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Menus Overview

Tripleseat Team
Updated

What Menus Do

Menus allow you to control how food and beverage items are presented and priced for your bookings. Instead of using a single flat price per menu or line item, you can assign specific prices and rules to each item, menu, or package, along with modifiers that apply to them, providing greater precision when building booking details.

For example:

  • Buffet menu: $50 per person for an all-inclusive spread.

  • Rental Menu: à la carte rental items priced individually.

  • Beverage packages: Flat per-person pricing or billed based on actual consumption.

This flexibility ensures that your menus reflect your venue’s offerings and pricing structure.

This article continues to break down Tripleseat Menus further, along with the menu type-specific articles in this section. In addition, the videos below review the fundamentals of Tripleseat menus.

Types of Menu Pricing

Menus in Tripleseat can support multiple pricing methods, depending on your operations and offerings:

a) Per Person Pricing

  • Ideal for buffets, prix fixe menus, or open bar packages.

  • Pricing is automatically calculated based on your booking’s guest count.

  • Example: $65 per person × 100 guests = $6,500 total.

b) Per Item Pricing

  • Best for à la carte selections or optional add-ons.

  • Items are billed based on quantity, not guest count.

  • Example: 3 cheese platters @ $40 each = $120.

c) Tiered or Choice-Based Pricing

  • Commonly used for plated dinners or packages with multiple entrée options.

  • Each entrée or selection has its own price, and Tripleseat calculates totals based on guest choices.

d) Modifiers

  • Modifiers can identify specific selections that are associated with items and packages

Why Menus Matter

Menus are more than just lists of offerings — they’re connected to reporting, forecasting, and revenue tracking in Tripleseat:

  • Accuracy: Ensures proposals and invoices reflect the correct pricing structure.

  • Efficiency: Saves time by reusing menus, items, and pricing across bookings.

  • Reporting Insights: Analyze revenue by menu item, category, or pricing type to identify top-performing offerings.

  • Forecasting: Combine menu data with Tripleseat’s forecasting tools to project F&B revenue and inventory needs.

Best Practices for Managing Menus

  • Keep menus organized: Use clear categories and sections for easier selection during booking.

  • Use descriptive names: Especially in internal names. Include key details and dietary and menu tags like “gluten-free”, “vegetarian”, or "Winter Menu."

  • Regularly review pricing: Keep offerings and costs up to date for proposals and reports.




    Menus Glossary

    Your in-house menus may use different terminology in the title or throughout compared to Tripleseat's menu language. When creating menus, it's important to review and reference Tripleseat's Menu, Item, and Packages terms below. 
     

  • Item: an individual *thing* to sell to guests, often consumable, but does not have to be

  • Examples of an item in TS include
    • Chicken Parmesan
    • Additional Bartender for 2 hours
    • Wireless Microphone
  • Item Group: a way for users to organize Items within a Package
    • These are often meal courses (Appetizers, Entrees, Desserts)
  • Modifier Group: a container for a set of Modifiers for an Item
    • For Chicken Parm, the modifier group could be Pasta Choice
    • For Wireless Microphone, the modifier group could be Microphone Type
  • Modifier: an available choice or feature for an Item, organized within a Modifier Group
    • For Chicken Parm (Item) > Pasta Choice (Modifier Group) > modifiers could be:
      • Ziti
      • Penne
      • Angel Hair
    • For Wireless Mic (Item) > Microphone Type (Modifier Group) > modifiers could be:
      • Handheld
      • Headset
      • Clip
  • Package: a collection of Items offered together at a set price, often priced per person
    • Example: Gold Plated Dinner Package > $75 per person
      • Guest might select 2 apps, 3 entrees, and 1 dessert within this package
  • Minimum / Maximum Selections: for Modifier Groups and Item Groups, these are the parameters around how menu mods (within an Item) or items (within a Package) a guest can select
    • If no min or max is indicated, guests will not be limited in the number of choices
    • Regardless of min or max in settings, TS Users will be able to select any number of mods or items within a doc template
  • Menu: a way to organize offerings - these offerings can be Items, Packages, or a combination of both.

    • Examples of Menus might be:

      • Corporate Group Dinner Menu > could include packages, like:
        • Gold Plated Dinner Package for $75 pp
        • Silver Plated Dinner Package for $65 pp
      • Continental Breakfast Buffet Menu > could include items, like:
        • Assorted Muffins
        • Fruit Bowls
        • Breakfast Sandwiches

            

      In addition to this article, you can view guides and videos by going to Settings > Menus. The guides are available at the top of the page.

      menu guides pic.png