Applying Discounts or Gratuities to an Open Check

The Gratuity/Misc $ tab in the Restaurant Check page allows you to apply a gratuity (tip) and/or discounts to the check. These can be applied either as straight currency amounts (left) or as a percentage of the check (right) for both discounts and gratuities. Items can be set up in configuration to not allow a discount. The amount discounted will only apply to those items that allow discounts.

For gratuities in particular, whether you apply them before or after printing the check for payment depends on the situation.

NOTE: It is not uncommon for customers to simply write a Total amount to charge on their check, or to add the tip amount incorrectly. Regardless of which applies, the number entered by the customer in the Total space of the printed check is the amount that must be charged.

If the restaurant has a policy of adding an automatic gratuity (for example to tables of 6 or more), use this tab to post the additional charge to the check before printing it for payment.

Alternately, if the customer has added a tip to their payment, you could apply that amount in this tab after receiving payment from the customer, creating a zero balance for the check and no mistakes in posting amounts.

For this reason, you may want to make a habit of applying customer-added gratuity to the check after printing the check. This ensures that you do not attempt to apply a gratuity to the check that does not add up to the total payment authorized by the customer.

To add a Gratuity or Discount to a check:

First, choose an open check:

There are multiple ways to access an open check to modify it - these are each done from the Point of Sale (POS) Restaurant Log in page section of the Point of Sale (POS) Menu and all will take you to the Restaurant Check page:

• Click the Table command, and select one of your tables (listed in blue) from the Table list. This will automatically take you to the restaurant check page. Clicking on the Table command will show checks at specific tables (in parenthesis is the number of checks at the table).

• There is a button next to Table for Checks that will list all the table checks that are open.

• Click Quick Sale in the restaurant start page (on right) and when taken to the restaurant check page select one of the open checks listed in the Checks list on the left. Clicking on Quick Sale will only show open Quick Sale checks.

• Use the Check(s) tab (Open Checks command) in the main bar on the restaurant log in page to see a list of all open checks, and select one to view.
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Note: Any time you are on the restaurant start page you will need to enter your Server Quick ID button before you can do anything else.

Click the Gratuity/Misc $ tab to activate it.

Each of the (4) boxes on the tab has its own "Post" button associated with it. This allows you to enter the gratuity amount or percentage as well as the discount amount or percentage and post each separately.

What you do next depends on the situation you are applying.

• Apply Discount:

If you must apply a coupon for the meal, or an applicable discount (for example., AARP, hotel guest VIP club), enter the amount or percentage into the appropriate Discount text box and click the associated Post Discount button to apply it to the check.

• Apply Gratuity:

If you must apply an automatic gratuity to the check, enter either the amount or percentage into the appropriate Gratuity text box and click the associated Post Gratuity button to apply it to the check.

If the customer has added a gratuity to their payment, you have the following additional options:

Enter the total amount paid into either the Amount Tendered field (if cash payment) or the Amount field (if other type of payment), and click Post.

Then enter the remaining Total Due shown in the Postings as the Gratuity amount and click Post Gratuity. This should render a zero balance on the check.

OR:

Enter the gratuity amount written on the payment receipt and click Post Gratuity.

Then apply the full payment amount.

For further details see Applying Payments to an Open Check.

Date Updated August 11, 2020