MIM - Menu Information Manager (Overview)

This article provides information on the components of the Menu Information Manager in Polygon Central. This is where you will manage your menu for online ordering.

Summary

Menu Information Manager Components

Prerequisites

Would you like to use the Menu Information Manager?

Related Functionality

Related Articles


Summary

Menu Information Manager is used to create, configure and manage your items for online ordering.  There are seven (7) components to the Menu Information Manager and in this article, we provide an overview of each and how it interacts with the other components.

  • Items
  • Composite Items
  • Choice Sets
  • Tags
  • Submenus
  • Menus
  • Publish Menu


Menu Information Manager Components

Items

Items are the products included in your online menu for customers to purchase. 

Each Item starts when a PLU created in your Polygon POS Management database is tagged as a Customer  Ordering PLU.  The 'PLU ID' and 'PLU Name' of a Customer Ordering PLU along with the programmed price levels are shown as the base detail for a Menu Information Manager Item.  The Item also inherits all programmed price levels, PLU Class and Category details from the PLU.

In the Items section, you will set all the details about this product including:

    • determining the customer-facing name
    • adding the description to be displayed for the customer
    • assigning dietary and allergen tags
    • determining availability for ordering providers and|or sale types
    • energy values (kilojoules | calories)
    • adding choice sets
    • assigning images

    Composite Items

    A composite item is used whenever you want to present a number of sizes or varieties to the customer from a single item displayed on the menu. 

    For example, customers will select their coffee and then be presented with the size choice of small, regular or large.  Similarly, a customer might choose a sandwich roll, and then be presented with the filling choices of pulled pork, slow-cooked lamb or shredded chicken.

    Each of the sizes or varieties will be an individual Item and will be added to the composite item by selection from the Items list.

    In the Composite Items section, you will:

    • create or manage Composite Items
    • determine the customer-facing name
    • add the description to be displayed for the customer
    • determine the label for the variety choice
    • select the individual Items to be included and set the variety label for each
    • assign the default variety (this will be the pre-selected choice when your customer orders)
    • assign images

    Choice Sets

    A choice set is a group of options that are displayed for the customer allowing them to modify the item they have selected. 

    For example, choosing between regular, skim or almond milk for a coffee, adding extra cheese or removing anchovies on a pizza.

    Each modification option will be an individual Item and will be added to the choice set by selection from the Items list.

    Once a choice set is created and configured it can be re-used for multiple Items where applicable. 

    Creating and applying choice sets in this way means that future modifications need only be made in one place - the choice set.  For example, if you add oat milk to your existing coffee milk offering of full cream, skim, soy and almond it only needs to be added to the Coffee Milk choice set and not to every coffee Item.

    In the Choice Sets section, you will:

    • create or manage Choice Sets
    • select the individual Items to be included in the choice set 
    • override the $ amount to charge for a choice if desired
    • determine if a choice is required (and the minimum number required) or optional
    • determine the maximum number of selections
    • determine the number of selections that the customer can make before charges apply
    • determine if the same selection can be made more than once

    Tags

    Product tagging is a function within Menu Management allowing for the creation of tags that can then be assigned to menu items, and displayed to customers to advise of:

    • Allergens (gluten, nuts, milk, fish etc)
    • Dietary Requirements (gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan etc)
    • Custom Tags (perhaps to detail mild, medium, hot etc)

    Submenus

    Submenus are how similar items are grouped to be displayed in sections for your online ordering menu.

    Submenus are assigned one or more menus under Menu Configuration.

    In the Submenus section, you will:

    • create or manage submenus
    • determine the customer-facing name for this submenu
    • determine if this submenu is available to all POS locations or a subset of your POS locations.
    • select the individual Items to be included in the submenu

    If Brands are enabled within your business you can also

    • assign a submenu to a specific brand
    • nest other submenus on this submenu instead of including individual Items

    Menus

    Menus is where you will build the final menu that will be offered to customers.

    Submenus are added to the menu until all the product categories you want to be presented for ordering are included.

    Menus created here can then be included in the configuration settings as the menu applicable to specific sale types and ordering providers.

    In the Menus section, you will:

    • create or manage menus
    • determine if this menu is available to all POS locations or a subset of your POS locations.
    • select the individual submenus to be included in the menu

    Publish Menu

    Changes made to your items, choice sets, composite items, tags, submenus or menus will not take effect until you publish - for Polygon Online Ordering, or sync - for third-party web menu ordering providers (UberEats, DoorDash, Menulog etc) your changes.

    In the Publish Menu section, you can:

    • publish the menu for Polygon Online Ordering
    • sync the menu for WMO providers
    • view historical publish actions including any notes provided
    • view the change log that details which new | modified items, choice sets, submenus and menus were included in the menu publish
    • view the historical sync actions including any notes provided

     


    Prerequisites

    The Menu Information Manager is to be used in conjunction with Online Ordering (OLO) 3.

    Please ask your Redcat contact to ensure all relevant code as been deployed to Polygon Central.


    Would you like to use the Menu Information Manager?

    To see how you can utilise this functionality in your business, contact your account manager or get in touch with us:

    Australia 1300 4 REDCAT (1300 473 322), or 
    UK Toll Free 808 0808 189 3396.


    Related Functionality

    The Menu Information Manager creates the menu structure for use with Online Ordering (OLO) 3.0.  This article will give you more information.


    Related Articles

    Further information can be found in the following articles.


     

     

    Article Change Log

    Date Record of Changes Author

    June 2023

    First publication of this article.

    Susan B

    October 2023

    Updated to include links to OLO 3.0.

    Susan B