Integration Overview
What is a POS integration between Otter and Brink POS?
A POS integration is when you connect your online channels and delivery platforms with your Brink POS, via Otter.
It creates real-time and direct communication between the delivery platforms and Brink, removing most manual inputs and actions required to synchronize those systems.
What is the necessity of integrating your Brink POS with Otter?
When online food orders from Delivery platforms represent a significant part of the business of a restaurant, they start feeling multiple operational pain points, that all find answers and solutions with a POS integration.
Otter’s point-of-sale integration allows orders from your delivery partners to flow directly into your point of sale. This integration has numerous benefits including:
- Automatically synchronize the Menu from Brink POS to your delivery channels, with no manual actions
- Sending all orders to flow directly into your Brink KDS seamlessly
- Sending all orders to print using Brink POS printer
- Eliminating the manual entry of delivery platform orders into the POS
- Improving the quality of the data by reducing errors from manual entry
In conclusion, an integration with Brink POS can save time and money, on a daily basis, and make your business more successful.
How does the Otter & Brink integration work?
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Step 1: Menu Sync A POS integration with Brink starts by a “Menu Sync” where Otter reads the menu in Brink POS and then links the items in Brink to the items published to the delivery platforms. |
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Step 2: Order Injection A POS integration with Otter allows customers to get delivery partner orders sent directly to their POS. This means that if you are POS-integrated, when you receive an online food order through Otter, the food order will automatically be sent to your Brink POS and be processed by the POS. |
How to Connect
The process to get the Otter & Brink Integration
| Steps | Process |
|---|---|
| 1 | Contact the Otter Support team to begin with the integration process. If you are new in Otter you can also request a free demo here with our specialists |
| 2 | The Onboarding Specialist will contact you to obtain your Brink account information for the integration setup. |
| 3 | After the Otter Integration setup is done, the Brink Menu will be synchronized (“Menu Sync”) to your Otter account |
| 4 | At this point, we can turn the integration on and orders will immediately begin to flow into Brink from Otter. |
What if I previously worked with another POS integration provider? (e.g. Chowly, It's a Checkmate, Deliverect, OLO)
- Please reach out to the Prior POS integration Provider to remove integrations from all delivery partners. They cannot just be disconnected, they need to be removed or the delivery partners will not let us connect. Please set a specific time to disconnect/remove the Prior POS Integrator and we can immediately launch the Otter integration.
- Please connect with your Delivery Partners to set the “tablet order protocol”. The Prior POS Provider often has you change the order protocol so we’ll need to revert it back to the tablet. The Delivery Partners should be able to confirm/get this done quickly
- Similarly, please connect with your Delivery Partners to allow us menu edit access on all Delivery Partners.
To confirm, there is no downtime in terms of accepting orders if you follow these steps, and you can have an Order Manager running on the Otter tablet to aggregate those throughout the process. Still, we cannot link/publish to your Delivery Partners until the above steps are followed.
POS Integration Settings in Otter Dashboard
When you make changes to your POS settings, the changes will need to be reflected in Otter as well to avoid order injection issues. The changes made in your POS can be updated in Otter within the POS Settings of the Otter Dashboard.
Available POS settings in the Otter Dashboard:
- View all the POS integration parameters set up for each of the stores.
- Update the POS channel settings under its control for each store.
- These are parameters pulled directly from the POS, per integration, based on what you have configured on your POS account.
- Turn on/off the POS injection per channel.
Examples of those settings are payment ID, dining ID, pickup ID, etc.
Learn how to adjust the POS integration settings here: Third-Party POS Integration Settings
Menu Management
Menu structure best practice
Before initiating a POS integration with Otter, it's essential to ensure the usability and quality of the Menu in Brink POS.
Best practices include:
- Add all categories that you would like to have on your delivery channels (UberEats, Doordash, etc.) in the POS.
- Add all items/item variations/modifiers that do not already exist in Brink precisely as you want the guest to see them on delivery channels.
- Review and clean the names, descriptions, and prices to make sure they are ready to be published to the delivery platforms.
Otter will be synchronized with the delivery platform menus so that they will reflect how they are in Brink, giving you the ability to completely control your guests’ experience directly from Brink POS.
Tips to a perfect Menu Structure
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| Categories |
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| Modifier Groups |
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| Modifiers |
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| Photos |
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How to prepare your Menu in Brink POS?
| Steps | Process | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | First, enter into the Brink Admin Portal using your credentials. Then, click on Configuration > Settings Editor > Select your location > Menus | |
| 2 | In Menus click on Add New Menu | |
| 3 | In Menus click on Add New Menu and name it as Otter Menu and select the categories that your menu with Otter should have - If you already have one menu that follows all the best practices to an online ordering menu, please rename it to Otter Menu. | |
| 4 |
You can add new items to the categories by clicking on Items on the sidebar menu, and then clicking on Add New Item.
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| 5 | Select the right category this item belongs to and make sure that this category is added to the Otter Menu. | |
| 6 | Make sure that all items are set as Active. | |
| 7 | Finally, in the sidebar menu, click on Menu Items > Add New Menu Item | |
| 8 | Select the new item created. Then click on Categories and scroll down the page | |
| 9 | Select the right category for this new item and click OK to finalize. Please, make sure that this step is done so Brink POS recognizes the item in the menu. | |
| 10 | Finally, to make sure that the menu will be sync correctly in Otter, go to the sidebar menu and click on Options > Online Ordering > Alternate Menus from the top menu bars | |
| 11 | Then, select the Otter Menu, fill out all the information, and click OK. |
You can get more help with your Brink Menu in the Toast Support Center or contact Otter's Customer Support.
Setting up Menu Auto-Sync with Brink POS?
“Menu Auto-Sync” with Brink POS is the best way to ensure a reliable POS integration with minimal maintenance on the long run. It is a best practice used by most Otter customers to manage their Menus in Brink POS, and automate the update of all the other menus in their Delivery Platforms.
Here are the steps to enable Menu Auto-Sync with Brink POS:
How to set up Menu Auto-Sync with Brink POS
| Steps | Process | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Open your Otter Dashboard, if you don’t have access, please contact Otter's Customer Support. | |
| 2 | Go to Otter Menus app, and select your menu. | |
| 3 | Click on the Settings icon in the top-right corner. | |
| 4 | Click on the Menu Sync tab enable the "Automatic updates from POS Menu" toggle. | |
| 5 |
The automatic menu publish setting will be available only once you configure the Automatic updates from the POS Menu. Configure the settings by selecting the information you wish Otter to update automatically from the POS. |
When Menu Auto-Sync is enabled, it will run every 6 hours, and will ensure the Menus are kept Synced. Check more details in this article.
Use the Otter SSMM to manage your Menu
Self Serve Menu Management (SSMM) is an Otter feature that allows you to create, edit, update, manage and publish menus from Otter’s Business Manager tool.
You can find here all the helpful guides about the tool and its features
Order Management
For these next steps, please, contact your Onboarding Specialist or the Otter Support team to enable the Order Injection.
What is required for the Order injection to work perfectly?
An “Order injection” to your Brink POS can only happen if the menu is “Synced”, meaning that all Menu items you have listed on Otter must be the same Menu items you have listed on your Brink POS.
Please, follow these guides to ensure your menus are Synced with Brink POS:
- Enable Menu Auto-Sync
- Trigger a manual Menu Sync in Update from POS
Integration FAQ
Why is my menu updating without any action from me?
Expand for further information
The menu updates automatically due to our new feature, Automated Point-Of-Sale (POS) Menu Synchronization, also known as 'Menu Auto-sync', which should be activated on your account.
This feature is designed to ensure that your menu remains updated without requiring manual intervention. It synchronizes your menu every 6 hours, ensuring that any changes made are promptly reflected in Otter and from Otter to your delivery apps.
Please, check this article for future information.
Why is my item in Brink POS not importing to Otter?
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Please, answer to this troubleshooting question:
- Is my Brink POS connection working? If it’s not, please make sure to have a stable internet connection and try again.
- Is my Otter Menu Auto-Sync turned on? If it is not, please follow this step to enable the menu auto-sync.
- I’m not seeing any modifier group assigned to my item. If you have modifier groups that should be assigned to a main item, please check the item’s Menu and verify that all necessary modifier groups are added to the item.
To add a modifier group please follow this step: Edit Item > Modifier Groups > Check-box for each missing modifier group > Add Modifier Group > Ok
What if I have different prices online and in-store?
Expand for further information
Key Words:
| Price management, prices overrides, auto-sync prices |
Currently, if you have different pricing for in-store vs delivery platforms, there are 2 options:
Option 1: Creating new items n the POS with uplifted price for delivery/integration use only
This option here will provide better long-term integration success, as it provides specific parameters for troubleshooting post-live when needed.
Option 2: Utilizing Otter’s POS Self-serve Menu Management Tool to update them
This is the recommended route if you do not want to duplicate your items within Brink POS. If you would like to utilize this tool, please notify your onboarding specialist.
How to check if my Otter Menu is correctly Synced and linked to my Brink POS Menu?
Expand for further information
Follow the next steps if you are already up and running with your Brink POS integration, if you’re new to POS integration, you can also contact Otter Support to set you up.
| Steps | Process | Additional information |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Select your Menu in the App list, then enter in your menu | |
| 2 | Click on Manage POS Links | |
| 3 |
In “Manage POS Links”, review the “Links summary” section at the top. If all 3 boxes indicate that there are 0 unlinked items, 0 unlinked modifier groups, and 0 unlinked modifiers, it means the Otter menu is correctly Synced with Brink POS. |
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If any of the boxes indicates a number of unlinked items or modifier groups or modifiers, it means the Otter menu is not correctly synced with Brink POS. Unlinked items can result in order injection failures and missed orders. |
How can I reach out to Brink support if I have an issue?
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You can reach out to Brink Support if you have other questions regarding the POS system.
How should I build my Otter menu?
Expand for further information
Please review all categories in Brink that you would like on your 3rd party delivery apps. Add any items/item variations/categories/modifiers that do not already exist in Brink precisely as you want the guest to see them.
We will be synchronizing these with the delivery app menus so that they will reflect how they are in Brink, giving you the ability to completely control your guests’ experience and how your 3rd party menus will appear.
Otter will import the whole menu you have in Brink.
How to fix printing issues?
Expand for further information
For printers configured by Otter the appropriate troubleshooting steps will vary depending on whether your printer is Cloud-enabled, Bluetooth-enabled, or Hardwired. Find your type of printer below, and follow the directions listed.
- Troubleshooting Cloud and Hardwired Printers
- Troubleshooting Bluetooth Printers
- How Do I Replace My Printer?
For additional help or information, you can contact Otter Support
If you are printing directly from your Brink POS system, please follow these steps:
- Ensure you have a stable internet connection to your Brink tablet.
- Make sure that there isn't a large order backlog, as this can cause delays.
- You can contact Brink Support for further assistance
What happens if an order is not injected?
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If there is ever an issue with an order and the order cannot be injected into Brink, then that issue will surface in the Otter tablet and appear as a POS Error.
This should not be expected often, but if it occurs then the order can be manually entered into Brink.
If orders are auto-accepted in Otter, does the order need to be acknowledged in the POS?
Expand for further information
If orders are on auto-accept then the order will be imported into the POS at the time of acceptance and the order will automatically print at the appropriate time without any action from the store. To appear in the reporting, the ticket needs to be assigned a payment type and closed out.
What if an order is canceled by the customer?
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Order cancellations are not reflected through the integration. If an order is canceled, the cancellation will surface in the Otter tablet, after which the order should be manually canceled in Brink.
To enable accurate reporting, canceled orders should be actioned upon within the point of sale.
How do scheduled orders work?
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Orders will automatically be imported into Brink from Otter 30 minutes before the order is scheduled to be picked up. These orders will surface in the Otter tablet 60 minutes before ready time.
Will it show which delivery partner the order is from?
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Yes, the delivery partner name and delivery partner order ID will be included in the order details once injected into Brink.
If Otter loses connection to my point of sale, will my delivery accounts be taken offline?
Expand for further information
No, your orders will continue to be executed within the delivery partners and within Otter. However, if the integration is offline for any reason, you should manually enter the orders into Brink.
How are tips accounted for?
Expand for further information
Tips collected in the delivery partner platforms will be routed directly to the third party courier and will not surface in your Brink POS.
Otter integration can only send tips to Brink POS if the restaurant is using its own couriers (restaurant delivery) or when it is a pick-up order type.
How is sales tax accounted for?
Expand for further information
Sales tax is computed within Brink based on the tax rules that have previously been set up in Brink.
Still need help? Reach out to our team:
| Chat with support by clicking the chat icon in the bottom right corner of the Otter Dashboard. |
+1 (888) 681-8837 Send us a text to the number above for assistance over text message. |
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