Setting Up Item Modifiers

Set up item modifiers to make it easy for employees to select options and extras when selling an item at the POS. Sometimes a modifier is a special request (such as “add pickles”), and other times it is a change to the listed menu item (such as “no mayo”). This feature also allows restaurants to charge for additional ingredients that may be added to an item, such as $1 for bacon.  Item modifiers can be set up once and reused across multiple items.  This differs from variations (such as size and color), which are set for each individual item under item setup.

Item modifiers are used at the POS to give instructions to kitchen or prep station staff about how items should be prepared. For example, item modifiers for a sandwich could include condiments or other toppings, such as lettuce, pickles, cheese, and bacon.

Item modifiers are grouped into modifier groups for quick navigation on the POS. So, in our example, our modifier group could be Sandwich Toppings, and the item modifiers would be the toppings that could go on a sandwich.

You can set an item modifier to have a $0.00 price or with an actual dollar amount.   For example, you would probably set the price for lettuce to be $0.00, but you might set the price for bacon to be $1.00.  Any price for an item modifier will be added as an upcharge  to the base item's price.

Once you create your modifier groups and item modifiers, these will be available on the POS.  All modifier groups and modifier items can be available for all items—they do not have to be tied to a specific item.  For example, you could use a modifier group of Sandwich Toppings for turkey burgers, beef burgers, turkey sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, etc.  So, just create them once and use them for any item.  You can limit the modifier groups that are available with items.   For example, let's say you have a cafe, but you also sell t-shirts with your logo on them.  The modifier groups you might set up for your sandwiches, such as bread, cheese, etc, wouldn't make much sense when associated with t-shirts.  You could then choose to not have any modifier groups tied to your t-shirt item.

Create a Modifier Group

1. Select INVENTORY > MODIFIERS.

2. Click the ADD A MODIFIER GROUP button.

3. Enter a Modifier Group Name.

4. Click Save Changes.

Create and/or Edit a Modifier Item

1. Select INVENTORY > MODIFIERS.

2. Click the CREATE A MODIFIER button.

3. Select the Modifier Group.

4. Enter the Modifier Name.

5. Enter a price (or leave the default $0.00 price).

6. Uncheck the Display on POS? checkbox if you do not want this modifier item available on the POS.

7. Click Save Changes.

Modifiers & Kitchen Printers

• If you do not have any modifiers set up in the Back Office, but you do have a kitchen printer, you can only add kitchen notes.

• If you have set up modifiers and a kitchen printer, you can use the kitchen notes and modifiers.

• If you have modifiers set up, but you do not have a kitchen printer, the modifiers will only print on the customer's receipt (but the kitchen notes will not print).

• If the kitchen printer is offline for any reason, the POS will show an alert and a popup to let you know there is an issue. Any tickets sent to the kitchen printer will be added to a storage queue for approximately 10 minutes. Once the kitchen printer is back online, the tickets will begin printing. If it takes longer than 10 minutes to get the kitchen printer back online, you can recall and re-send those tickets manually to a printer of your choice. If you are unable to get the kitchen printer back online, you can edit your receipt printer's settings and designate it as a receipt and kitchen printer. You would need to take the printed receipts to the kitchen.

• For restaurant establishments, you can capitalize on the combination of kitchen printing and holding tickets to essentially work like a "tab".  Although you will not capture any payments, you can add the customer, place a drink order, place the order on hold, which will send the drinks to the kitchen printer. Later, you can recall the ticket and add an appetizer, put the ticket on hold, which will print the appetizer only to the kitchen printer.

• The system will only send an item to a kitchen printer  one time -- when you hold the ticket or during checkout.
  
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