FoodNow.ie

With FoodNow.ie, 'Sides' are those dishes available to be purchased together with a main menu item. The 'Sides' offer a great opportunity for you to upsell and maximise the value of the order. When 'Sides' are added to a dish on the menu, they automatically appear in a popup when the customer selects that menu item. The customer then has to choose something from that pop-up - even if it's just 'No Extras Thanks'.

They can however be split into two types of Sides.

Additions to your Main Menu Item

These are items ordered in addition to your main menu item. For example, if the main menu item is a Pasta dish, you may decide to offer a 'Garlic Bread' as a side. It's not part of the main menu item, but it's offered to the customer as an additional item. 

Key here is that these items will normally be sold at full price and the customer can buy as many of them as they want.

Upgrades / Swap of Main Menu Item

These items are offered as an alternative to part of the main menu item. You are swapping something from the main menu item for something else. For example, if 'Fries' are included with a main, you may offer a 'Baked Potato' as an alternative or upgrade. You may offer it for free, or you may charge an extra amount.

Key here is that the customer can only select one of these items.

Let's look at a practical example on our 'Great Texan Steakhouse' menu and select the 'Angus Beef Burger' from the Mains. The image below shows the 'Upgrades' popup after the Angus Beef Burger has ben selected.

You would like to offer your customer a choice of side to go with the burger. They can choose House Steak Fries, Cajun Coleslaw or they can upgrade to a Baked Potato for €1.50. They can't have two of these items, just one. These are the 'Upgrades' or 'Swaps'.

However, they can also order a full side of Onion Rings as well as Cheese on their burger. These are 'Additions'.

The customer should only be able to select one of the 'Upgrades' or 'Swaps', but they can select as many 'Additions' as they want. (Please see 'Step 2b - Managing Sides' for how to setup sides as one or the other).

Head over to the Great Texan Steakhouse menu and try it out.

This might seem a little complicated, but it's designed to allow you to maximise the value of the order by tempting the customer to buy full prices extras as well as choosing alternatives.