What Are Availability Rules?
Availability rules are used for managing the conditions that govern the visibility of products such as menu items, promotions, or services to guests. They ensure that items can only be added by staff and will only be shown to customers during certain times, days, locations, or in certain inventory quantities.
Examples include using availability rules for:
- Menu items
- LTO’s
- Breakfast, lunch, or dinner menus
- Online Ordering
- Delivery or takeout ordering
- Discounts or coupons
These rules ensure that customers can only see and order what they can access.
How do Availability Rules Work for Restaurants?
The process begins by setting availability rules through your restaurant POS system or online ordering software.
Here is the usual process:
- They define rules for the availability of individual dishes and services.
- Those can depend on factors like time, stock amount, store location, and type of order.
- POS systems compare the current conditions against set rules when a customer orders something.
- If an order condition is satisfied, the item is available; if not, it's hidden and marked as unavailable.
This automation leads to fewer ordering mistakes and a better customer experience.