The "HOW" and "WHY"...

"Is there some way I can import a menu in DMS?

We get this question constantly.

The simplest (but most confusing) answer to this question is Yes and No. No you cannot IMPORT a menu unless it has been formatted by DMS.
  

This is an image of what the menu setup window looks like in DMS. To the left, is the display area showing the menu items, the food group, and the cost. On the right is the work area for setting up and/or editing menus. Everything that pertains to what is on a menu, what time (lunch, dinner or both) that item is available, and the options each item has assigned, has its own text entry fields, so the correct data is shown when an order is being entered on internal Pc’s and on the web. When an order is placed everything that is entered triggers a series of commands that properly displays the information which is stored in specific tables in your data base.  The only way a menu can be imported into DMS is to first export it (through DMS) to the On-Line Menu Sharing folder. How to import and export menus will be explained in the next section of this newsletter.

Why should I share my menus?

As we all know “data entry” is a slow and cumbersome process. Setting up menus in DMS is no different.  Whether you are a "Glass Is Half Empty” or "Glass Is Half Full” person, I’d guess you are thinking … “Why should I share all those hours of labor with others”.

These days altruism is not very common... It’s not like sharing menus is as risky as sharing informational data or knowledge, where someone could steal your ideas or your techniques.

Sharing menus is good for everybody, you included… and here are to a few reasons why.

1. To Teach and Learn
   1. Those who want to learn how to setup menus and menu options will find it is easier. Setting up “options and choices” seems to be the trickiest part of the menu setup process. When someone imports one of your menus, they see how you mastered setting up your options.
   2. when you import a menu you will see how others setup their menus, options and choices. You can learn a lot. There may be times you setup your menus or options unconsciously, and by seeing how others setup their menus, you’re though process is reset and errors are clearly noticed.
   3. This is also a great way to optimize your work. It’s a quick way to get a new restaurant up and running in no time.
   For Recognition and Growth
2. For Recognition and Growth
1. The new RDS businesses today are influential tomorrow. The more people you connect with now, the more recognition you get later… who knows who the next “RDS Guru) will be… maybe it will be a person who learned from your menus.
2. Whether we like it or not, restaurants all talk to each other.  Everyone knows the dark days of Brinker when the judgment of an entire industry was handed out because of a few bad apples.  Sharing menus gives the ability to spot-check... to double-check... and to help bring a sense of consistency to the RDS industry.
3. In terms of communication, having another RDS to talk to can be a life-line.  By sharing menus, you are establishing a "personal network" of other RDS's that you can not only swap menu information with, but establish lasting  contacts as well.

We always tell new customers: “The best thing to do when there isn’t a menu for a restaurant in the On-Line Menu Sharing folder to search for DMS customers who are delivering for the same restaurant you are and then call that RDS and ask them to export their menu… Most will!” If you cannot find a fellow RDS delivering for the same restaurant, just remember this; once the person that is entering the data gets used to the DMS menu setup, productivity will greatly increase.

 (Notice: Customers using DMS 600 cannot share menus with customers using DMS 700 and vice-a-versa).

Importing and Exporting Menus

The first step in the DMS menu share process is to export or upload your menus to the On-Line Menu Sharing folder. This is where the menus are stored for importing and exporting. Every DataWedge customer using DMS that is currently registered has access to the On-Line Menu Sharing folder.

In DMS on the toolbar go to setup/menus and select the On-Line Menu Sharing tab. You will see the window shown below.

Image #2

On the right under the “Available On-Line Web Menus” section is a button “List On-Line Web menus”. To see the menus that have been exported by other DMS customers, select/click this button.

Notice: Depending on your ISP speed it may take a little time to generate this list.

Image #3

Select a menu from your menu list (shown on the left) to export or place in the shared folder. Under the List On-Line Web menus select/click the Export and Upload Menu button.
 

Image #4

A small conformation window will pop open as shown above. Select yes to confirm you are exporting your menu. DMS will then pack up the selected menu and place a copy in your common shared DMSData folder… you will see a file with the restaurant menu name followed by (.PAK). DMS then uploads that file into the On-Line Menu Sharing folder. To the right of the Export and Upload Menu button shown in image#3 above DMS will show you when the menu is being exported.

Image #5

Once the process is finished, DMS will display that the export is complete. That’s all there is to it folks; exporting a menu into the DMS On-Line Menu Sharing Folder is that simple.

Notice: It takes a minute or two before your menu is displayed in the On-Line Menu Share folder.

Importing a menu is just as simple. Similar to the DMS program image #3 above it is showing the “Download and Import” button is grayed out or is a ghost.
 

Image #6

Simply select the menu you would like to download/import and this button will be set to work.

Notice: Above the Download and Import button where the blue circle is, you will see the last action preformed. If you imported or exported a menu, the word complete will be shown, if you are opening this feature and starting fresh the word Idle… is shown. Once you start the import process DMS will show you when the menu is being imported.

Image #7

When you select/click the Download and Import button DMS will then start the download process displaying its progress above the button.
 

When the process is finished, DMS will display that the export is complete and a copy of the imported menu will be displayed in your menu list. A copy of the selected menu is also imported into your DMS database. Like the export process, importing a menu into your DMS program is that simple folks.

From your menu list, you can then rename the imported menu and edit it.

Reminder

In the coming months the predictable summer slump will be here.  Now is the perfect time to start to shift some of your focus to the corporate sector of your business. 

While your individual residential customers might not be around over the summer, certainly the corporate sector of your city will still be operational. It happens every year… summer comes… but if you take the time to do a little bit of preventative maintenance and be alert to the coming (and inevitable) market shifts, you can better prepare for the months ahead.

Now is also a good time to start sharing summer slump ideas with other RDS managers and owners. What better way to communicate with fellow RDS’s than the DataWedge forums.