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Modifiers and Variations

Cashier Manager Admin

Use this page when a product opens a window asking for a size, flavour or add-ons before it goes in the cart.

Quick steps​

Sizes and flavours (variations):

  1. Tap the product. The variation picker opens.
  2. Tap the version the customer wants. Tap again, or use + and -, to change how many. You can pick several.
  3. Tap the add button at the bottom (for example Add 3 Items to Cart).

Add-ons and requests (modifiers):

  1. Tap the product. The options window opens.
  2. Tap the options the customer wants. Lists marked *Required must be filled in. For a typed request like a name on a cake, tap Type it here and type it.
  3. Set the Quantity if needed, then tap Add to Cart. The button shows the full price.
tip

To change the options after the item is in the cart, tap Edit on the cart line, make the changes and tap Update.

Common questions​

Add to Cart is greyed out. A required list isn't filled in yet. The message above the buttons tells you which one.

An option is greyed out and says Out of Stock. That option uses up another product that has run out. Pick a different one.

Where do I type "extra crispy" or an allergy note? In the Special Instructions box at the bottom of the window. It shows when your store uses the kitchen workflow, and the note goes to the kitchen.

Why isn't a variation listed? Variations with no stock are hidden, unless the product is allowed to sell below zero.

More detail: variations vs. modifiers

Variations vs. Modifiers​

VariationsModifiers
What they areSeparate versions of a product, each with its own SKU, barcode and stockChoices added to one product
ExamplesT-shirt in S/M/L/XL, Edible in 5mg/10mg/25mgExtra cheese, no onions, choice of sauce, "Name on cake"
InventoryEach variation has its own stockAn option can be set up to use up stock of another product, such as Bacon taking one from your bacon count
PricingEach variation has its own priceOptions add to or take off the price (+$1.50, -$0.50) or cost nothing
Cart displayShows as the variation nameListed under the product
More detail: picking variations

Product Variations​

When Variations Appear​

Tapping a product that has variations opens the Variation Picker instead of adding the product straight to the cart.

The Variation Picker​

The variation picker shows:

  1. Product name at the top.
  2. Search field to filter variations by name or SKU (only when the product has more than 10 variations).
  3. List of available variations, each showing:
    • Variation name (e.g., "Large - Blue")
    • Price
    • Stock level, minus what's already in the cart
    • Quantity selector (+/- buttons) once the variation is selected
  4. A Subtotal for what you've picked, and the add button at the bottom.

Selecting Variations​

  1. Tap a product with variations in the product grid.
  2. The variation picker opens.
  3. Tap the variation you want. Tap it again, or use + and -, to change how many.
  4. You can pick several variations at once (e.g., 2x Medium and 1x Large).
  5. Tap the add button, which reads Add 3 Items to Cart (or Add 2 to Cart for a single variation), to add them all.
tip

When a product has more than 10 variations, a search field appears at the top of the variation picker. For example, if a product has 20 colour and size combinations, type "Large" to show only large sizes.

Stock Awareness​

The variation picker shows live stock for each variation. Stock is calculated as:

Available = Current Stock - Quantity Already in Cart

Variations with no stock aren't listed at all, unless the product is set to allow selling below zero. A variation whose remaining stock is already in the cart appears dimmed and can't be tapped.

Keyboard Navigation​

The variation picker also works from the keyboard:

  • Arrow keys to move between variations
  • Enter to add one more of the highlighted variation to your selection
  • Esc to close the picker

Offline Behavior​

When the POS is offline, the variation picker uses the product information saved on the device. You can still select variations and add them to the cart, but stock levels may be out of date.

More detail: picking modifiers

Modifier Lists​

Modifiers are organized into modifier lists, such as "Toppings", "Choose a Sauce" or "Name on cake". A manager sets them up in the admin. See Modifier Lists.

A list is one of two kinds:

  • Options to pick from: tap to choose, like toppings or a sauce.
  • A text box: type in what the customer asks for, like "Happy 40th Dad" for a cake or initials for an engraving.

Picking Modifiers at the POS​

Product Detail

When the Window Opens​

The modifier window opens when you tap a product that has one or more modifier lists. If the product is a combo with choices ("and a drink: which drink?"), those choices appear first, above the modifier lists. See Bundles and Combos.

Using the Window​

  1. The top shows the product name and base price, plus the total of any options you've added.
  2. Each modifier list has its own section. Its name shows on the left, and the rule shows on the right: Select 1, Select 2+, Select 1-3 or Optional. Required lists are marked *Required.
  3. Tap an option to select or deselect it. On a pick-one list, tapping another option swaps to it.
  4. Options marked as defaults by your manager start already selected. Untick one if the customer doesn't want it, and the kitchen sees "NO Cheese".
  5. Options priced above or below the base price show that amount, like +1.50.
  6. Set the Quantity at the bottom of the window.
  7. Tap Add to Cart. The button shows the total price: base price plus options, times quantity.

Lists With Quantities ("2x Extra Shot")​

Some lists let you take the same option more than once:

  1. Tap the option once to add one.
  2. Use the - and + buttons that appear beside it to change how many.

The list's limit counts the total. On a "pick up to 5" list, 3 of one option and 2 of another is the most you can add.

Some of these lists are set to all one kind, like a bucket of five beers that must all be the same beer. Tapping an option fills the whole bucket with it, and tapping a different option swaps the whole bucket over.

Typing a Request ("Name on cake")​

A text list shows a box that says Type it here:

  1. Tap the box and type what the customer asked for.
  2. If the list has a character limit, a counter such as 12/30 shows how much room is left.
  3. If the list is marked *Required, you can't add the item until something is typed.

Read it back to the customer before taking payment. It shows in the cart the same way it appears on the receipt and on the kitchen display.

Out of Stock and Low Stock Options​

When an option uses up stock of another product (for example, a bottle of vodka for a spirit choice):

  • Low Stock (N left) means only a few uses remain.
  • Out of Stock means the option is greyed out and can't be tapped. A default option that has run out doesn't come pre-selected.

Rules the Window Checks​

  • Too few chosen: a message like "Toppings: Select at least 1" appears above the buttons, and Add to Cart stays disabled until it's fixed.
  • Too many chosen: if you try to pick more than a list allows, a warning pops up and the extra option isn't added.
  • Text: "Name on cake: please fill this in" for a required box left empty.
warning

You can't add a product to the cart while any required list is incomplete. The messages above the buttons tell you which list needs attention.

Special Instructions​

When your store uses the kitchen workflow, a Special Instructions box appears at the bottom of the window. Use it for requests that aren't one of the options, like "extra crispy" or "allergy: nuts". These notes go to the kitchen ticket and the kitchen display.

Pressing Enter while typing in this box (or in a "Name on cake" box) doesn't ring the item up. Tap Add to Cart when you're done.

Price Calculation​

The price for a modified item is:

(Base Price + Sum of Selected Options) x Quantity

For example:

  • Burger: $12.00
  • Extra Cheese: +$1.50
  • No Onions: $0.00
  • Quantity: 2
  • Total: ($12.00 + $1.50) x 2 = $27.00
More detail: how choices show in the cart, and changing them

How Modifiers Show in the Cart​

The product line lists its choices underneath:

Burger                              $31.00
  Extra Cheese +$1.50, Bacon (2x) +$1.00, No Onions
  • Options that add to the price show their price for one, and repeats show a count like (2x). Options that take money off don't show an amount here.
  • Default options you unticked show as No Onions.
  • Typed requests show the list name followed by what you typed, for example Name on cake: Happy 40th Dad.

Sales history lists the same choices without prices, for example + Extra Cheese, + Bacon (2x), No Onions.

Changing Options on a Cart Line​

If the customer changes their mind after the item is in the cart:

  1. Tap the Edit button on the cart line. It shows on items that have modifiers.
  2. The modifier window opens with the item's current choices, typed requests and special instructions filled in.
  3. Make the changes and tap Update. The button shows the new price.

Tapping elsewhere on the line opens the discount window instead, if you're allowed to discount. Manual items, free items, payouts and locked lines don't have an Edit button.

Discounting One of Several Identical Items​

A line discount applies only to the cart line you discounted. For example, a customer buys two pops and you make one of them free:

  1. Ring up two pops and give that line a 100% discount.
  2. Then scan or tap a third pop.

The third pop doesn't join the free line. It starts a new line at the regular price, so a free mixer never makes the customer's next drink free too.

More detail: tabs, receipts and the kitchen

Saving the Cart to a Tab​

When you use Save to tab, every item keeps its modifiers, typed requests and special instructions. They appear on the tab, and when you tap Send on the tab, the kitchen ticket shows them, for example:

Burger
   + Extra Cheese
   NO Onions
   + Name on cake: Happy 40th Dad
   ** allergy: nuts **

Some items can't go on a tab: build-your-own platters, buckets, combos where you picked a choice, and case or pallet (unit-of-measure) items. The POS shows a message, and you check those out directly instead.

Modifiers on Receipts​

Selected modifiers print under the product name, each with its price change. On a line of several items, the price shown is for all of them. Typed requests print as Name on cake: Happy 40th Dad.

Modifier lists your manager has set to Hide from customers are left off receipts, including emailed receipts. The kitchen still sees everything, so kitchen-only notes can be kept there.

Modifiers in the Kitchen​

If your store uses the Kitchen Display System, each order card lists the modifiers under the item: + Extra Cheese, NO Onions in red, + Name on cake: Happy 40th Dad, and special instructions between asterisks. This is the same for completed sales, Pay Later orders and items sent from a tab. Printed kitchen tickets show typed requests the same way. See Kitchen Display System.

What's Next?​