Oracle Config - Oracle Simphony Terminology and Menu Structure
- Marrara, Jean
Analytics
Menu Items
A menu item is the foundation of transactions. Anything ordered is a menu item. In restaurants, food and drinks are menu items. In retail stores, shirts and hats are also considered menu items. Therefore, any item being sold is a menu item.
In Simphony a Menu Item is composed of hierarchical record types, starting from the Menu Item Master and then the Menu Item Definition.
Oracle recommends configuring menu items in the following order:
Simphony simplified Menu Structure View
Menu Item Master
A menu item master defines the “thing” which is being sold. The menu item master is unique across the enterprise, and often is mapped to an inventory system (for example, medium soda vs. large soda). The menu item master object number is also unique across the enterprise.
A Menu Item Master record is configured at the Brand (Enterprise level/Brand) level and is inherited by all countries and Franchisees properties. This record resides at the top of the menu item hierarchy, and its primary purpose is to appear in reports. A menu item master:
Does not appear on workstation touchscreens
Does not have a price
A menu item master record contains the following data:
Name (one column per language configured within the system)
Major Group
Family Group
Master Group
Report Group
Options
Do not allow edit by workstation function Edit Menu Item
Non Revenue
Core
Disabled
Menu Item Definition
A menu item definition record is defined at the Brand (Enterprise level/Brand) level and is inherited by all countries and Franchisees properties. Menu item definitions determine how menu item master records act, how and when they appear to a workstation operator, including:
Screen look up (SLU) on which the menu item appears
Menu item class to which it belongs
Menu levels where the item is active
Name of the item that appears on touchscreens
Menu item definitions are the records that customers can order. Menu item definitions appear on touchscreens and print on order chits, guest checks, and customer receipts. A menu item can have up to 64 menu item definitions in a revenue center for a single menu item master.
When customers order menu items (configured as menu item definitions), the sale count of the menu item master increases. This is the purpose of the menu item master record. Only one instance of the item needs to exist, but multiple menu item definitions allow this master record to behave differently.
Menu Item Class
A menu item class consists of a set of options that apply to similar menu items in a revenue center. A menu item class specifies important information, including:
The tax class associated with the menu items
The two types of menu items: Regular and Condiments
The functionality of menu levels after ordering an item
The order devices to which the items print
You can configure similar menu items into a class rather than individually setting each menu item’s order device output or condiment settings. For example, the menu items Cola, Diet Cola, and Root Beer all share the following characteristics:
Receive the same tax rates
Do not require condiments
Output to the same order device
Therefore, you can create one menu item class called Soda and make all soda menu items a part of this class.
Menu Item Price
A menu item price is the amount charged for the sale of a menu item. In Simphony, menu item prices are configured per menu item definition. Typically a menu item definition is set with one price. You can set a definition with multiple prices (for example, separate prices for a small, medium, and large soda), or no price (common for condiments).
When multiple prices are active for a menu item definition, the workstation searches the prices assigned to the definition starting with price sequence number 1, then price sequence number 2, and so on. The workstation adds the first price that meets the active level to the check. For example, based on the configuration described in the following table, the item price is $8.00 when ordered on menu level 7, and $4.00 when ordered at any other level. The workstation’s logic is:
The current level of the transaction is level 5.
Price number 1 for the item is active on level 7. Continue to the next price.
Price number 2 for the item is active on level 0. This represents any level. The item is $4.00.
Correct Menu Prices and Levels
Price Sequence Number | Price | Level |
|---|---|---|
1 | 8.00 | 7 - Double |
2 | 4.00 | 0 - All Levels |
When configuring multiple prices, you must always configure the 0 - All Levels price level as the last price sequence number for the definition. For example, in the following table, the configurations in the previous table are reversed.
Incorrect Menu Prices and Levels
Price Sequence Number | Price | Level |
|---|---|---|
1 | 4.00 | 0 - All Levels |
2 | 8.00 | 7 - Double |
The workstation’s logic is:
The current level of the transaction is level 7.
Price number 1 for the item is active on level 0; this includes all levels. The item is $4.00.
The item price $8.00 never becomes active because the 0 - All Levels price level is set as the first price sequence for the definition.
Correct Menu Prices and Levels
Price Sequence Number | Price | Level |
|---|---|---|
1 | 8.00 | 7 - Double |
2 | 4.00 | 0 - All Levels |
When configuring multiple prices, you must always configure the 0 - All Levels price level as the last price sequence number for the definition. For example, in the following table, the configurations in the previous table are reversed.
Incorrect Menu Prices and Levels
Price Sequence Number | Price | Level |
|---|---|---|
1 | 4.00 | 0 - All Levels |
2 | 8.00 | 7 - Double |
The workstation’s logic is:
The current level of the transaction is level 7.
Price number 1 for the item is active on level 0; this includes all levels. The item is $4.00.
The item price $8.00 never becomes active because the 0 - All Levels price level is set as the first price sequence for the definition.
Condiments
Condiments are a type of menu item that describes the preparation of another menu item. Condiment menu items can include traditional condiments placed on food such as ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise. They may also include ingredients found in a menu item which a guest may add or exclude from their order, such as onions or tomatoes. Condiments can also represent preparation instructions about how an item is prepared such as meat temperature for a steak (rare, medium, or well), egg preparation (scrambled, sunny side up, or over easy), and special requests like sauce on the side.
Condiments are added to other menu items; they cannot be added on their own. The item a condiment is added to is the parent item, while the condiment is a child item.
Condiment Groups
Condiments are organized into condiment groups, which describe a collection of condiments. An example of a condiment group is salad dressing. An example of members of the salad dressing condiment group are blue cheese, ranch, and Italian. The condiment group name is used in the POS client and in Transaction Services to guide operators and guests through the ordering process.
Condiment Configuration
Menu item (class) configuration determines which condiment groups can be used with which menu items. A condiment may belong to more than one condiment group. For example, cheddar cheese may be part of the cheese condiment group and it may also be part of the omelet filling condiment group.
Types of Condiments
Priced Condiments
Priced condiments are condiments with prices associated with them, and add to the transaction total. For example, adding avocado or bacon to a sandwich might increase the amount due of the order.
Non-Priced Condiments
Non-priced condiments have no prices or a zero price associated with them. There is no charge when these condiments are added to an order. An example of non-priced condiments is the meat temperature instructions rare, medium or well. Condiments such as ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise are other examples of typical non-priced condiments.
Required Condiments
A selection of a required condiment is mandatory before the menu item is considered complete. Meat temperature in a steak restaurant is often a required condiment because the kitchen must know how the guest wants their steak prepared.
Allowed Condiments
Allowed condiments may be ordered with a menu item, but are not required. Allowed condiments are requests from the guest for a special preparation, addition or removal of an ingredient. A guest may want the sauce for their entrée on the side, may request no tomatoes, or their curry to be mild.
Forced Condiments
Forced condiments are required condiments to which a minimum and maximum number of condiments from the group must be chosen. For example, a banana split requires at least one ice cream flavor, but not more than three.
Default Condiments
Default condiments are condiments which come with a menu item by default. For example, a hamburger might come with lettuce, tomato, and onion. Because the restaurant staff knows what the hamburger comes with, default condiments are usually set to remain hidden when in their default state. Default condiments cannot be voided. Instead, operators interact with default condiments using condiment prefixes such as Add, No, Extra, or Sub (substitute) to indicate the guest’s request (for example, No Onion). Default condiments are typically used in quick service restaurants.
Condiment Prefixes
Prefixes change the state of a condiment. Condiment Prefixes allows operators to interact with both default and non-default condiments. There are seven condiment prefix types:
Description: Used to create your own prefixes that describe other condiments. For example, Lite or Extra can be used to describe the amount of sauce or dressing on a menu item.
No: Modifies default condiments, overriding a hidden attribute if it exists. For example, all hamburgers come with onions as onions are a default condiment for hamburgers. When the condiment prefix type No is selected followed by onions, onions are no longer hidden and appear as “No onions” on the order.
Add: Adds a non-default condiment to the menu item. For example, hamburgers may have default condiments of lettuce, tomato, and onion. Selecting pickles appears as “add pickles” to call attention that it is not normally part of a hamburgers. Using add with a default condiment also increases the quantity of the item. For example, using add with a default condiment of tomato changes the condiment to “2 tomato”.
Sub: Substitutes and shows a non-default condiment to indicate it’s replacing a default condiment.
Plain: Removes all condiments except default condiments set to persist on plain. For example, applying Plain to a hamburgers removes the lettuce, tomato, and onion, but the hamburgers patty remains if it was set to persist.
Reset: Resets a menu item with condiments to its default state with no modifications other than the default condiments.
Clear: Removes all quantities of a chosen condiment, and then switches the default condiment to No <condiment>.
Combo Meals
A combo meal consists of two or more menu items grouped together in combo meal groups and sold to the customer for a single price. Quick service restaurants typically sell combo meals to increase business by packaging the most frequently requested menu combinations (for example, hamburger, fries, and a drink) and offering them for a lower price than à la carte items.
Combo Meal Groups
A combo meal group allows you to configure the menu items within a group so that the POS client knows which items to combine. Two typical combo meal groups are combo sides and combo drinks. For example, you can configure a meal named Combo 1 with a primary menu item called Combo Sandwiches and additional Combo Groups (such as Combo Drinks and Combo Side Items).