Configure Meal Periods for POS

The Meal Periods command on the POS Configuration Menu allows you to add and configure meal periods for the Outlets in your system. These can include the standard Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Sunday Brunch or Happy Hour, but may be whatever meal periods apply. (If you prefer to use a different method for the timing options at your Property, such as simply 8-10, 11-1 etc., please see the help topic Time Periods).

Meal Periods allow you to identify certain menu items with specific Meal periods. For example, your breakfast menu may differ from your lunch or dinner menu, or the choices for your Sunday Brunch may be completely different than your normal breakfast menu.

NOTE: You must configure ONE set of POS Periods, EITHER Meal Periods or Time Periods, for ALL of your outlets. Later, when you configure your Menu Items, you associate each with one or more outlets and one or more POS Periods. It is this combination that provides the proper menu item listing in the Point of Sale (POS) interface. It is up to the staff to select the appropriate POS Period for the outlet they select when creating a check. (Time periods may be more appropriate than meal periods for your POS if your property does not offer outlets serving food, but instead has outlets such as a spa or golf course).

 

If your Property does not currently have our Point of Sale (POS) Module and you are interested in adding it, please contact us at  Sales@SkywareSystems.com.

 

 

Select Meal Periods from the Restaurant section of the Point of Sale (POS) Configuration menu.

 

 

 

From the quick menu (left) choose Manager's Screen to be taken to the Manager's Commands menu.

Quick Menu with Manager's Screen option selected OR Quick Menu with Manager's Screen option selected, NEW look

OR Click the icon on the left for the Full Menu.

Full Menu Icon OR Full Menu option when viewed using the modern light look of Skyware

This will display the Full menu in a tabular form, with four sections, Registration, Status, Cashier and Other.

Full Menu Table OR Full Menu popup version seen in Modern Light look of Skyware

Select Other from the Other section.

Other section of the Full Menu OR Other section of the Full Menu with Other => command selected, NEW look for Skyware

This will take you to the Other Front Desk Tasks Menu, which has four sections, Other List 1, Other List 2, Documents and Web.

Other Front Desk Tasks Menu OR Other Front Desk Tasks Menu in the NEW look for Skyware

From the Other List 2 section, select Manager's Screen => to be taken to the Manager's Commands menu.

 

The Manager's Commands menu has two sections, Manager's Configuration and Manager's Maintenance.

Manager's Commands Menu OR Managers commands menu in the NEW look for Skyware

Select Configuration => from the Manager's Maintenance section.

Manager's Commands Menu with Configuration option selected ORManager's Commands Menu with Configuration => option selected, NEW look for Skyware

This will open the Property and Configuration Menu screen. The list of property configuration options are divided into four sections, which are Required Configuration, Optional Configuration, Locales/Dates and Sub-Systems.

Property and System Configuraion Menu OR Property and System Configuraion Menu, NEW look for Skyware

Note: Alternately, you may also be able to select Configuration directly from the Quick Menu, if the menu has been set up to include the Configuration option. This will also take you to The Property and System Configuration Menu.

 

Select Point of Sale (POS) Configuration => from the Sub-Systems area of the screen.

Property and System Configuration menu with Point of Sale (POS) Configuration option selected OR Sub-systems section of the Property and Configurayion Menu with Point of Sale (POS) Configuration => command selected, NEW look for Skyware

This will take you to the POS Configuration Menu.

POS Configuration menu OR Point of Sale (POS) Configuration Menu, NEW look for Skyware

The commands are divided into four sections: Restaurants, Menu Items Setup, Other and Inventory Items.

 

Select Meal Periods from the Restaurant section of the Point of Sale (POS) Configuration menu.

Restaurant section of the Point of Sale (POS) Configuration Menu with Meal Periods command selected, NEW look for Skyware

 

Meal Periods screen (for POS) example

The Meal Periods screen display is split into two frames, with the left side of the screen listing any already configured Meal Periods for the property and the right side containing the fields you need to complete in order to add or edit a Meal Period for the property. Any changes made on the right, once saved, will be updated in the listings to the left.

 

The currently configured Meal Period options can be displayed either by list order (ascending or descending) or by name (alphabetically, ascending or descending), and can be searched by manually inputting the desired order number or outlet name.

Selecting any one Meal Period will display the details on the right.

 

Your options include the following:

Generate a new entry:

Click the New Generate New Entry button button from the toolbar to add a new Meal Period.

Complete the fields described below.

OR:

Select an existing Meal Period from the list on the left, and click the Replicate Replicate Current Entry button button from the toolbar.

Then change the field information as described below.

Edit the current selection:

Change the field information described below.

 

Meal Periods screen example, right side detail for editing purposes

List Order: This determines where the Meal Period appears listed in the interface.

Enter a number into the List Order field.

This field is optional. If no order is specified, the outlets are listed in alphabetical order in the Point of Sale (POS) interface; however you will probably want to apply a sensible order for the meal periods, such as 01 for Breakfast, 02 for Lunch and 03 for Dinner.

Period: The name of the Meal Period.

Enter a name in the Period field. This is the name that appears for the Meal Period in the Point of Sale (POS) interface, such as breakfast, or dinner.

This field is required.

Posting Type: This is a drop-down menu of possible posting types. A posting type may be an outlet or a Meal Period, but not both. Select one. This field is optional.

Gratuity Posting Type: This is a drop-down menu of possible posting types for any gratuity. Select one. This field is optional.

Discount Posting Type: This is a drop-down menu of possible posting types for any discount. Select one. This field is optional.

Not Active?: This box may be checked or unchecked. By default, it is unchecked.

It should only be checked if the Meal Period is no longer in use.

Once a Meal Period has been added to the list on the left, it will remain in the list (cannot be deleted) if there has been any checks created for it. Once a check is created, it exists in several places in the system, and therefore there cannot be a check for something that does not exist.

 

When you are finished adding or editing Meal Periods, click the Save Save button button to save the changes.

To view any changes made, click the Activity log Activity Log button button in the local tool bar.

 

Date Updated October 29, 2025