Dines Menu Uploader

The Dines Menu Uploader unlocks a quicker way to add your menu via a CSV import. Learn how to use it with this handy guide!

Dines Menu Uploader

The Dines Menu Uploader unlocks a quicker way to add your menu via a CSV import. While the standard Menu page on Dines is a fantastic means for adding menus - often the bigger a menu is, the longer it can take to complete. 

With the Dines Menu Uploader, you can consolidate all of your menu items into one spreadsheet, and then send it over to us so that we can upload it for you. It's a breeze to add multiple items and you'll find it incredibly easy to pick up.

In this guide, we will walk you through what every section of the Menu Uploader means, and ensure that you are ready to upload your own menu in no time. 

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Table of Contents

Accessing the Menu Uploader

Adding Items to the Menu Uploader

Product (Columns A - I)

Modifiers (Columns J - U)

Spreadsheet Row Formatting

Final Steps

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Accessing the Menu Uploader

👉 Our Menu Uploader is accessed via Google Sheets here

You will not be able to edit the Menu Uploader directly from the Google Sheets page (as we need to make this useable for everybody!), so there are two options to begin editing your menu;

• Copy the File: Heading to File > Make a Copy will give you the option to copy the file into your own Google Drive. 

• Download the File: You can download the spreadsheet onto your system by navigating to File > Download. This can be handy if you do not use Google Drive, but you do have access to spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel. 

 

Once you have decided your preferred way to edit the Menu Uploader, it’s time to add some items. 

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Adding Items to the Menu Uploader

Let’s fill this spreadsheet! 

First of all, you will notice several columns running along the top of the spreadsheet; Product Name, Product Category Name, Type, Price etc. These serve as the unique identifiers for each item, and decide how the item will appear once uploaded onto your Dines account. 

We will split the guide below into two main sections; Product & Modifiers. Each has their own unique function on the Menu Uploader, so let’s jump in. 

Product (Columns A - I)

Products are what appear at the very forefront of your menu. Burgers, Salads, Pasta, Pizza - these are what your customers see first when reading the menu. Later, we will jump into Modifiers, which add section such as “Extra Cheese” for you Burger, and “No Pineapple” for your Pizza, but for now, we will simply focus on the Product itself. 

• Product Name. This is, quite simply, the name of your product. E.g., “Pepperoni Pizza” or “Vegan Burger.” 

• Product Category. Where you would like to file your Product on your Dines menu. Some of our clients like to have separate Categories for the likes of “Pizza,” “Pasta” etc, whereas some like to group everything together under a catch-all such as “Starters” or “Mains.” It’s all up to you!

• Type. There are three options here; Food, Drink and Other. Food and Drink are self-explanatory. “Other” can be items such as merchandise, tickets, or anything else which doesn’t fit into the Food or Drink type. 
• Price. The price which your customer will pay for the item. 
• Custom Amount: Enter "Yes" if you want to allow one-off edits to the item's value for each transaction. For instance, this could be a £0 item where you manually enter the price every time. Otherwise, you can leave this field blank. 
  
• Cost Price. The total cost to your venue to prepare this item.

• Description. A tagline which best describes your item. This will appear on Mobile Ordering like the example below, and can also be accessed via EPOS by tapping and holding on the item. 

• Product Allergens. This is where you can make note of allergens associated with your Product. They will appear on Mobile Ordering as above, via EPOS by tapping and holding on the item, and also play a big role with our popular Allergy Alerts feature. Our system recognises the following allergens; Alliums, Aubergine, Banana, Barley, Bell Peppers, Crustaceans, Dairy, Fish, Lupin, Molluscs, Mustard, Nightshades, Nuts, Peanuts, Sesame, Soya, Sulphites. 

• Product Dietary Tags. If you have any dietary tags to add to an item, this is the place to do it. Dietary Requirements currently recognised by our system are; Alcohol, Alcohol Free, Contains Red Meat, Contains White Meat, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Halal, Kosher, Vegan, Vegetarian.

Modifiers (Columns J - U)

Modifiers are all the optional changes which customers can make to your products. Whether it’s adding “Extra Ice” in a drink, or modifying a pizza to include “Vegan Cheese,” Modifiers can let you do it all. It is of course possible to add Modifiers manually, but below we will guide you through how to achieve this on the Dines Menu Uploader. 

• Modifier Set Name. First, we need to clarify the “Set” that contains the Modifiers. Examples of this could be “Extras” when it comes to adding extra food items onto a pizza or burger. Alternatively, playing off the example given above, it could be “Cheese Choice” when you are offering a vegan cheese option for your product. 

• Modifier Set Internal Name. This is how your Modifier Set will appear internally. For example, your external name may be “Choose Extra Toppings!”, but you may wish to have this appear internally as “Extra Burger Toppings” to help identify it. 

• Modifier Type. The two options in the dropdown menu here are “Single Choice” and “Multiple Choice.” Single Choice is, of course, where you wish for the customer to make only one choice; for example, choosing between a 25ml or 50ml serving of a spirit. Multiple Choice applies to the “Extra Toppings” example above, where a customer may wish to add bacon, onions, sweetcorn etc to their pizza. 

A Single Choice modifier will appear like this; 

Whereas a Multiple Choice will appear like the below; 

• Required Modifier Set. This one is a simple “Yes” or “No”, depending on whether a choice must be made on this modifier. For example, when ordering a drink, it may be important to specify Pint or Half-Pint, therefore the selection here would be “Yes.” But in the example of Extra Toppings, these could be non-mandatory, therefore you would select “No” in this section.

• Modifier Item Name. Here it is - the modifier! This is where you’ll type “Extra Onions,” “25ml,” “Vegan Cheese” etc. Every modifier will require a new row on the spreadsheet, but we’ll touch on that more very shortly. 
• Modifier Item Internal Name: Exactly like the "Modifier Set Internal Name above," this is how your Modifier will appear internally.

• Modifier Item Description. Just like for the product itself, you can add a brief blurb about the Modifier here. 

• Modifier Item Allergens. As above, this is where you can link allergens to your Modifier, so that customers with allergens are well-informed on what to order.

• Modifier Item Dietary Tags. Once again, this field aligns with the Dietary Tags within the Products section above. 

• Modifier Price Impact. Here is where you will highlight the extra cost for the Modifier. For example, if Extra Cheese will cost the customer an additional £1, simply input “1.00”. It is important to only note the extra cost to the customer for this modifier, not the total price of the Product including the Modifier. 

• Modifier Cost Price Impact. Similar to the Price Impact above, please only input the extra cost price of the Modifier here. For example, if adding Extra Cheese incurs an additional cost of 30p to the venue on top of the item it will be added to, simply input “0.30” in this field.

• Apply by Default. If you input “Yes” into this field, it will mean that the Modifier is pre-selected, thereby saving a tap for yourself or the customer. For instance, if you find that the “Pint” option on a drink is far more commonly selected than “Half-Pint,” you would benefit from adding “Yes” in column U. 

The above will cover every column required to add an Item and Modifier to the Dines Menu Uploader. However, before you proceed, it is highly recommended that you read the next section, where we will go through spreadsheet row formatting to ensure a smooth upload.

Spreadsheet Row Formatting

Now that you are familiar with every column of the Dines Menu Uploader, it’s time to tackle rows. Thankfully, rows follow a roughly uniform setup. Once you’ve done a few, you’ll be an expert in no time!

The important thing with rows is that if you are adding multiple Modifiers to an item, everything preceding the Modifier on the row must be exactly the same. 

To put that into context, please have a look at the Carlsberg below;

You will notice that;

• The Product has two rows, matching the two modifiers at the very end. 
• Everything in the rows matches perfectly until it comes to the Modifier itself (Pint and Half Pint).

This formatting is fairly standard for the Dines Menu Uploader. Every Modifier must have its own row on the Uploader, so that our system can link the Modifier to the correct Product. Similarly, everything from Column A to Column L must match exactly, otherwise an entirely new Product will be created.

When adding single Products without Modifiers, such as a portion of Garlic Bread or a Bottle of Coca-Cola, you will only need to include one row. The multiple rows described above are only for Products with accompanying Modifiers. 

Let’s look at one more example; 

In the above, you can see that there are four separate entries for the Rib Eye Steak, because there are four Modifiers within the Modifier Set for how the steak will be cooked; Rare, Medium Rare, Medium and Well Done. Everything prior to “Modifier Item Name” matches. It is only after this column that you can deviate from this, where you will have the option to name your Modifier and add Descriptions, Allergens etc.

The above will cover everything you need to know for filling in the Dines Menu Uploader. As mentioned previously, it may seem daunting at first, but it won’t take you long to become a total natural. 

Once you’ve added all of your Products and Modifiers, it’s time for the final steps. 

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Final Steps

 

Congratulations - you’ve made your menu via the Dines Menu Uploader! Now all you need to do is export the file as a CSV and send it over to us. We will check everything over to make sure no amendments are required, and then upload the menu to your Dines account so that you and your customers can use it. 

To export as a CSV, simply head to File > Download > Comma Separated Values (CSV). This will automatically save to your hard drive, which you can then attach in an email to care@dines.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you.

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That covers the long and short of the Dines Menu Uploader! Thank you for reading our article today. The Dines Menu Uploader can take some getting used to, so if you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to reach out to our team. We’d even be happy to jump on a call to walk you through everything. 

You can contact us via email at care@dines.co.uk, use our Live Chat service here, or message us via WhatsApp on 07822 002783.