Overview
This is an overview of how orders flow between ezCater and Lunchbox and how to successfully make menu updates. It's crucial to understand how the order flow differs depending on whether the customer makes changes to the order. Through our integration with ezCater, Lunchbox can receive new and updated orders using an authentication token (ezCater ID).
Recommended configuration
To hide ezCater orders in the Admin Dashboard until 5 minutes before they are sent to the POS, ensure the following settings:
Integrations tab: Set Order Submit Lead Delay Seconds to 300 (300 seconds = 5 minutes).
Service Type > Order Handling:
Do not select the following checkboxes:
Auto-Send to POS
Hold Future Orders
Hold Same Day Orders
Additionally,
This setup should only be adjusted pre-launch, if necessary.
If this setup is skipped, orders will appear in the Admin Dashboard as soon as they are accepted in the ezManage Dashboard.
As a result, steps 5 and 6 in the first example and steps 5 and 10 in the second example will not be accurate.
Enabling Auto-Send to POS immediately will prevent users from adjusting orders and will skip the Admin Held status.
Standard Order Flow
IF A CUSTOMER DOESN'T EDIT THEIR ORDER
EzCater |
| Lunchbox |
Customer places order | 1 |
|
Restaurant receives an email to accept the order | 2 |
|
Restaurant accepts order | 3 |
|
ezCater sends the order to LB | 4 |
|
| 5 | LB receives the order and holds it. The order is not visible in Admin dashboard* |
| 6 | LB sends the order to POS 5 minutes before due time for pickup or delivery |
Order Flow with order modification
IF A CUSTOMER EDITS THEIR ORDER
EzCater |
| Lunchbox |
Customer places order | 1 |
|
Restaurant receives an email to accept the order | 2 |
|
Restaurant accepts order | 3 |
|
ezCater sends the order to LB | 4 |
|
| 5 | LB receives the order and holds it. The order is not visible in Admin dashboard* |
Customer edits the order in EZ | 6 |
|
Restaurant recieves an email to accept the order modification | 7 |
|
Restaurant accepts the order modification | 8 |
|
ezCater sends another accepted order to LB | 9 |
|
| 10 | LB recieves updates |
| 11 | LB cancels the initial order |
| 12 | LB creates a new order |
|
| LB sends the order to POS 5 minutes before due time for pickup or delivery |
EZCater Menu Update Requests
Please Note: Updates to your EZCater Menu may take up to 5 business days to be processed.
To request an update, please email [email protected] to schedule the change. In your email, be sure to include a list of the items you’d like to update.
Before submitting your request, please review the following menu update guidelines to ensure a smooth process.
Menu Updates After the Initial Launch
The following is a list of important things to remember when making menu updates if you have Future Orders that have not been sent to the POS.
1. Adding new items, modifiers, or OPTIONAL modifier groups
Add them and hide from POS until the launch date.
Set visibility to Dine In on Lunchbox until the launch date.
2. Adding new required modifier groups or changing the behavior of a mod group to required on existing menu items.
You’ll need to create a new item.
If not, any orders placed before the change will fail to send to POS.
3. Removing items, modifiers, or REQUIRED OR OPTIONAL modifier groups
Hide from POS and set visibility to Dine In only on Lunchbox.
Keep them this way until the final order for that item has been sent to POS.
If you will not have the stock on hand to fulfill the order then get in touch with the guest and send them a new quote removing the items that are no longer on the menu.
4. Updating prices
You have two options:
Option A: Update existing items
Write off tender id must be built
EZCater has a 5-day SLA for price updates.
Decide whether you’re okay with reporting mismatches in Toast before or after the EZCater update goes live.
Option B: Create new items with updated prices
Build new items in advance, hide from POS, and set them to Dine In & EZCater on Lunchbox until Go Live.
5. Updating coupon
Make sure that any new menu items or modifiers are updated in your coupon banks.
6. At Go Live:
Expose the new items to POS.
Hide the old items from POS and set them to Dine In Only on LB