Setting Up an Outlet

By the end of this training article you will be able to:

• Reopen an outlet that was accidentally closed
• Copy an entire outlet or just partial
• Include an outlet to the manager’s report 
• Configure the entire POS outlet
• Set up POS operators
• Manage service tax and Gratuities
• Set up menu cards
• Set up the POS receipt text
• Configure outlet transfers and inclusive settings
• Set up service periods
• Set up overwrite passwords for mangers
• Manage the font and layout of preparation checks
• Create preset discounts
• Create reporting reasons for voiding and discounting

Configuration > Outlets

Note: You must have set up your facility this outlet should be linked to first.

To create a new outlet right click and add entry inside the top window and enter the following.

• Code: a code of your choice for the new outlet
• Point of Sales: free type the full name of the point of sales (POS or also outlet)
• Facility: select the previously created facility from the drop-down menu to link the outlet to a facility, this is necessary to access the diary via the POS to pull a deposit to a bill 
• Cashier: if linked to a cashier, select the cashier from the drop-down in here, but not necessary as each outlet also has its individual cash up
• Discount: if ticked, discounts and price changes can be performed without the override credentials per outlet
• Void Printout:  determines the behaviour of the printer when cancelling and order or voiding an item. The choices are;
  • No printout at all
  • Kitchen Only so only the linked kitchen preparation printer receives a printout
  • Check Only the receipt printer prints out a void/ cancellation printout or 
  • Check and Kitchen which means the receipt printer and the preparation printer will print the void print out
• Bill Layout: select the preferred bill layout from the drop down. This can be displayed in order of Items, the Order the items where added or the by linked Revenue centres
• Unit: select the unit this outlet is linked to from the drop down, if units are used in this hotel/ property
• Manager’s: tick the check box for this outlet to be included inside the manger’s reports
• Closed: this is a live tick box and displays the outlet as closed when it was closed inside the POS, if closed by accident this can be opened here again simply by unchecking and save

Menu Cards

The top window displays the Order of the Sales Groups (the buttons at the top of the screen on the POS), the Sales Groups and if they are Active.  Sales Groups are the tabs that will appear on the POS screen.

Positioning will allow the user to position the buttons of the items as required on the POS screen.

Merge will allow merging two sales groups with each other. Click onto Merge, highlight to the left from which sales group you want to merge and to the right-hand side screen to which sales group this should be merge to. Now click Merge.

The second screen at the bottom is used to link actual items to the sales group. 

These are created in material > items. Make sure to highlight the correct sales group above and then right-click add entry below.

• On: If on is ticked the items shows on the POS, if untick it is temporarily unavailable
• POS: This is where we determine the actual position of the item on the POS screen. Most POS screens are 7 buttons across, if empty buttons need adding, double click into the last positioning field.

• Item: is a drop-down menu that will display all items previously set up, select the desired item from here
• Colour: allows us to set a colour per item which shows on the POS
• Revenue Centre: select the revenue centre this item should be linked-to in here
• Sales Unit: select the sales unit this item is selling as in here
• Second Group: the secondary group is used to narrow down a sales group. I.e. if red wine is the sale group, but the secondary group should be glasses and bottles, then only the glasses or bottles will display. Secondary groups are set up in configurations > materials
• Bin No: if a wine, for example, has a bin number this can also be entered here. We can search for items on the POS by bin numbers
• VAT: select the relevant vat for this item from the drop-down menu
• Price: the price for the item is a free type field

Item Modifier

The item modifier allows the user to set a different price for an item depending on a day range. Either right-click and add an entry to modify only one item at the time or use the wizard which opens the following window. Select a Source Outlet at the top by pointing the finger at this. Now select the Sales Group in the second screen for which the prices for all items link to should be different depending on the day range which is selected in Choose a Range. Free type the amount and use the >> to proceed.

Configuration

Order Info

When starting a new order, we can set Room, Covers and Table to be either none, optional or compulsory. 

Operator Settings

• We can set a default operator from all available configured operators in here for the entire POS. 
• If Cash Bar Settings is enabled the security setting for this POS is set to low. The amount of times a passcode or the operator card must be swiped is minimised.
• Service Charge Owner is used to determine which operator owns the service charge. The operator who opened the order or the operator who closes the order

POS Settings

• The Initial Screen is set up in here and can start with the table plan layout, asking to enter a table or being as to enter the guest’s profile
• Receipts can be set to print manual which means using the receipt button on the POS, order check as soon as an order is saved, or on close.
• Cash All can be set to warning or stop
• Item Options can be set to manual or display automatically when an item that has linked options is selected
• Close order can be set to print receipt on closing the order or no action
• Clear on Save is used to clear the POS screen of the previous order once saved

Operator Name

The operator name is used to link any operators that are only working with this POS and are set up to be not available in ‘All POS’.

Service charges can be excluded for specific categories, these are the categories directly linked inside an individual item. 

Mobile exclusions are used for the handheld POS. This is to disallow the HOUSE discount, any DISCOUNT or to VOID.

Periods

Serving periods are used to determine the from and to time an outlet should be available for. This can also be transferred to the next day. This part is not compulsory. 

The Order Stage is used to colour the POS order to a stage this order is at during their sitting. This is displayed on the actual order and on the table plan. The default colour will be the colour and stage the booking starts out as. If print is ticked this will also print on the ticket.

The screen below shows which preparation printer is linked to this outlet; this is for information only.

Receipt Text

This screen is divided into three sections, which refer to the position on the check, or receipt for the POS

• Header
• Footer
• Footer Closed

Within this section, we can determine the Line Number in which order we want to display the receipt text. The receipt text is a free type section. The position will determine in which of the three main sections this line should display. 

Transfers

• Allow Order Transfer to Outlet: to allow transferring an already open order from one outlet to another. Right-click and add entry and select the outlet we should be able to transfer orders to 
• POS Inclusive Services: right click and add entry and select the service, revenue, VAT, from and to time and tick service charge if the service charge should be automatically removed from all orders that have an inclusive allowance. This will then allow the inclusive function on the POS to search within a dinner service for any inclusive allowance that is part of the bedroom package and deduct this from the dinner bill
• Access the following Diaries: if any additional diaries other than the diary from the linked facility inside the main window should be accessible, they must be linked here
• Excluded Items from Categories from POS Inclusive: If and categories are excluded from being inclusive in this outlet, they are added here

Overwrites 

To apply discounts or void items and cancel orders a discount must be entered into the POS. These are set in here per outlet. The authorisation name is important as the details of discounted items can be viewed in detail via reports > financials > discounts.

Financials

This is used for the P&L and budgeting in HART, please refer to the manual on this for further details.

Preparation

Please note that preparation printers are added directly to the sales groups in configuration > materials or directly to the item in materials > item. This tab is purely to change layout, copies, and option font.

• Preparation Point: the preparation point/ printer
• Layout: is either set to graphics or text only, this depends on your printer
• Copies: how many copies should be printed at this preparation point
• Options Font: should the printer print in red or black
• Do not use with: allows the user to excluded machines from printing preparation checks at all. This is useful if an outlet is used in multiple locations, but the restaurant only handwrites their tickets

Operators

To create new operators, right-click and add entry inside the operator tab. 

Free type the full Operator Name and the Code. If a swipe card is used, place the cursor inside the Swipe Card field and run the card through the card reader. 

• Discount: allows the operator to discount an order
• Void: allows the operator to void an item
• Price: allows the operator to overwrite the price for an item
• Reopen: allows the operator to reopen an order that has been previously closed on the actual day only!
• All Tables: allows the operator to access all other operators’ tables when navigating on the POS to Open
• SC: allows the operator to remove service charge from a bill
• Split: allows the operator to split a bill
• Merge: allows the operator to merge bills with other open bills
• Tables: allows the operator to change the table number assigned to a table
• All POS: allows the operator to access all outlets on the system
• Manager: the manager has access to all areas of POS
• Neg. Qty: allows the operator to change the quantity of a previously saved item on a POS order

Discounts

On the POS is a group function inside the discount section. This allows a general discount to be preconfigured. For example, a discount profile name could be Sunday lunch for the elderly. This is then made available on with a day range, the item category that is discountable and the discount percentage. 

Exclusions

This tab refers to all outlets. This excludes any payment type (excluded payments) the hotel or restaurant wishes not to accept per outlet (POS department).

Void/ Discount

The left-hand side window contains any void reasons the hotel or restaurant wishes to use upon voiding any items. To add additional reasons, simply right-click and add entry. To remove any void reasons, highlight the reason and right click and delete.

The right-hand side window contains any discount reasons the hotel or restaurant wishes to use upon voiding any items. Unchecking active will make this unavailable on the POS. To add additional reasons, simply right click and add entry.