These guides cover talech Register and related POS equipment. Paytura is your merchant services partner; talech provides the register software and device support referenced in these articles.
Deciding whether a product in your menu needs a variation or a modifier can be difficult. The guide below will assist you in making the right choice for your business.In this article
Variations vs Modifiers
|
Modifier
|
Variation
| |
|
Add on
|
Exclusion
| |
|
Optional
|
Optional
|
Variant of the base product
|
|
Can add an additional charge to the base price.
|
Does not add an additional charge to the base price.
|
Forces user to make a selection.
|
|
No limit on how many lists can be associated with a product.
|
No limit on how many lists can be associated with a product.
|
Can configure specific quantities and cost for each individual variant.
|
|
Does not inform quantity tracking.
|
Does not inform quantity tracking.
|
Limit of 3 variation lists per product.
|
|
Can apply a default selection.
|
|
Quantity tracking available.
|
When to use a variation or a modifier
So when should you use a modifier or a variation? It depends on how you want your register to work. Some of the questions below may help you figure out what the best choice for your business is.
How do you want to charge for this product?
|
Modifier
|
Variation
|
|
Modifiers can have an additional charge to the base product.
For example, for $2 extra add Bacon to your burger. |
A variation is a different type of the same product which can be priced at a different point entirely.
For example, the base product is a burger, but you can create a prime beef burger priced at $18, a regular burger for $16 and a vegetarian burger for $15. |
How do you want to track the inventory for this product?
|
Modifier
|
Variation
|
|
Quantity tracking for modifiers, add-ons or exclusions is not something you can get reports on from your talech account.
|
Variations of a product will appear for inventory logging.
For example, if you have Levi 501 as a product and set a variation for the different sizes, when looking at your inventory you will see Levi 501 Size 28, Levi 501 30, etc. |
Do you want to be forced to make a selection or be able to skip?
|
Modifier
|
Variation
|
|
At the bottom of all your modifier lists you will have an option to select or not select any of the modifier options.
For example, if your product is a pizza and you set modifiers for pepperoni, mushrooms etc., you have the option to select any or none of the modifiers. |
If your product is set up with variations, you must select one of them.
For example, if your product is a pizza, a variation is the size. You must pick small, medium, or large before proceeding with the product. |
Default options
Default options are only available for modifiers not variations.
For example, you have a Cheeseburger on your menu with a list of add-ons associated with it. American cheese, lettuce and tomato are set as the default modifier selection. Then you have optional modifiers to add Bacon for $3 or Avocado for $2.
What if your customer doesn’t want the tomato included? Instead of creating a note or an exclusion list, you can simply de-select the default tomato modifier and it will appear on the kitchen printer as NO Tomato.
Related articles
- Product Modifiers: Learn how to create and apply modifiers to your products.
- Product Variations: Learn how to create and apply variations to your products.
- Track Inventory through Product Variations: Learn how to create differentiated pricing, but share inventory under a base product.
Need more help?
- talech training & device support (24/7): 1-888-995-1998
- Paytura merchant support (24/5): 1-855-4-PAYTURA or contact Paytura