Dynamic F&B minimums are food and beverage (F&B) minimums that Tripleseat calculates and applies to events automatically. You set dynamic F&B minimums once in Settings > Advanced Location Settings > F&B Minimum, and Tripleseat fills in the correct F&B minimum on new events based on the location, event style, room, day of the week, and time.
What dynamic F&B minimums do
- Dynamic F&B minimums keep minimum spend pricing consistent across events, so your team does not need to calculate and enter an F&B minimum for every event.
- Dynamic F&B minimums can be customized by location, event style, room, day of the week, and time of day. An event style is the kind of event, such as On-Premise Event, Pick-Up Catering, or Large Party Reservation.
- Dynamic F&B minimums apply automatically to event details, documents, and Direct Book forms.
- You can choose which menu item categories, such as Food or Beverage, count toward the F&B minimum.
Types of dynamic F&B minimums: Default, Seasonal, and Special
- Default: Your recurring F&B minimum schedule for each day of the week. The default schedule applies when no Special or Seasonal Override matches the event.
- Seasonal Override: F&B minimums for a broader date range, such as a holiday season, summer weekends, or a conference period.
- Special Override: F&B minimums for a specific date or one-time event, such as New Year's Eve or a citywide event.
How Tripleseat decides which dynamic F&B minimum applies
Tripleseat checks F&B minimums in this order and uses the first one that matches the event's date, day, and time:
- Form Minimum, if an amount is entered on a Direct Book form (Direct Book only)
- Special Override
- Seasonal Override
- Default F&B minimum schedule
A Special Override always takes priority over a Seasonal Override for any dates both overrides cover. Tripleseat applies this order automatically.
Where dynamic F&B minimums appear in Tripleseat
- Events: The F&B minimum appears under Event Financials on the event with a Calculated label. Selecting Calculated opens a read-only view of the F&B minimums from Advanced Location Settings.
- Bookings: Dynamic F&B minimums apply at the event level. The F&B minimums for each event in the booking add up to the booking's Total F&B Minimum.
- Documents: The F&B minimum appears on the F&B Minimum line in the billing widget of the event's documents.
- Merge fields: Use F&B Min under Event Fields, or Total F&B Min (Booking) under Booking Fields, to add the F&B minimum to documents and discussion email templates.
- Reports: F&B minimum columns, including the F&B minimum balance, are available in the Event Details Report and the Booking Details Report.
- Direct Book: Guests see the F&B minimum while they choose their food and beverage. Guests must agree to the minimum but do not have to meet it to submit an inquiry, unless the form has a Form Minimum. Any shortfall appears as the unmet minimum on the Payment Summary page and is added to the grand total.
How to change the dynamic F&B minimum on one event
- Before documents are created, edit the event and change the F&B minimum amount. While you edit, the label changes to Manually Entered. After you save, no label appears.
- A manually entered F&B minimum does not recalculate, even if the event's room, date, or time changes later.
- After documents are created, change the amount on the F&B Minimum line in the billing widget of the event's document template.
How to set up dynamic F&B minimums
- To set your recurring weekly minimums, see How do I set up Dynamic F&B Minimums by day and time?
- To set minimums for holidays, seasons, or one-time events, see How do I add a Special or Seasonal F&B minimum override?
What happens to existing events when you change dynamic F&B minimums
New or edited dynamic F&B minimums apply to newly created events and bookings only. Tripleseat does not change the F&B minimum on events or bookings that already exist.
Requirements for using dynamic F&B minimums
- Customer Admins, admins, and users whose user role includes access to Advanced Location Settings can manage dynamic F&B minimums.
- The F&B Minimum tab only shows the locations your user has access to.
- Each event style or room uses one rate type, either Hourly or Flat. Pick-Up Catering and Drop-Off Catering can only use the Flat rate type.
Frequently asked questions about dynamic F&B minimums
Who can manage dynamic F&B minimums?
Customer Admins, Admins, and users whose user role includes access to Advanced Location Settings can set up and edit dynamic F&B minimums.
Can I use dynamic F&B minimums at the booking level?
No. Dynamic F&B minimums apply at the event level. The event F&B minimums add up to the booking's Total F&B Minimum, and the booking-level F&B Minimum field is greyed out. A booking cannot use both event-level and booking-level F&B minimums.
What does the Calculated label next to an F&B minimum mean?
The Calculated label means Tripleseat filled in the F&B minimum automatically from the dynamic F&B minimums in Advanced Location Settings. If someone edits the F&B minimum by hand, the Calculated label no longer appears.
Does a Direct Book Form Minimum override dynamic F&B minimums?
Yes. If an amount is entered for an event style in the Form Minimums section of a Direct Book form, that amount overrides Special Overrides, Seasonal Overrides, and the default schedule for that form. Guests must meet the Form Minimum before they can move past the menu page. Leave the Form Minimum blank or at 0 to use your dynamic F&B minimums.
Why doesn't a dynamic F&B minimum apply to my Large Party Reservations Direct Book form?
Dynamic F&B minimums need a room to match. If a Large Party Reservations form skips room selection, no default F&B minimum can apply. Set a Form Minimum for that event style on the form instead.
Why didn't a dynamic F&B minimum fill in on my new event?
Check that an F&B minimum is set up for the event's location, event style, and room, and that the event's day and time fall within one of the F&B minimum time periods. Dynamic F&B minimums only fill in on events created after the F&B minimum was saved.