(continued from Planning Your Menu)

Using the ASI Write-On for iPod Touch

This section only contains information pertinent to owners and managers.  Please see the Users Guide for general information on how to use the ASI Write-On for iPod Touch and for server functions.

iPod Options

The Write-On for iPod Touch has many configurable options you may wish to consider. These options include choosing input method, seat prompts, and the way information is displayed on the screen. The options are accessed within the Write-On software application by tapping the [Cmd] button and selecting [Options] from the list in the Item List window (upper right window of screen).

User Options

Configuring options for the Write-On for iPod Touch application is a fairly intuitive process. Simply select the option from the “User Settings” list, select one of the options within the settings for the change you wish to affect. Once making your selection, tap the [User Setting] button on the upper left corner of the screen and then tap [Done] to return to the user screen to see your changes. The following is a description on each option will affect the Write-On device.

Input Method: Sets default input mode for entering items/modifiers.  The keyboard mode is used when using abbreviations and is the default setting (abbreviation input).  However, in cases where the menu is simple (1 to 40 items), few free modifiers are used, and special instructions are not required the Groups List Input mode can be used.  In this mode the user first selects a group to enter items.

Ask for Seat Num…:Affects seat prompting. This is typically used at restaurants using runners. However, entering seat numbers at the time of taking an order makes it streamlines the check splitting process. There are three options to choose from:

• Disabled- Removes the seats from the Selection Window and seat number next to menu items
• Unforced- When enabled, seat numbers will appear in the Selection Window immediately after selecting a menu item. The seat number chosen from the menu item will appear next to the menu item.
• Forced–performs the same function as described for unforced (see above) in addition to forcing an employee to make a seat selection before proceeding with an order.

When unforced or forced options are enabled, the amount of seat numbers displayed in the Selection Window reflects the maximum seat number field configured in the Table Layout form of the Restaurant Manager BackOffice Module. However, using the [Customer Count] command under the “Cmd” options will also affect the number of seats displayed on the Selection Window.

Right List Sort- This option affects the way items are listed in the Selection Window. There are two options to choose from:

• Alphabetic-This option will list menu items/modifiers by menu item name alphabetical order regardless of the abbreviations assigned.
• Database- When enabled, this option will list menu items by alphabetical abbreviation order.

List Box Rows- This option allows for the number of rows to be displayed on both the Selection and Order Entry Windows. The settings for this option are 5, 6, 7, and 8 rows. The greater number of rows displayed will show more menu items in both selection widows. Lower numbers or rows may make it easier to select menu items displayed in both windows. Keep in mind that both Order Window commands and Speed buttons appear in the Order and Selection Windows (respectively) and take up row space.

Auto Save Order- The settings under this option determine the amount of time for when items on the order are saved. The default setting is “after every item”. This setting will aid the user in retrieving a complete order as it was entered when performing “Recover Order”. You should only change this setting if you are experiencing device performance issues (i.e. slow screen refresh rates).

Allowed Dining Area: Restricts access to tables to those in the designated dining area.  See the Restaurant Manager Manual for more information on Dining areas.

• Font Size: Sets the vertical size of the font used in the selection window.  This is useful for people having trouble seeing items options in the Order List window.  There are two settings under the option:
• Fixed Font- This setting will make letters and numbers on both Order and Selection windows slightly larger and in a bold type face.
• Fit Text- Text will appear slightly smaller than fixed font and will attempt to fit most characters into the row box.

Defining the Write-On Device’s Properties

By default, all handheld units use the Master Station configuration to determine behavior (i.e. prep area and guest check routing). However, each Write-On iPod device is capable of emulating certain behaviors of a fixed POS stations via station configurations). Upon logging into the Write-on application, the employee will be prompted for which handheld type they wish to use. Configuring multiple handheld types is optional, and may not be appropriate for most installations. The only reason to use more than one handheld type is if you want some handhelds to use a different station configuration behavior.

Example Uses

1. You have a store with a normal dining room with bar and also an outdoor patio that has its own bar. You would have one handheld type named “Dining Room”, and a second type named “Patio”. The patio type would use a station configuration that routes its drink orders to the patio bar instead of the indoor bar.
2. You have a multi-theme restaurant with two kitchens (or maybe just two prep areas in the kitchen), and want food ordered by servers working one area of the store routed differently from another area of the store. Note this scenario only works if servers work their entire shift only in one area.
3. You have a store with both dining room service and a quick-service counter. Write-On units used for line-busting at the counter need to have different routing than the dining room handhelds.

Using RM Services Control Panel

The RMServicesCPL (aka RMSoapServer Control Panel) is where you will define the behavior of each iPod unit. Here is a brief list of some of the behaviors control in RMServicesCPL

• Default Receipt Printer
• Security settings such as security levels allowing employees to access each other tables or who can Lock/Unlock tables
• Default revenue centers
• Tracking options

Within RMServicesCPL you can also define how the names of the Write-On units will be displayed on Alerts and how groups are listed when using Group Mode.

RMServices always needs to be running on the fileserver (rmserver) so finding it should be easy to find. RMServicesCPL is an executable file (.exe) that runs as a service and can be found in the Windows systray. You can access RMServicesCPL by clicking on the RMServices icon in the systray typically located in the lower right corner of your Windows screen.See Appendix 5 if having difficulty finding RMServices on Windows 7 or 2008 server.

Within the ASI SOAP Server window, click on Setup and then Write-On Types. Your next screen will be the Handheld Type Configuration form.

Use the “X” button in the upper right corner to close the control panel and leave running in the systray. Use the “Exit” option (Setup > Exit) to completely close the form. Using the “exit” option requires manually restarting the RMServicesCPL. Therefore it is recommended you make the RMServicesCPL.exe easily accessible (i.e. place a shortcut on the desktop).

Handheld Type Configuration Form

At the top of the Handheld Type Configuration form is a grid that displays the properties assigned to an Write-On device. The columns on the grid show the name, Station Configuration, and the Group Ordering assignment. When using this form to assign properties to the Write-On unit a row for each device will be displayed after being added. Properties for Write-On devices may be added or deleted using the [Add] or [Delete] buttons located just below the Handheld Types grid.  Data entry for each Handheld Type is entered in the field boxes below the Add and Delete buttons. The entry fields are:

• Display Name- type the name for the Write-On device. The name entered will appear on the Text Alerts (Send Alerts function) list at the POS. The names configured here will also appear on the iPod when logging into the Write-on app (pictured above).
• Station Configuration Number- The number entered in this field should correspond to the station configuration settings you wish to emulate. Example: If a server is assigned a handheld to be used in the bar. The closest fixed POS station in the bar with a receipt printer is Station 4. You will want to assign the Station Configuration # as 4 for the default printer will always be the closet one.
• Group Ordering- this field will impact the order in which menu groups are display on the device when in Group List mode. Options for this setting are:
  • Alphabetical- Displays menu group in alphabetical order regardless of their position in the menu. Menu groups marked with characters (i.e. asterisk) or characters will appear first on the list.
  • As in Menu- The menu groups display will be listed in the exact order the would appear on the Menu List found in the Restaurant Manager BackOffice Menu Setup form.
  • By Nav Set- This setting will list menu groups in same order of a menu navigation set. A list of all available menu nav set will be available. You can even create the menu navigation set just for a Write-On devices. Keep in mind the menu groups not listed on the menu navigation set will not be available on the menu group list when in Group List mode. However, this can work to your advantage as it limits the choices available making for easier for employees by not having to sort through extensive menu groups.

(continued in iPod Maintenance)