How to edit and resync a menu from POS to Otter Menu

Kurt De La Rosa
Kurt De La Rosa
  • Updated

 

Summary

Menu resync is a process of importing a menu from a Source of Truth (SOT) platform to the Otter platform and with the help of Menu Management you can manage and publish menus from Otter’s Business Manager tool. This article will guide you through importing a menu from your POS to Otter’s self-serve Menu Management tool, and publish the updates to your specified ordering platforms.

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What can you do with POS Menu Management?

  1. Import a menu directly from your POS
  2. Easily test new products, categories or photos
  3. Select which location will have which menu
  4. Make menus, items, modifiers and prices delivery app specific
  5. Import or upload photos from delivery apps or your POS
  6. Ensure high-quality photos with optimization tips
  7. Copy menus & hours
  8. Create multiple menus by time of the day
  9. Add tax per item, tags per item and cuisine type
  10. Preview your menu before updating it in the delivery apps
  11. Publish the menu to the delivery apps you work with

When to sync a menu:

  • Once you added or removed an item within your SOT menu, the Otter menu must be synced via the Business Manager.
  • Unlinked items within the Otter menu can cause order injection failures, so menu can be synced to link and update the menu items again.
  • When orders are not injecting to the POS or if you need to manually re-enter the orders to the POS.
  • When a new integration is added to the store, it is required to sync a menu.

Step-by-step Menu Management with POS Integration

Importing the Menu


Steps Instructions Example
1.

Log into your Otter Dashboard (manager.tryotter.com)

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2.

Navigate to the Apps in the top-left corner. In the Apps drop-down menu, click on Menus.

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3.

Once in the “Menu” app, click “Import from existing service”.

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4.

Select the brand of your choice (if you have multiple brands).

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5.

Select the location that has the desired menu.

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6.

Select your POS.

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7.

Select the locations in which that menu should be published to.

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Note: When you import a menu from your POS, the items that were marked as unavailable will not be preserved. Please keep a record of these items to mark them unavailable afterwards.

Editing your menu (Updating from POS)


Steps Instructions Example
1.

Click on the Manage POS Links button to access the POS-Otter Menu linking page. This section is used to:

    • Check the status of the menu linking between the POS and Otter;
    • Link Otter menu items with the related menu items from the POS;
    • Retrieve and apply menu changes from the POS;
    • Copy

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NOTE: If you see the message “Your location has unlinked items that can cause order issues” on the Manage POS Links page, this means that there are changes to your POS menu that are not synced with Otter may cause order failures.

2.

On the Manage POS Links page, click Update from POS and a window will populate to sync the updates from your POS to the Otter Menu Management tool.

 

NOTE: Self-Serve Menu Management will automatically match menu items and modifier groups from your POS to your ordering platform menus.

However, if there are any differences, you will need to manually link those menu items within self-serve Menu Management.

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3.

Within Manage POS Links, you can see all the Items and Modifier Groups that were not linked automatically. To resolve these issues, please review the table below for resolution steps:

 

Update Names

If the item, modifier, or modifier group names differ from existing POS names...

  • Outcome of Menu Update if Checked- the POS names will overwrite Otter names.
  • Outcome if your POS Differs from Otter- No issue

 

Update Descriptions

If the item descriptions in Otter differ from existing POS descriptions...

  • Outcome of Menu Update if Checked- the POS descriptions will overwrite the Otter descriptions.
  • Outcome if your POS Differs from Otter- No issue

 

Update Prices

If the item or modifier price differs from the existing POS prices...

  • Outcome of Menu Update if Checked- the POS prices will overwrite the Otter prices.
  • Outcome if your POS Differs from Otter-no issue

Delete Unlinked

If the items, modifiers, or modifier groups don’t exist on the POS menu but do exist in Otter...

  • Outcome of Menu Update if Checked- the items, modifiers, or modifier groups will be removed from the Otter menu.
  • Outcome if your POS Differs from Otter-no issue

Create and Link

If the items, modifiers, or modifier groups exist on the POS but do not exist in Otter...

  • Outcome of Menu Update if Checked- the items, modifiers, or modifier groups will be added to the Otter menu.
  • Outcome if your POS Differs from Otter-no issue
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4.

Check the boxes of which menu updates you would like to match between Otter and POS.

Make sure you always check “Delete unlinked” to avoid POS errors. Then click Update.

    • You also have the option to select "Skip" (located at the bottom of the pop-up). If you click the Skip option, none of the changes retrieved from the POS will be applied to the Otter menu. This way, only the menu items linked between Otter and the POS will be reviewed.
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5.

After the links between your POS and Otter have been updated, exit out of this window.

 
6.

Navigate to the Menu Settings to enable/disable and configure the following settings:

  • Automatic menu importing from the POS for all or certain menu elements;
  • Automatic menu publishing to all or certain delivery platforms for all or certain locations.

NOTE: This feature is available by request to the support team.

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7.

If you decide not to enable automatic menu publishing, you will need to navigate to the Menu page and click on the Publish Menu button in the top-right of the page.

 

Be sure to check the boxes next to the delivery platforms you want the menu to be published to. Complete the update by clicking Publish menu at the bottom of the pop-up.

NOTE: If the menu is not published to the ordering platforms, then order injection will likely be affected.

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POS Link Capabilities

  1. POS Link Errors
  2. Filter Unlinked Items
  3. Verify Linked Items
  4. Link Unlinked Items
  5. Copy Links to All Locations
  6. Update from POS
  7. Bulk Resolution

POS Link Errors

The Manage POS links page alerts you in case the Otter menu is not fully linked with your POS menu. A not fully linked menu will cause order injection failures.

You are able to see:

  • Locations with Errors: the locations with errors are marked with a red icon;
  • Unlinked Items: number of items that do not have a link with the related item in the POS;
  • Unlinked Modifier Groups: number of modifier groups that do not have a link with the related modifier group in the POS;
  • Unlinked Modifiers: number of modifiers that do not have a link with the related modifier in the POS.

The higher the number of unlinked items, the higher the number of orders that will not be injected into the POS. Please be sure to link the menu items or delete unlinked items from the menu.

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Filter Unlinked Items

You can filter items based on the items' linking status:

  • Unlinked Items Only: To obtain the list of items that do not have a linked POS item.
  • Partially Linked Items Only: To obtain the list of items that when used as main item and modifier, are linked only as one of the two.
  • Fully Linked Items Only: To obtain the list of items that are linked to the related POS items.

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Verify Linked Items

You can check which POS item the Otter item is linked to just by clicking the 1 linked text under the item. The window will prompt the name of the item from the POS.

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Link Unlinked Items

You can distinguish linked items from unlinked items.

  • Linked Items: Shows a green connection icon on the left and an Unlink button on the right. Each linked item can be unliked and relinked if needed;
  • Unlinked Items: Shows a red connection icon on the left and a Link button on the right. Each unlinked item can be linked by simply clicking on Link and searching for the needed item by keyword. If the item exists in the POS, Otter will “recommend” a link (it is only a suggestion not mandatory to follow).

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Copy Links to All Locations

For multi-location accounts, once you craft the perfect menu fully linked with the POS, this menu can be replicated to the rest of the locations by clicking on Copy links to all locations.

From the left dropdown, the user can check the list of locations linked to this menu.

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Update from POS

If you want to retrieve an updated POS Menu version, you can click on Update from POS to import the latest POS menu version into Otter Self-Serve Menu Management.

You will be able to select the changes you want to apply during the Update Otter to match POS pop-up

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Bulk Resolution

With the Update from POS option, you will obtain the results of the menu changes retrieved from the POS. You can decide to:

  • Update: Update the Otter Menu based on the changes retrieved from the POS. You can choose which particular changes you would like to apply.
    • Update Names (item names will reflect the POS items naming)
    • Update Prices (items will have the price set up in the POS)
    • Delete Unliked (items that do not exist in the POS will be deleted from the Otter menu)
    • Create and Link (items retrieved from the POS that do not exist in Otter will be created in the Otter menu)
    • Import Photos (items will be populated with the photos coming from the POS)
    • Copy Entity Relationships and Ordering (Otter will adjust the menu structure, items, and category order based on the POS Menu structure)

  • Skip: Do not apply any of the changes retrieved from the POS. In this way, only the menu items linked between Otter and the POS will be reviewed.

Update_Otter_to_Match_POS.png

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Additional Features

Categories and Items


  1. When you click on the category, you can change the name, description, remove items, and delete the category.
  2. Click on the item to change its name, description, image, and price per delivery app. Add the item to a category, and tag it as alcohol or not.
  3. You can add that item to a modifier group and delete the item.

Helpful Tips:

  • Don’t forget to add the alcohol tag to all alcoholic items on your menu so your menu doesn’t get deleted from the delivery apps.
  • Ensure the prices are correct.
  • Ensure the tax rate is correct.
  • Upload photos with the recommended size. Good photos are crucial for maximum conversion.
  • Make the descriptions enticing and detailed. Remember, your customers need to know what they are ordering, so be clear in terms of size, content, etc.
  • Remember to always save your changes.

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Advanced Pricing


  1. When you are creating a new item, you will see the option for advanced pricing
  2. Click into the “Advanced pricing” link or tab at the top of the item creation page
  3. Enter your delivery price
  4. Toggle “Price per fulfillment” on if you have a different price for pick up
  5. Add price overrides if applicable

Helpful Tips:

  • Ensure all delivery services are connected before updating pricing
  • Publish your menu after making changes to ensure accuracy across your delivery services

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Hours

 

  1. You can adjust hours when clicking on the hours tab.
  2. You can enable unique hours per day and add opening and closing hours.
  3. You can add special hours (e.g. national holidays).

Helpful Tips:

  • Try opening for delivery 15-30 min after your restaurant’s opening time to have all the food prepared.
  • Make sure your closing time is accurate. An order could come at the last minute!
  • Try to have accurate setups based on your capacity. Your availability against set operating hours impacts your ranking on delivery platforms.

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Delivery App Specific Options


Make quick adjustments for specific delivery partners:

  1. To make a menu only available for specific apps, toggle the services on/off in the “edit menu” section
  2. Modifier groups can be made delivery app specific by navigating to the “modifier group” page, selecting the modifier you wish to update and toggling on/off the delivery app it is offered on.
  3. To make an item available on specific delivery apps, navigate to the items page, select the item and toggle on/off the delivery partners you wish to offer the item on.

Helpful Tips:

  • Pricing per delivery app information can be found in the “advanced pricing” slide.
  • Some delivery partners do not accept app specific selection so please ensure those services are toggled off.
  • You can test exclusive items per delivery app
  • You can create specific item promotion per delivery app
  • You can have more control in the way you position your items per delivery app.

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Update Item Photos


  1. Open the Menus app
  2. Select your Menu
  3. Navigate to the “Photos” tab
  4. Select the photos
  5. Click on ‘Assign to items’
  6. Save the changes

Helpful Tips:

  • If your POS has photos, you can select “Refresh from POS” to import
  • You have the capability to bulk upload multiple photos when prompted to add photos at any point in the menu management process
  • You can upload photos from the delivery service of your choice or upload new photos
  • Photobank allows you to bulk upload and manage your menu item photos
  • We have enabled bulk upload capabilities, and a history of past photos shared at the brand level to be used on linked menus.
  • Otter will flag any photos that do not meet a high quality bar and give you tips for improving

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Sticker Printing


Choose which items print on your stickers:

  1. From the “items” section, click into the item(s) you wish to update.
  2. At the bottom of the edit item page, you will see the “order details” section.
  3. Toggle the “Print on label” option on or off.

Helpful Tips:

  • Only applicable for sticker printer customers.
  • Print on label option available at the item level.

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Location Assignment


Location & station assignment:

  1. From the “items” page, select the item you wish to update
  2. Review location & station assignment.
  3. Update assignment or “station item name” by clicking “edit details” and selection station or editing the station item name.

Helpful Tips:

  • Station item name can be used as a back of house name that differs from the menu name customers see.

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Preview


Before you publish your menu, you can preview how it looks to customers:

  1. Click “Preview menu”.
  2. Select the location & service you want to preview your menu on.
  3. Preview will open in a new tab.
  4. Review your menu and make any changes as needed.

Helpful Tips:

  • Make sure all items have appropriate descriptions.
  • Test out selecting items and adding to cart to ensure a great customer experience.

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FAQ

  1. Can prices or item names be different between POS and order platform menus?
    • POS self-serve Menu Management can support prices and names being different between POS and order platform menus. As long as the items/modifiers that exist on order platforms are linked (Refresh from POS) to an entity on the POS, prices/names listed on order platforms don’t matter and POS injects will work.
  2. How to set different item prices and names between POS and order platform menus?
    • Once the POS menu is integrated and configured for Otter’s Menu Management, prices and names for items can be updated manually through Otter and published to order platforms. Going forward, updating names and/or prices should be skipped unless you would like to revert them to what is set in the POS menu.
  3. What happens if the prices are different between my POS and order platform menus
    • Having different prices may make updating menus via your Otter dashboard more complicated to maintain. When “Refresh From POS” is performed, Updating names and/or prices should be skipped or they will be overwritten by what is on the POS menu.
    • If prices are different, this may cause confusion via POS reporting since when orders are injected into the POS, prices neglect settings on Order Platforms and go by prices set on the POS.
  4. I tried following the steps in this process, but I’m unable to publish my menu. Who can I contact for help?

If you need additional help or information, you can contact support via the following:

  • Chat - Our live agents are available 24/7 to help you through your Otter device. Tap the chat button on the top right corner of the home screen.
  • SMS/Text or Telephone - Send us a text or give us a call anytime at 1-888-681-8837 for prompt service from our support experts.

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