Creating Catering Configurations

1.	You will have already created Catering Configuration Groups, following the instructions above.

2.	Now, in the top selection grid, click to highlight the Catering Configuration Group to which you want to add individual configurations.

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3.	Click the New button next to the bottom selection grid.

4.	The Catering Configuration [New] window appears. There are four tabs in this window: General (under which you will add Categories and Items), Comments, Setup and Accounts.

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General:

Item Code: This is the abbreviated name for the catering configuration. Using our examples from above, a company may highlight the configuration group called “Buffets” in the top grid, and add configuration item codes named “American,” “Sunday” and “Chocolate.” If the company uses configurations to group related items, such as Beverages, the configuration item code may again be named “Beverages” under the configuration group “Beverages”.

Description: Enter an expanded description, if necessary, of the configuration item code. The event management staff will see this description in the Event Maintenance screen. Enter a description that will make sense to them and include any conditional information, such as “Executive Dinner – minimum 100 people.” Do not worry, however, if you do not need a complex description; your description of “Beverages” may be “Beverages.”

c.	Notes: This is a short text field (60 characters) that can be used for additional information.

d.	Supplier: If an outside supplier caters the configuration, select the supplier from the drop-down list. You entered these suppliers earlier in the Company/Contact screen.

Def. Time and To: Enter the default time during which this catering configuration will be typically used. When you later create an event and add this catering configuration, the configuration will be set to these times rather than the times defined for the location. This field is linked to the Use Location Times checkbox on the right. If the Use Location Times checkbox is checked, you cannot enter Default Times here.

Options:

Available: When you first create a new configuration, the Available checkbox will be pre-selected and grayed out. Later, you can uncheck this check box to indicate that a previously used configuration has been discontinued. This will prevent staff selecting it for future events. EventPro cannot delete the configuration if it has been used for previous events.

b.	Billable: Check the box to indicate that the catering configuration is usually billable. Non-billable items will not show up in invoices.

c.	Discountable: Check this box if you want to allow the charges to be discounted.

Use Location Times: Check this box if you want to use the location times as the default times this configuration will be in use. Even if you entered default times in the Def. Time fields to the left, EventPro will still set the configuration times to the location times if this box is checked. If you want to create your own default times in the Def. Time fields, uncheck this box.

e.	Use Location Attendance: Check this box if you want the number of meals/plates added to an event to be set to the number entered in the actual attendance field of the event.

f.	Show on Web: If you have the EPWeb module, check the Show On Web checkbox to allow the configuration to show on the website.

3.	Cost/Price:

a.	Choose the Cost Type Default and the Price Type Default from the options in the drop-down lists: Main Only (the per-plate or per-person cost/price), Detail Only or Both.

i.	If you chose Main Only for the default cost or price type, enter the Cost and/or Price figures in the fields to the right.

ii.

If you chose Both as the default cost or price type, you can also enter a Cost and/or Price to the right. The Both option allows you to set the price according to a combination of per plate and per item prices. You may, for instance, offer menus priced per plate, but allow a variety of individually priced add-ons.

iii.

If you choose Detail Only, the field to the right will be disabled. You will enter the detail pricing for the individual items at the bottom right of the General Tab in this window. When you later add this catering configuration to an event, you can select the individual items for which you want an additional price added to the per plate price.

PP (Per Person Cost): If the Cost you entered is a per person cost (should be multiplied by the number of people), check this PP checkbox. Later, when you add this configuration to an event, the Cost will be multiplied by the number of people attending in order to calculate the total cost. If the Cost you entered is a Flat cost for the entire configuration, leave this PP checkbox unchecked. This field is only available if you choose Both or Main Only as the Cost Type Default.

c.	Minimum Margin: The minimum margin percentage prevents staff from discounting below the set margin. EventPro defaults to the figure you entered when you set up the configuration group.

d.	Available In: From the drop-down list, select the effective dates for which this configuration will be available.

4.	Applicable Taxes:

a.	Check the boxes to indicate the taxes applicable to this configuration.

b.	To review how applicable taxes work in conjunction with Applicable Event Taxes, see the information provided under Step 6: Company/Contact, Entering New Company: Taxes above.

You can now further define your configuration by adding Categories to the bottom left selection grid of the General Tab.

It is not actually necessary to go to the following level of detail with a catering configuration if it is very simple and the catering staff knows what it is. For example, if your facility offers a Continental Breakfast that is “Croissants, preserves and coffee or tea”, with no further options, you can summarize this in the Comments field of the configuration window and set the cost/price without having to add additional details under Categories and Item Codes. For very simple configurations, you may not even need Comments, but can summarize the configuration in the name and description. However, for more complex menus with various options and prices, you may want to organize the configuration under the Category and Item Code grids.

Categories refer to the collections of related items you will use to build menus. When you created your catering resource table, you entered individual items under broad categories such as “Appetizers”, “Beverage selections,” and “Entrees”. Now, when you add items to a menu, EventPro can pull in the category and the items associated with it. You can choose to add to or delete items from that category.

You are not, however, restricted to the categories you created back when setting up your resource table. Within a configuration, you can create new categories and assign any items from your entire catering resource table (regardless of what category it belonged to). This allows you to create more detailed custom catering sheets for your client.

1.	In the bottom left corner of the Category Grid, click the New button.

2.	The Catering Category [New] window appears.

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3.	Enter the Item Number to indicate where in the list of categories you want this category to appear.

Depending on your preference, you can select a Category from the drop-down list or type in the name of a new category to appear on your BEOs or catering sheets for this configuration. For example, while your resource table may be divided into broad categories called “Entrees” and “Appetizers”, you can now create new categories called “Meat Entrées”, “Vegetarian Entrées”, “Hot Appetizers” and “Cold Appetizers” as you create your new configuration. Note that you cannot select duplicate categories or call two categories the same name within one configuration. Also, any new categories you create here will be unique to the configuration within which you create them.

5.	The Description field will default to the category name. You can add more detail if you like.

6.	Click Save.

7.	The Confirm dialog will ask whether you want to add detail items to the new category.

a.	Click No if you want to continue adding categories and add detail items later. Click Yes if you want to add detail items to the category now.

b.	If you click Yes, the Configuration Item Copy window appears. Select the checkboxes next to the detail items you want to copy to the category (click the + signs to open the menu tree, if necessary) and click OK.

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Finally, you can add Catering items to the bottom selection grid of the General Tab. As with categories, you do not need to go to this detailed level of catering if your business does not require it.

If you selected a category from your catering resource table, all of the items associated with that category will automatically be pulled into the bottom right grid under Item Code. You can edit, view or delete these items by using the Edit, View or Delete buttons below the selection grid. If you want to change the Per Person Quantity for an item, you can click on the Qty/Person field in the selection grid and enter the correct number. You can also select these items so that they are selected by default when you use the configuration in an event; see Selecting Catering Items below.

You may add items to augment existing categories, so that they better suit the configuration, or you may delete items from the category in the configuration without deleting them from the category listed in your resource table.

If you created a new category, the bottom right grid will stay blank and you will need to add items.

1.	Click to highlight the relevant Category in the bottom left grid and click on the New button under the bottom right grid.

2.	The Catering Category Detail [New] window appears.

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3.	Enter the Item Number to indicate where in the list of items you want this item to appear.

From the Catering Item drop-down list, you can select any item from your catering resource table regardless of what category it was originally defined under. While you can create new categories, you can only select items that you defined earlier when creating your catering resource table. If you need to add new items to this you will have to return to Step 9: Resources, Adding Catering Items to the Resource Tables.

To search for a specific item, click the Find button. In upper right corner of the Find Catering Item window, select a radio button to indicate whether you want to search in Item Codes, Descriptions or Item Codes and Descriptions. Type your search term(s) in the Search For field. Matching items will appear in the selection grid below. Select an item and click OK.

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6.	The Quantity/Person will default to the figure you entered while setting up this catering item, but you can change it for this configuration if you like.

Check the Set Quantity to Main Catering Configuration Actual Count box if you want EventPro to use the actual catering attendance count to calculate the quantity of items needed when you later add the configuration to an event. EventPro will multiply the Quantity/Person by the Actual Attendance Count to come up with the total number of items needed.

8.	The Cost and Price will default to the figures you entered when setting up your catering resource table. You can change the description or numbers here, but these changes will only apply to this configuration.

Check the Use Resource Item Cost and/or Use Resource Item Price if you always want this item to be the same cost/price in the configuration as in the catering resource inventory. If these boxes are checked, any time you change the catering item’s cost/price in the resource inventory (under Setup | Resources | Items), the item’s cost/price in the configuration will be automatically updated to that new cost/price.

10.	The Description will default to the text you entered when creating this item in setup.

11.	Click on the Preparation Information tab. If you want to use the preparation information you entered when creating the item in setup, check the box next to Use Resource Item Preparation Information. If not, you can enter new or different notes in the text box below.

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12.	Click Save. In the Confirm dialog box that appears, click Yes if you would like to continue adding items to this category, or click No to only add the item you just selected.

You can also quickly and easily add catering items using the Multi-Add button.

1.	Click the Multi-Add button in the bottom right corner of the Catering Configuration [New] window.

2.	The Item Select window appears.

3.	Click the + boxes to view the items under each category. Select the checkboxes next to the items you want to add to the catering configuration and click OK.

4.	The items will be added to the item grid in the bottom right corner of the Catering Configuration [New] window. You can then edit each item to adjust the Quantity/Person, Cost, Price, etc.

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Finally, you also have the option of copying items from another catering configuration. Click the Config Copy in the bottom right corner of the window. The Configuration Item Copy window appears.

1.	In the Configuration Item Copy window, click the + signs to open up the menu tree.

2.	Check the checkboxes next to the detail items you want to copy to the selected category and click OK.

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After you have added catering items to the configuration, you can also select certain items so that they will be pre-selected by default when you add this catering configuration to an event. It is not necessary to pre-select items when you create a catering configuration, but if you find that you often select the same items every time you use the configuration in an event, it may save time to have the items selected by default. You can always change the selections when you actually use the configuration in an event.

To select items, check the Sel checkboxes next to the Item Codes.

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A Comments field can be attached to every catering configuration. Whatever you type in this field will be visible to your clients in the banquet event orders or catering sheets.

Comments are generally used to define additional items that are included with the meal. For instance, for a dinner menu, you could enter “Served with fresh rolls and a chef’s salad.”

The Comments field can also be used to define simple codes that need not be broken down further into the category and item levels. For instance, a Continental Breakfast may be summarized in the comments field as, “Croissants, preserves and coffee or tea.” Since catering staff already know what a Continental Breakfast is, and since no other options are available, they do not need it broken down further into categories and items.

You can format the font, colors and alignment of the text using the icons. If you want to create a document with more complex formatting, click the Word Processor button. To learn how to use the various functions of the Word Processor, see Chapter 12: Communications, Part B: Letters, Word Processor.

The Setup tab provides an additional text editor for communicating setup information to catering staff.

EventPro defaults to the accounts you entered when you set up your groups.

Click the drop-down arrow next to Income Account, Expense Account and/or Department, as applicable, to select different codes from the drop-down lists. You created these codes earlier in your General Lookup Tables.

4.	When you have added all the information you need for this catering configuration, click Save.

5.	Later, you will add catering configurations to events and adjust the information as necessary. See Chapter 3: Event Maintenance, Adding Resources: Catering.

Help url: http://www.yourdomain.com/help/index.html?ch1_step9_creating_catering_configurations.htm

Creating Catering Configurations						Dear EventPro Documentation Department,
Creating Catering Configurations