a new grid, click the Add a Grid button. The Add a Grid pop-up appears. 

    add_a_grid.png
     
  3. Enter or select the following:
    • Name - provide a name for the grid that identifies its location (e.g., “Dining Area”, “Bistro”).
    • Grid type - select Food & Beverages.
    • Revenue Centers - select the revenue center (i.e., POS location) the grid will be used at. Note that system rule is that if a revenue center is currently assigned a grid, then that revenue center is not exposed to another grid for assignment. 
       
  4. Click the Add Grid button. You are returned to the main screen where the newly-added grid is listed.
     
  5. Click the grid name link to open the Grid Settings screen. 

    grid_settings.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.

    select_meal_period_tab.png
     
  7. Continue with Creating a Menu Category Tile on a Food and Beverages Grid 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 slide-out panel appears (second screenshot below).

    add_first_tile.png

    add_new_tile.png
     
  2. Ensure the Category option is selected.

    category_option.png
     
  3. From the Category Name drop-down, select the category to be assigned to the tile. Note that only categories associated with the meal period (breakfast, lunch, dinner) are available for selection. 
     
  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 scheduled Standard menu.
     
  5. To have the category tile pull items from its counterpart menu category in an Also Available menu scheduled in your account, 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 the category, select the Product 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. A tile on a food and beverages grid can be branded with a colour for easier identification on the POS. To assign a colour to the tile, select the desired colour form the Color Customization section. 
     
  9. 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. To assign an image to the tile:
     
    1. From the Tile Image section, click Select Image. The Select Image screen appears displaying a library of system images.

      select_image.png
       
    2. Select the desired image and click the Confirm button to add the image to the tile. 
       
  10. With the tile now created, click the Add Tile button. The newly-added tile appears on the grid. Note that the top of the tile states Category.

    category_tile.png
     
  11. 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

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. In your Core account, from the left navigation sidebar, select Point of Sale > Grids. The Grids listing screen appears. 
     
  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. 
     
  3. A grid exists separately for each meal period (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and as such can be independently modified for a meal period. Click the meal period tab (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) of the food and beverages grid you want to modify. 

    food_beverages_grid_meal_periods.png
     
  4. For a currently-empty tile, click its Add link.  for an empty tile (first screenshot below). The Add New Tile slide-out panel appears (second screenshot below).

    tile_add_sub_page.png

    add_new_tile.png
     
  5. Select the Sub page option. The slide-out panel refreshes accordingly. 

    sub_page_option.png
     
  6. In the Sub Page Name field, enter a name for the subpage tile (e.g., "Beverages"). 
     
  7. A subpage tile on a food and beverages grid can be branded with a colour for easier identification on the POS. To assign a colour to the subpage tile, select the desired colour form the Color Customization section. 
     
  8. A subpage 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. To assign an image to the subpage tile:
     
    1. From the Tile Image section, click Select Image. The Select Image screen appears displaying a library of system images.

      select_image.png
       
    2. Select the desired image and click the Confirm button to add the image to the subpage tile. 
       
  9. Click Add Tile. A window of empty tiles appears.

    sub_page_window.png
     
  10. Create the category tiles for the subpage. Rather than repeat the instructions here, the same instructions are listed above; see Creating a Category Tile on a Food and Beverages Grid.
     
  11. Upon adding the category tiles to the subpage, close the window. The newly-added subpage tile is displayed in the grid. To change its location in the grid, see How do I sort the tiles in my Food & Beverages grid?

    sub_page_tile_in_grid.png

Removing a Meal Period (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) from a POS Grid

There is no specific setting that will remove a meal period (breakfast, lunch, dinner) from a POS grid. However, it can be accomplished via the following steps:

  1. In your Core account, access the dining area (or residence area enabled as a dining area), and clear the check box of the meal period (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner), you do not want to be displayed on the grid. The example screenshot below shows breakfast check box being cleared. 

    dining_room_no_breakfast.png
     
  2. The next step is to enter a premature end time for the meal period you want to skip. The end time for a meal period determines when that meal period ends and the next meal period begins on the POS. For example, if you want to remove breakfast from the POS, you can enter a premature end time of 12:15 AM. Therefore, when 12:15 AM occurs, the POS will show Lunch as the meal service. 

    end_time_1215.png

    Setting an end time for a meal period is accomplished in the Touch Admin software. See the following article for instructions: Entering End Times for Meal Periods (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) at a POS Location.
     
  3. The final step is to remove all menu category tiles from the POS grid. See below for instructions on removing category tiles. 

Copying a Grid

To copy a grid, complete the following steps:

  1. In your Core account, from the left navigation sidebar, select Point of Sale > Grids. The Grids listing screen appears. 
  2. For the grid you want to copy, select its gear icon in the Actions column and select Copy. A confirmation message appears. 
  3. Click Copy to the confirmation message. The grid is copied with the "Copy of" text prefaced to the existing name. 

With the newly-copied grid, you can now rename it and assign it to the appropriate revenue center. To do so:

  1. For the newly-copied grid, click its gear icon in the Actions column and select Edit. The Edit Grid Settings pop-up appears. 

    edit_grid_settings.png
     
  2. In the Name field, enter the name of the grid.
  3. In the Revenue Centers drop-down, select the revenue center (i.e., POS location) the grid will be used at. Note that if a revenue center is currently assigned a grid, then that revenue center is not exposed to another grid for assignment. 

Deleting a Grid

To delete a grid, complete the following steps:

  1. In your Core account, from the left navigation sidebar, select Point of Sale > Grids. The Grids listing screen appears. 
  2. For the grid you want to copy, select its gear icon in the Actions column and select Delete. A confirmation message appears. 
  3. Click Delete to the confirmation message. The grid is deleted. 

FAQs

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

  1. In your Core account, from the left navigation sidebar, select Point of Sale > Grids. The Grids listing screen appears. 
  2. Click the grid name of the grid you want to open. 
  3. Select the meal period (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) you want to open.
  4. For the category tile you want to edit, click its Edit icon. 
    edit_tile.png
     
  5. Make your changes, and then click the Update Tile button.

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

  1. In your Core account, from the left navigation sidebar, select Point of Sale > Grids. The Grids listing screen appears. 
  2. Click the grid name of the grid you want to open. 
  3. Select the meal period (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) you want to open.
  4. For the category tile you want to remove, click its Delete icon and, then click Delete to the confirmation message that appears. 
    delete_tile.png

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

  1. In your Core account, from the left navigation sidebar, select Point of Sale > Grids. The Grids listing screen appears. 
  2. Click the grid name of the grid you want to open. 
  3. Select the meal period (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) you want to open.
  4. You can move a tile to its desired spot in the grid by clicking and holding its = icon, and then moving it to the desired spot. The system will automatically push aside any existing tile. 

    moving_tiles.png

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 (AA) menu from appearing in the POS/Portal app? How do I remove AA menu items from the POS/Portal?

If AA menu items are appearing in the POS/Portal app, it indicates that category tiles in your Food & Beverages grid are pulling in AA menu items from their counterpart categories in the scheduled AA menu. To stop a category tile from pulling in menu items from the AA menu, complete the following steps: 

  1. Open the category tile that is pulling in Also Available menu items. 
  2. Clear the Also Available menu check box. 

    clear_AA.png
     
  3. Click the Update Tile button to apply your changes.
  4. Repeat above steps for other category tiles that are not to pull in AA menu items. 

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.