Menu Configurator, an application you download onto your desktop from Web Admin, enables you to build out the menu structure of your items and to define how the system displays those items on your web menu. The Aloha Online Ordering team provides the initial import of items from your POS into Menu Configurator. Since consumers use the web menu to place orders, you may want to edit your menu and modifier items for their ease of use in ordering. You will likely want to edit how items appear and the manner in which consumers can select modifiers. You perform these functions in Menu Configurator, where you can rename items, create descriptions, arrange modifier groups, and much more. Once you create your online ordering menu, you assign it to site locations.

As you work with Menu Configurator, keep the following concepts in mind:

• A Copy of the POS Data – The online menu is only a copy of your POS data. As part of the on-boarding process, the Aloha Online Ordering Implementation team retrieves your POS menu data and imports it into Menu Configurator. This creates the initial menu data, which you can then alter to create a consumer-friendly interface. When you delete an item or a modifier from the online menu, the system does not delete the corresponding item or modifier from the POS.
• Data Relationships – In your online menu, menu items, modifier groups, and modifier items may share ‘data relationships.’ When you edit a modifier name or group, the change occurs in all instances of your web menu where you use that item or group. For example, you may have a modifier group named, ‘Pizza sauces.’ If you change the modifier group name to ‘Sauces’ on one item, the system applies that change to every item with that modifier group.
• Single User Editing – Only one user at a time can edit the menu data. If multiple users have access to Menu Configurator, always ‘check-out your design and verify you ‘check-in’ your design so the next person accesses the latest web menu design data; otherwise, another user may override your work, and all of the changes you made will be lost.
• Promoting POS Changes – The system imports POS menu changes nightly; however, it does not automatically implement these menu changes to your web menu. You must manually implement any POS menu changes to the web menu. Common changes include price updates, modifier group changes, and modifier group addition or removal. When you access Menu Configurator and POS menu updates appear, a Promotion wizard launches to guide you through the import process.
• Internet Access – Updating your Web menu requires Internet access. The menu update process requires you to access the menu data stored on the Aloha Online Ordering file server through the Internet. You store the menu data on the file server until you open the menu and promote the changes.
• Automatic Updates – Menu Configurator automatically receives new versions and updates of the utility as they become available. You do not need to restart your computer to implement the updates.