What are modifiers?

"Large oat latte, extra shot, no sugar." One item, three modifiers. Modifiers are how a till records the choices customers make, so the kitchen gets the order right, the price is right, and the cost is right.

Kinds of modifier

• Additions — an extra shot, a side of fries, a topping. Usually priced.
• Swaps — oat milk for dairy, gluten-free bread. Sometimes priced.
• Removals — no onions, no ice. Usually free, but they still matter to the kitchen.
• Choices — a size, how a steak is cooked, a flavour. Often required before the item can be added.

Why they matter

• Price. A 50p extra shot on a third of your coffees adds up to real money — and only if the till charges it every time.
• Cost. Oat milk costs more than dairy. If the swap is free, your margin on that drink falls; you should know by how much.
• Accuracy. A modifier prints on the ticket or shows on the kitchen screen, so allergies and preferences are not passed on by memory.
• Upselling. Offering the addition at the moment of ordering is the easiest way to raise average order value.

Setting them up well

1. Group them: "Milk", "Extras", "Size".
2. Mark the required choices as required, so the order cannot be sent without them.
3. Price every addition — even 20p.
4. Cost them, so a modifier does not quietly eat the margin.

Common mistakes

1. Free text instead of modifiers. A typed note cannot be priced, costed or counted.
2. Too many options. A long list slows down the queue. Keep the common ones one tap away.
3. Not costing swaps. Every plant milk swap given away changes the dish's real cost — see recipe costing.

In DUMA

Modifiers are set up once and attached to items on the till, the QR code menu and the kitchen display. A modifier can have its own price and its own recipe, so DUMA uses up the right stock and works out the real margin of each combination.