Create menus and items

Follow the steps below to add your banquet menus and items to the system. This provides your team with a predefined list to choose from, making it really easy for them to create Banquet Event Orders (BEOs).

Depending on the type of menu or item you are creating, different fields on the page will be applicable (see the table in step 3 below).

To create a menu or item

1. Do one of the following:

• In the Items/Menus/Text section of the Property page, click New Item.
• Navigate to Items, and then click New.

2. Select to create an Item, Text Item, Simple Menu, or Detailed Menu, and then advance to the next screen. Corporate menus/items cannot be created at the property level.

3. Complete the fields on this page, as needed. The Applies To column indicates which menu/item types the field is applicable to (All = Item, Simple Menu, Detailed Menu, and Text Item).

   Information		Applies To
   Name	Enter the name of the menu or item as you want it to appear on the event order and banquet check.	All
   Abbreviation	Enter an abbreviation for the menu or item for searching purposes.	All
   Rich Description	Enter a description of the menu or item as you want it to appear on the event order. Use the buttons on the formatting toolbar to customize the appearance of the text. You can also do the following to further customize the menu/item description: Click the Link icon to insert a hyperlink in the description. Click the Image icon to insert an image in the description. We recommend that you manually type the description rather than copying and pasting it from a Word or PDF document. Additionally, the justification of the text in the Description field is determined by the formatting specified in the BEO merge template.	All
   Unit Price	The price of the menu/item, not including taxes, gratuity, or administrative charges. If the item will always be priced with menu, it's not necessary to enter its price. Example A side salad that is always included in the price of a detailed menu and never sold individually. Or, a setup item that is only ever used for a package booking.	Item Simple Menu Detailed Menu
   Sold By	The method by which the menu/item is sold (for example, per person or per hour). This value can be displayed on the BEO for information purposes only. It does not affect the total revenue calculation.	Item Simple Menu Detailed Menu
   Revenue Classification	The Revenue Classification field is treated differently depending on whether you are creating an item or a text item. Item The revenue classification determines the following: The section of the BEO where the item will appear. The default gratuity and administrative charge that are applied to the item. The taxes that are applied to the item. The revenue category ("bucket") that should be applied to the item for revenue tracking and reporting. Text item The revenue classification indicates where the text item should appear on the BEO. For example, serving instructions for a particular menu would appear in the Food section.	Item Text Item
   Quantity Calculation	Displays how the menu/item quantity should be calculated on a booking event. Not Calculated - The quantity will not be automatically calculated. Instead, the user must manually enter the quantity needed for the booking event. Per Person - (Default) The most current attendance number and the Service Factor are used to determine the quantity needed for the booking event (Quantity = Attendance/Service Factor). Example For example, if 100 people are expected at an event and a cup of Chicken Noodle Soup serves 1, 100 cups of soup will be needed for the event. If a Carrot Cake for the same event serves 20, 5 of those cakes will be needed. Per Event - The service factor is used to determine the quantity needed for the event. Example For example, a lectern has a service factor of 1, so only one will be needed for an event. If the item will always be priced with menu, it's not necessary to select a Quantity Calculation. If your property uses the packages functionality only items that are calculated per person will function correctly with the package pricing and display correctly on the BEO. So what do you do when you just want one LCD projector or one flip-chart? Select Per Person for the Quantity Calculation, and enter 9999 as the Service Factor. This will add only one item to the BEO and allows the item to comply with the per person requirement on the package.	Item Simple Menu Detailed Menu
   Item Category	The category that should be used to search for the menu/item. For example, if you are detailing a dinner event, you can search for all menus/items with an Item Category of Dinner. This narrows down the search results in the Manage Menus and Items page, making it easier to find the exact menus/items you need. Other examples of item categories include Breakfast, Host Bar, Cash Bar, and Break Items.	All
   Property	The property where the menu/item was created. If this a corporate menu/item, the Property field is blank.	All
   Track Inventory	When selected, the item inventory will be tracked at the property. A function room must be blocked before an event's items will be taken out of inventory. If an item is out of inventory for a particular event, it will appear in red in the Menu and Item Search window. Applicable to property items only. This check box must be selected to include the item in the Item Inventory report.	Item
   Inventory	The total number of this item available at the property. If an item is out of inventory for a particular event, it will appear in red in the Menu and Item Search window. Applicable to property items only. This field must be populated to include the item in the Item Inventory report.	Item
   Estimated Consumption %	The average percentage of event attendees that will consume the menu/item (default is 100%). Used most often when the item is priced with menu. Example For example, a Coffee Break menu includes the following items: Coffee, Decaf, and Tea. You estimate that 60% of attendees will drink coffee during any event. For the Coffee item, then, you would enter 60 for the Estimated Consumption %.	Item Simple Menu Detailed Menu
   Master Source	Indicates whether this is a property or corporate menu/item.	All
   Service Factor	The number of people the menu/item will likely serve (default is 1). Example Item: Glass of White Wine serves 1; Bottle of White Wine serves 4. Menu: Filet Mignon Dinner serves 1; Family Style Italian Dinner serves 8.	Item Simple Menu Detailed Menu
   Units	The unit by which the item is sold (for example, dozen or gallon). This value can be displayed on the BEO for information purposes only. It does not affect the total revenue calculation.	Item
   Active	When selected, the menu/item is available to all applicable properties. When cleared, the menu/item is not available for selection.	All
   Allow Decimal Quantities	When selected, partial quantities of the item can be sold (for example, a half gallon of coffee).	Item
   BEO and Banquet Check Menu Placement
   Revenue Classification	The Revenue Classification field is treated differently depending on whether you are creating a simple menu or a detailed menu. Simple menu Used to indicate which section of the BEO and banquet check the menu should appear. The menu's revenue breakdown determines how its revenue should be split. Detailed menu Used to indicate which section of the banquet check the menu should appear, including its choice group selections and a la carte items (items not priced with menu). This ensures the entire menu is grouped together on the check even when its items appear in different sections on the BEO. For example, a Sunday Brunch menu consists of Eggs Benedict, Maple Cured Bacon, Seasonal Fruit, Coffee/Tea/Decaf, and the choice of a Mimosa or Bloody Mary. On the BEO, the Mimosa and Bloody Mary items will appear in the Beverage section while the rest of the menu will appear in the Food section. However, because the Mimosa and Bloody Mary are part of the menu, you'd like to group them with the rest of the Sunday Brunch items on the banquet check. You do this by selecting Food in the Revenue Classification field. While the Revenue Classification field indicates where the menu will appear on the banquet check, the menu's items (both priced with menu and a la carte) will determine where the menu appears on the BEO. The menu's revenue breakdown, along with its items sold on consumption, will determine how the menu's revenue should be split.	Simple Menu Detailed Menu
   BEO and Banquet Check Display
   Hide Quantity on BEO	When selected, the item/menu quantity will be hidden on the BEO. Example For example, you may not want to show the expected quantity for setup items (such as napkins) or the expected menu quantity for a bar. This selection can be changed at the time the item/menu is added to the booking event.	Item Simple Menu Detailed Menu
   Hide Price on BEO	When selected, the item/menu price will be hidden on the BEO. Example For example, when an item is priced with the menu or is part of a choice group, you'd want to hide its individual price on the BEO. This selection can be changed at the time the item/menu is added to the booking event.	Item Simple Menu Detailed Menu
   Do Not Print on BEO	When selected, the menu/item will not appear on the printed BEO. Example For example, if you are emailing an event order to a customer, you may want to exclude all text items that are instructions for your staff (such as, "Set up LCD projector in the front of the room"). This selection can be changed at the time the item/menu is added to the booking event.	All
   Do Not Print on Check	When selected, the menu/item will not appear on the printed banquet check. Example For example, you may not want to show table linens on the banquet check because you do not charge for them. This selection can be changed at the time the item/menu is added to the booking event.	All

The required fields are displayed with a red indicator. These fields must be completed before you can save the record.

4. Do one of the following:

• Click Save to save your changes and open the Item page. If you are creating a menu, you'll need to use the Item page to define the menu's revenue breakdown. For detailed menus, you'll also need to add choice groups and/or a la carte items that are included with the menu.
• Click Save & New to save your changes and create another new menu or item.
• Click Cancel to discard your changes.

Explore more...

Video: Create items and menus

Video: Create detailed menus  

Edit menus and items

Clone menus and items

Delete menus and items

Types of menus and items