The Event Menu Designer page allows you to view, edit, delete, and create dining options to be used throughout the Event Management module. These dining options and their associated menus, courses, and event menu items are organized in a tree view located on the far left side of the page.
Navigating the Dining Options Tree View
It is important to note that all dining options are four levels deep (dining option, menu, course, and submenu) and that each level is represented by a different color pawn icon (blue, red, green, and white). To expand any of the levels, select the small plus icon to the left of the dining option, menu, or course name.
Selecting a level will allow you to view that level’s information to the right of the Dining Options tree view as well as any of its associated members. From there, you can add new members.
Creating an Event Menu
The manner in which you set up an event menu will determine how menu items are displayed on the ‘Food’ tab on the Event Details page and how menu items are presented to the client on the Event Contract report. An example of how a company could set up its four levels is:
- Reception Dining
- 50+ people
- Course 1
- Main Course If four levels are not needed, it is recommended that the same name be used twice. For example,
- Reception Dining
- Reception Dining
- Course 2
- Appetizer
To create a new event menu, complete the following steps:
- Create a Dining Option (Level 1).Select the house icon on the Dining Options Tree View. Upon selection, the Dining Options table will be displayed to the right of the Dining Options tree view. This table displays all previously created dining options. Refer to the Advanced Usage section below for information on editing, moving, or deleting the information displayed in this table. To create a new dining option, enter the following information into the table’s header:
- Dining Option Name - Enter the name of the new dining option.
- Description - Enter a description of the dining option into this field.
- ADD/INSERT - Select ADD to add the new dining option to the bottom of the Dining Options table. Select INSERT to add the new dining option to the top of the table.
- Create a Menu (Level 2).Select the newly created dining option in the Dining Options tree view. Upon selection, the Menus table will be displayed to the right. Note that the dining option’s name and description will appear above the Menus table. The Menus table displays all menus that have previously been created under the selected dining option. To create a new menu, enter the following information into the table’s header: Menu Name: Enter the name of the new menu.
- Price - Enter the price of the menu and select from the drop-down whether the entered amount is per guest or per unit.
- Assume 1 for Qty - When the Event Details page is calculating the total deposit due, if this option is selected, the entered price will be calculated once if the value under the “Qty” column is left blank. If this option is deselected, the calculation will use guest count as the quantity multiplier.
- ADD/INSERT - Select ADD to add the new menu to the bottom of the Menus table. Select INSERT to add the new menu to the top of the table.
- Create a Course (Level 3).Select the newly created menu. Upon selection, the Courses table will be displayed to the right. Note that the menu’s name and description will appear above the Courses table. The Courses table displays all courses that have previously been created under the selected menu. To create a new course, enter the following information into the table’s header:
- Course Name - Enter the name of the new course.
- Description - Enter a description of the course into this field. Note: This field is not required, but the entered text will be viewable on the Event Contract report.
- ADD/INSERT - Select ADD to add the new course to the bottom of the Courses table. Select INSERT to add the new course to the top of the table.
- Create a Sub-Menu (Level 4).Select the newly created course. Upon selection, the Sub-Menus table will be displayed to the right. Note that the course’s name and description will appear above the Sub-Menus table. The Sub-Menus table displays all sub-menus that have previously been created under the selected course. To create a new sub-menu, enter the following information into the table’s header:
- Sub-Menu Name - Enter the name of the new sub-menu.
- Item Choices - Enter the number of item choices available to the client. Enter “0” for an unlimited amount.
- ADD/INSERT - Select ADD to add the new sub-menu to the bottom of the Sub-Menus table. Select INSERT to add the sub-menu to the top of the table.
- Add Event Menu Items to a sub-menu. Select the newly created sub-menu. Upon selection, the Selected Items table will be displayed. Note that the sub-menu’s name and number of item choices will appear above the Selected Items table. The Selected Items table displays all items that have previously been added to the selected sub-menu. To a add a new menu item, enter the following information into the table’s header:
- Select Item - Enter the event menu item name into this auto-fill field. As with any other auto-fill field, selections that match your typed information will appear as you type.
- NEW - If you would like to create a new event menu item, select new. This is the same window that appears if you navigate to the Event Menu Items page and select NEW EVENT MENU ITEM. For more information on creating a new event menu item, refer to the Event Menu Item section.
- Price - Enter the price of the event menu item.
- ADD - Select ADD to add the event menu item to the Selected Items table.
Advanced Usage
Each table on the Event Menu Designer page is customizable. The following tasks can be performed on most tables on this page:
- Edit - Select the pencil icon to edit information on a table. Be sure to select UPDATE to commit your changes.
- Move - To re-sort the entries on a table, select the blue up arrow icon or the blue down arrow icon. Note: This feature is not available for event menu items listed on the Selected Items table (Level 4).
- Deactivate - Select the red x icon to deactivate a table entry. Upon selection, a confirmation window will appear where you can confirm or cancel the deactivation.