Deep Copy - unattractive solution

[ejbytes]

Restaurant Professionals!

At our restaurant, Downtown, we-like-the-rest-of-the-community change our prices during EVENTS; Concerts, Convention, something that draws in the visitors. That's a big city strategy. Hotel prices are up, parking is up, everything is up. That's the way it is.

DEEP COPY - is how I strategize this effort to change "working menus" efficiently. One problem! It's UGLY and needs cleaning and it's TEDIOUS!

Dinner, Copy, [x] Deep Copy -> Hmmm. It doesn't say "(Deep Copy)" on each line item. Hmmm. Did it work? Save? Oh, SAVE, then (Deep Copy) is appended at each line item. That's not obvious, but did I read the 5000 page manual? Yes? Okay, it's identified now.

THE UGLY:
DEEP COPY prints on the customer's receipt! That's where the TEDIOUS comes into play. You now have to ask, "What do I do to keep it clean, so DEEP COPY isn't on the customer's receipt?" Oh, I now have to EDIT each line item. All 150 line items? Yeah. 

Other options to clean up DEEP COPY? NO:
Let's see, "POS", make is short for server's to ID quickly. What kitchen sees? Nope. An EDIT on every line item is now due. So, now after I "clean" the line items after a DEEP COPY. Now what? Someone comes in an add's to the menu, Copy Existing items. Oh no!  Which are parallel copies and which are DEEP COPY!? OHHHH NOOOO! I may want a mixture ob both, but...

See screenshot below: Name (what customer sees), POS (what servers see), Kitchen Name (what the chef sees).

Did I paint that scenario? I hope so. This is straight forward. Sorry software engineer, "you got some work to do!"

How to clean this, DEEP COPY, up on the software side?

• Add another input box, POS, Kitchen,  AND "What customer sees"? [x] Copy all NAMES, except "DEEP COPY TEXT"
• Change the font color on DEEP COPY: forest green, blue, cranberry red?
• Alert the Restaurant Staff User, "This is DEEP  COPY" somewhere, everywhere?
• There needs to be a distinction, because as I've lain out, "DEEP COPY" prints to customer's receipt.
• Something swift.

How much does Debugging Toa$t Tab make? I'd like to apply. 
 

[rcmck · Accepted solution]

Probably not going to want to hear this because it's a little too late, but you should pretty much never use deep copy, (it should be locked behind several "are you sure?* prompts imo)

Even in the situations where it makes sense to use it I will still usually avoid it, good news is you usually only make this mistake once. 

A better solution would be making an event menu and shallow copying the menu  then converting  to menu specific pricing to increase the prices on that menu with the price editor. https://central.toasttab.com/s/article/Building-Happy-Hour-Menus-w-Menu-Specific-Pricing-14930044457... 

[ejbytes]

Doesn't COPY create a copy and link? I mean COPY will copy over any item, but if you change the price on that item, it will also change the price on the other menu that "item" is used in.

That's the experience I've had with COPY. Then I get a call, "Who changed the prices"? When someone had gone in to update an item price in ONE specific Menu, but it did indeed change all prices in all menus. Using COPY. 

I did start using Visible/Not Visible because there were servers using SEARCH and just choosing whatever was on top of the menu without reading the PATH; "Oh, Salmon, click" Then the customer, "Why did you charge me $99 for salmon?!" 

I get it. Someone cluttering up the DB and not knowing what the heck they're doing. But I'm the only one, no training in Toast, that has a clue. Clueless by your standards it seems.

I did try using BASE PRICE. I noticed it wasn't putting the price in when I selected the item. So I stopped using it. I didn't seem to be BASE of anything. Maybe there is something crucial I am missing.

[CEFreeman]

You are correct.  Copy  means copy in the true sense of the word.  For my work, that's where Menu Specific pricing comes in the most handy.  For some reason, the search button isn't used much with my staff, probably because I have mods and items everywhere they make sense, or where someone would logically look.  

I've also set up discounts rather than separate menus for Happy Hour, Kids Eat Free, and 1/2 off Wine Bottles, because I can use my original item and set the discount separately.  They know when the ticket is sent, the discounts are applied.  Another cool thing is those discounts are broken out on my Sales Summary and I like that.  But it eliminates unnecessary items and copies. .  

I am also Toast Self Taught, but not database self-taught.  I have a one-up because of that.  You're obviously not clueless, but I think some things you might be overthinking.  We have never seen a Toast rep, and the online classes are, well, hopefully still developing.  (For example, I don't give a crap about someone's Pronouns and don't need to waste time discussing it.  Let's get down to business.) So to some degree,  we're winging it. 

I think you might want to do a search on Hidden Menus.  Designating certain menus  to certain POS stations might also help you.  I have HH in the bar during the week, but on Sunday it's 3-close, whole restaurant.  So that helped me further whittle down who can see what.   

[ejbytes]

I took another look. Either the Base Price was still buggy when I tried it and since it's fixed? Or I was not doing it the right way under 2 years ago when we very first started to use Toast. I tried a new Event Menu. Changed from base price to "Menu Specific Price" checked both menus and Viola! Works like expected. It might have been a bug when I first tried it. I have no idea... but I lost trust in the design a few times along the way. I've seen changes too. In real time. Good ones. so I think there are still some growing pains still left in there.

[CEFreeman]

There are odd things that happen.  We'll be chugging along at Brunch and suddenly items will lose their print stations.  Or,  a modifier will bring up the dining option (although I have  it turned off in FOH.)  Discounts will stop working (yes, evidently it's a bug with the availability settings).  

I have probably taken this to extremes, but I had looping happening and unnecessary mods showing up all over.  Before they sadly delete Menus/Edit Database, I have gone through and checked each and every Modifier for its mod groups  and where it is used, and Items for menu inclusions. Click the magnifying glass beside it and it will give you a list.  Right-click and open in new window to get to the mod group directly.  I remove that particular modifier from those mod groups.  If a Mod is in two different groups, I'll move one to the other and delete one so one of them has no inclusions.  Once something has no attachments, I archive it.  

If it's an item, I do the same thing plus removing the mod groups, sub groups, set to base price  $0 (no menu or time specifics) check its print stations and tax status, (set to state base)  and archive it.  I make sure to use  one single Item in all the proper places.  Not one here, another there.  Updating should be one-stop shopping with just a single Item in use. 

I'm so **bleep** I've gone through and changed  unused mods to Open Mod, unused items to Open Item (Food) etc.  I label the Item specifically, because I've had Toast become confused and suddenly remove my Open Food and Open Bar options instead.  

Once those are all cleaned out and archived, if I need to add a new Mod or Item, I reuse those archived ones.  I always use an empty Menu Group if I'm creating a new Menu or Menu group so I don't have yet more copies. 

I woke up  today and realized if you really wanted to carry on with your deep copies, though, you could change button colors for quick reference.   It wouldn't be clean on your POS, but  I think that ship has sailed, anyway.

I'll stop now.  I am extremely **bleep** as you might have figured, and this is my rabbit hole.  I'm finally coming to the point where I only have actively used stuff in my databases.  Frankly, I love this stuff.  

[ejbytes]

Yes, don't tell anyone that it's fun working with DB's! They might stop paying us 😛

Cheers!