In Beta
This feature is in beta. Contact your CSM to learn more.
Menu item rules define how a modifier or menu item depletes inventory based on what else appeared on the same sales ticket. Rather than always depleting the same recipe, a rule-based modifier can deplete different ingredients or quantities depending on which parent menu item it accompanied and which other modifiers were ordered alongside it. Rules are created on the menu item or modifier record and are evaluated each time a matching sales ticket is processed.
Rules are built using a WHEN / THEN structure. The WHEN section defines the conditions that must be true for the rule to trigger. The THEN section defines the depletion or replacement action that executes when those conditions are met. These rules are defined on the Menu Item Rules section of the new menu item record. To learn how to create, edit, or delete rules, see Configure Menu Item Rules.
Navigation
Menu item rules are found in the Menu item rule section of a menu item record.
Navigation Steps
Open the Sales & forecasting application.
Expand Menu items.
Select Menu Items.
Click a menu item record from the list.
Navigate to the Menu item rule section.
This is the default section that the record will open to.
How Rules Work
Each rule belongs to the menu item or modifier record it is created on. That item is the primary entity and appears as a locked condition in the WHEN section, marked with a Primary indicator. When a rule triggers, the depletion is attributed to the primary entity. In reporting, its cost line reflects the depletion from the rule. Other items referenced as conditions in the WHEN section provide context for when the rule applies, but they do not receive cost attribution from that rule.
When a sales ticket is processed, rules on a record are evaluated in order from top to bottom. All rules whose conditions match the ticket are applied. If none of the rules on the record match the ticket, a default action runs instead.
Users without edit permissions see the Rules section in read-only mode. The options to add, edit, or delete rules are not available in that state.
Rule Conditions
The WHEN section of a rule defines when the rule triggers. The primary entity row is always present and locked. Additional conditions can reference other items that appeared on the same sales ticket:
A specific menu item present on the ticket
A specific modifier present on the ticket
A sales category associated with an item on the ticket
A modifier group the item belongs to
Each condition uses an is or is not operator. All conditions in the WHEN section must be true at the same time for the rule to trigger.
Rule Actions
The THEN section defines what happens when a rule triggers. Each rule supports one or more actions. Available actions are:
Deplete: Depletes a recipe. Requires a target recipe.
Multiple actions can be added to a single rule. All actions in the THEN section execute when the rule triggers.
If the conditions of two or more rules on the same record could match the same sales ticket, an overlap warning appears on the record. The warning does not block saving or processing.
Rules and Reporting
Adding rules to a modifier or menu item does not change which entities appear in reports. Menu Item Analysis and Menu Price Analysis continue to display each sold entity on its own line with its own cost. Rules change which recipe an entity depletes — they do not change which entity carries the cost.
When a rule triggers, the depletion is attributed to the primary entity (the item the rule belongs to). If a modifier is configured to deplete mozzarella when paired with one parent item and feta when paired with another, both depletion events appear on the modifier's cost line in reporting. The cost reflects the actual recipe depleted in each case.
Unknown Menu Items
A menu item enters Unknown state when both a menu-item-type and a modifier-type POS item are linked to it at the same time. In Unknown state, the record displays the standard recipe picker rather than the visual rule builder. Two rules are maintained automatically in the background, but they are not visible or editable in the rule builder interface.
Complex rules cannot be created on a menu item in Unknown state. Complex rules are rules with additional WHEN conditions or multiple THEN actions. To create complex rules, the item's POS item links must first be resolved so the item has one consistent type (menu item or modifier).