User:Timneu22/test

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This page in a nutshell: This article discusses condiment programming scenarios and various condiment functionality. If you are looking for a step-by-step guide to adding a condiment group (steps "in a nutshell"), visit the How to Program Condiment Groups page.

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Merriam-Webster says that the term “condiment” is from Latin condimentum: to season; it means something used to enhance the flavor of food. We know condiments as items that are external to the actual item: A packet of ketchup or sugar, salt or pepper, chocolate sprinkles or coconut shavings. Condiments in MICROS take on these same roles as external items to a “regular” item. They are usually used to give further detail to the person preparing the items — a well-done steak, or a salad without tomatoes. Condiment menu items in MICROS aren’t always actual items, but often instructions or “modifiers,” such as the words extra, add, substitute, without, and even the term Don’t Make. In MICROS, the terms Condiments and Modifiers are used interchangeably.

[edit] What makes an item a Condiment?

By itself, an item cannot be a condiment—our discussion about condiments largely revolves around Menu Item Classes, as this is what establishes if an item is a condiment or not. Only one condition within the Menu Item Class must be true for an item (well, the class of items) to be a condiment: At least one “Member of Condiment Groups” boxes needs to be enabled.

There is another option, Option Bit #2 in Menu Item Class, Template:Fk. Truly, this option has little effect on an item, except that the EMC breaks Menu Item Classes into two groups, “Regular Items” and “Condiment Items”, when sorting Menu Items by Class.

[edit] Condiment Option Bits

[edit] Menu Item Class

#8 – Allow Menu Items in this Class to be Non-Priced

While this is not really a “condiment-specific” option bit, this heavily relates to condiments. Most condiment items do not have price records associated with them. For those items to show up on SLUs or be “orderable”, this option must be enabled.

#9 – Condiment Changes Print Group of Parent Menu Item

The best example of using this option bit is when a database has all appetizers configured as Print Group 1 and all entrees configured as Print Group 2. A condiment, “As Appetizer” is in a Class with this option enabled, and its Print Group is Print Group 1. Then, when the server presses “Chicken Dinner”, and rings “As Appetizer” as a condiment, now the “Chicken Dinner” will have Print Group 1, and thus print at the top of the order chit with the appetizers. (Order Device sort options apply.)

#21 – Require Number of Condiments to Match Number of Parent Items

Enabling this requires the user to enter as many forced condiments as there are parent items. For instance, a user who enters [6 > @ > Filet Mignon] will have to press “Medium Well” 6 times if this is enabled. If it is disabled, the user has to press “Medium Well” only once.

#22 – ON = Use Own Output Link; OFF = Use Parent’s Condiment Link

This allows condiments to print (Order Devices) independently of their parent items. Usually this is disabled—if I am a condiment, I will print to wherever my parent item prints (when the Order Devices are Enabled). There are some circumstances where this should be enabled, and they will be discussed later. When this is disabled, a condiment will follow the parent item to all printers where both the Parent Item and Condiment Item are programmed to print. Usually, a database has condiment classes programmed to print to all 15 Order Devices by default, and this option bit disabled—this guarantees that the item will always print where its parent is programmed to print.

#23 – Add Condiment Price to the Parent Item’s Price on Check Only

This allows condiment prices to be “rolled” into the Parent item’s price. For instance, my Absolut ($5) on the rocks ($2) will show as “Absolut - $7” on a guest check when this is enabled. If it is disabled, the guest sees a $5 and a $2 charge, or maybe doesn’t see the $2 charge at all! (The $2 charge wouldn’t show on the guest check if the menu item class is not programmed to print the item on checks/receipts, and if this is disabled.)

[edit] Sorting by Print Group

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This is a test.

#30 – Sort Condiments by Print Group

This allows the Condiments associated with one item to sort themselves by Print Group. One good usage of this option bit is the Condiment-as-Seat-Number database setup. Often an installer will use condiment group #64 as a forced modifier that prompts for seat numbers. Situation:

• Server rings in a Reuben Sandwich, and selects “Seat 1” as the forced modifier
• Server rings in two more condiments “WITHOUT” and “1000 Island”
• If the two condiments are print group 3, and the “Seat 1” condiment is print group 8, the Seat Number will always print at the bottom in the printout to the kitchen.

[edit] Consolidate Menu Items with Condiments

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#41 – Consolidate Menu Items with Condiments on Order Output

This will consolidate Parent Menu Items, but then list each condiment with its seat number to which the condiment applies (The option bit, “Print Seat Numbers with Individual Items” must be enabled for the Order Device).

• A Server who rings in Chicken Wings (EXTRA Sauce) for Seat 1 and Chicken Wings (WITHOUT Bleu Cheese) for Seat 2 will see the result on the right:

[edit] Consolidate Parents with Matching Condiments

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#42 – Consolidate Parents with Matching Condiments on Order Output

If you ring in two identical items, they will be consolidated (Order Device Sort options apply, too). If a server rings in two Caesar Salads, both “WITHOUT Cheese”, the kitchen will the first example on the right. The second example displays the items if this option is disabled.

[edit] RVC Parameters

Format > #35 – Hide Previous Round Condiments on Display

When this is enabled, a user who picks up a service totaled check will not see the condiments initially. They can toggle the condiments (view or not view) with the Display/Hide Condiments touchscreen key.

Posting and Control > Control #21 – Enable Condiment Masking

For condiments on NLU keys, this will display only the condiments belonging to a condiment group that is allowed by the Parent Item

Format > #4 – Wrap Condiments on Guest Checks

Condiments that are enabled to print on the guest check will print as many condiments as can fit on a line (wrapping), instead of printing one condiment per line

[edit] Order Devices

Wrap Condiments

Prints as many condiments as can fit on a line (wrapping), instead of printing one per line

Print Condiments in Red

This will override the MI Class Color setting for the printer, and always print in red.

[edit] Operator

Display Condiment Help

For forced condiments, having this enabled will show the user a list of the condiment choices. If it is disabled, the condiment window does not appear.

[edit] Touchscreen Design

Function > Transaction > #648 Display/Hide Condiments

Only works when the RVC Format #35 bit is enabled; this option will toggle the condiment view on or off.

[edit] "Required" and "Member Of" Condiment Groups (Forced Condiments)

Simphony allows 64 Condiment Groups per Revenue Center. The condiment groups are given names in RVC Descriptors. This helps to keep databases organized; also it is the prompt used by the workstation to show instructions to the user when a Condiment Group is required.

Blue-Option-Bar BOB will say “Enter Meat Temperature” or “Enter Juice Choice” when a forced condiment is required. The term “forced condiment” is used because a condiment choice required before another item can be entered.

[edit] Standard Example

The condiment group “Meat Temperatures” exists in almost all databases. Items such as “Filet Mignon” and “NY Strip” are in a class that requires the Meat Temperatures Condiment Group. Items such as “Rare” and “Medium” are in a class that is a member of that Condiment Group. When I press “NY Strip” (which requires Meat Temperatures) I see the Menu Items in the “Meat Temperatures” condiment group and I must enter one. Note that any condiment group that is “Required” is always “Allowed.”

[edit] Condiments Requiring Condiments

There are some situations where you will need one condiment to require another condiment. It is often taught in "Boot Camp" that you can ring in an Entrée, and then have two condiment choices: Soup or Salad. Selecting one of these then prompts your choice of Soups or Salads, accordingly. While this is a good example, it isn’t really practical in the real world because usually it is just easier to have both soups and salads on the same screen. More typically, this feature is used when one item requires further explanation for the remote printer. A good example of this is when a user rings a Beefeater Martini. The next question a server asks is: Olives or Twist? The bartender needs to know this when preparing the item; therefore the server is prompted with a condiment-requiring-a-condiment.

The condiment-modifying-condiment feature only allows the two levels of condiments. This means — based on the example on the right — that you cannot have the item “Lemon Twist” require another condiment choice.

[edit] Programming Condiments Requiring Condiments

Programming a condiment to require a condiment is actually very simple. In the Menu Item Class, check the “Member Of” box(es) as appropriate, and also select the appropriate “Required” condiment group(s). You will see that the item Martini Rocks is a member of the condiment groups Vodka Modifiers and Gin Modifiers (and All Bar Preps), and it requires the Drink Garnish condiment group (Lemon Twist is in the Drink Garnish group).

[edit] General Condiments

Most condiments are not forced condiments. Typically, most Simphony Shell Databases contain many, many condiments, and these condiments are overwhelmingly the largest percentage of menu items in a database. In a true Shell Database programmed for immediate use, there are not many "Regular" items programmed, as they change from site to site, whereas there will be close to 2,000 condiment items programmed that apply to almost every site. This is a sampling of some common condiment items that are found in a database:

Add, Allergic To, Dressing on the Side, Al Dente, BBQ Sauce, Croutons, Mayo, Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Shrimp, Don’t Make, As Entrée, As Appetizer, Only, On the Side, Linguini, Extra, Sub, To Go, Instead Of, No Salad Dressing, Pepper, Salt, Olives, etc.

These condiments are not forced condiments; they are simply items that attach themselves to the parent items. A parent item needs to allow condiments to be rung in. This is accomplished like this:

1. The rules of "What makes an item a condiment?" say that I need to have at least one Member Of box checked. Most databases have a condiment group called “All Food Preps” and another called “All Bar Preps”, and the general condiments (like those listed above) are in these groups.
2. All my "Regular" Food items should be in a Menu Item Class that allows the “All Food Preps” condiment group.

[edit] Allowed Condiment Groups

Often, databases are created where every menu item class allows every Condiment Group. This is generally bad programming practice; this article will explain why the databases that always check every "allowed" box have created problems.

• This is, first, unnecessary: If all condiments are in the “All Food Preps” condiment group, then only one box needs to be checked per “Regular” Food class, “Allow All Food Preps.”
• Secondly, this does not allow for room for growth — when you require an item to be “not allowed” as a condiment for every group but one. (Example 1.)
• Finally, when condiment classes have every Condiment Group Allowed, now you have created a situation where one condiment is actually modifying another, and you have again severely limited your room for growth.

[edit] Condiment Examples

[edit] Example 1

• Situation: A stadium's restaurants want to include an option for a Souvenir Cup ($2.00 charge) for sodas. Not a forced modifier, but a menu item on a SLU that can only be attached to Sodas.
• Solution
  1. Add a condiment group in RVC Descriptors called Souvenir Cup.
  2. Add a menu item class that is a Member of Souvenir Cup, but not a Member of "All Food Preps" or "All Bar Preps."
  3. The Menu Item Class that contains the sodas should allow the Souvenir Cup group. No other menu item class needs to allow this condiment group; therefore the item “Souvenir Cup” can only be attached to Sodas.
• Lesson: This was a simple fix, but this would have required far more work if the database had incorrectly been programmed with every condiment group allowed by every menu item class.

[edit] Example 2

• Situation: The chef at a fine-dining restaurant wants to force the servers/bartenders to specify the type of peppers when they enter “Add Peppers or Without Peppers.” The reason is simple: the kitchen had several types of peppers, and clarification to the cooks in the kitchen was necessary.
• Solution: Add a Menu Item Class that is just like the All Food Preps class, but it also requires the Pepper Types condiment group.
• Lesson: This is only possible when the “All Food Preps” class correctly does not allow other menu item classes. Observe the following examples.

[edit] Correct Programming for this example

The example on the left is the correct example of how a database should be programmed. The Menu Item Classes for “1000 Island” and “ADD” do not allow condiment groups. When “Peppers” is rung in, it can correctly prompt for its Required Condiments.

[edit] Inorrect Programming for this example

The example on the right is an incorrect example of how a database should be programmed. The Menu Item Class for “1000 Island” incorrectly allows other condiment groups. When the item “ADD” is ordered, it is already on the second tier of condiments because it is modifying “1000 Island” instead of “House Salad.” So when we ring Peppers, there is no way to have it prompt for the type of peppers. This incorrect method is another great example of how checking “allow condiment group” for each group does not allow room for growth—you could not address this chef’s situation easily with an incorrectly programmed database.

[edit] Example 3

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• Situation: The restaurant has every entrée prompting for a choice of salad or soup. The issue is this: They want to conserve paper and lessen confusion at their Cold Printer station—they don’t want the Entrée to print to the Cold Printer every time, they only want the salad to print there if the server/bartender entered a salad.
• Solution
  1. First we need to allow the salad dressing choices to print to their own printer, instead of following the Parent Items. For the Salad Dressing Choices class, we need to:
     1. Enable MI Class option bit #22, Use Own Output Link.
     2. Enable the appropriate Order Device Output printers for this class.
  2. This addresses the immediate situation, but then we have another issue. What if the server/bartender wants to modify the Entrée or the Salad? How do we make sure the items print to the appropriate printers?
     1. Create two new condiment groups, called “Make Salad” and “Make Entrée”, and edit existing “Regular” Menu Item Classes to allow these Condiment Groups.
     2. Create Menu Item Classes that is are condiment classes, and make one a Members of the “Make Salad” and the other a member of the “Make Entrée” class. These classes will allow “All Food Preps.”
     3. For these classes, enable MI Class option bit #22, Use Own Output Link. Each class should be programmed to go to the appropriate printers.
     4. Create a “Make Salad” menu item, and a “Make Entrée” menu item, each linked to the appropriate class.
        

• Lesson: Because the database didn’t have every Menu Item Class allowing every Condiment Group we had a lot of room for growth in this situation. It was only necessary to add a few Menu Item Classes — strategically programmed — to honor the requests of the site. The workstation operations for this: A server/bartender rings in Penne Pasta with the forced condiment “ranch”. The customer wants the salad without tomatoes, and the Penne Pasta without cheese. We have made this possible with our programming, and the server/bartender rings in the items as shown on the right.

The order chits will print in the following manner:

[edit] Ideal Database Setup for Condiment Handling

• Order Devices have the option bit OFF – Print Condiments in Red
  • Use MI Class to determine Red or Black. If you enable Order Devices to print red condiments, you can never get one to print black, limiting your room for growth.
• MI Class for Condiments are members of only one condiment group (All Food Preps)
  • This class has the option: [Allow non-priced menu items] turned on
  • This class does not allow other condiment groups
  • This class does not have the option “Use Own Output” enabled
• MI Classes for each Condiment Group (forced condiments) should be a member of “All Food Preps” as well as the other condiment group (The “Member of Meat Temps” class is also a member of “All Food Preps”)
• MI Classes for Regular Items allow only one condiment group
  • The “All Food Preps” group

[edit] See also

• Seat Handling

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