Welcome to another section of our Online Menu Guide! Here, we will guide you through the process of creating special deals for your online menu. Before starting, ensure all menu items for these deals are added in the Admin Panel.
A step-by-step guide on how to set up Specials in the Admin Panel
Special Deals under “Specials” Tab on the Admin Panel can only be configured after all the relevant menu items included in deals, have been added on the system under the correct menu categories before setting up the Specials.
Step 1
Access Next Order Account
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Go to admin.nextorder.com
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Log in to your restaurant account using your credentials (email address and password)
Step 2
Access Specials
Once you’re logged in to the Dashboard:
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Go over to the left panel and select “Menu”
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Under the “Menu” dropdown, click “Specials”
Step 3
3.1 - Add Special Title
Add the name of your special deal, for example, “Pizza Deal 1”.
3.2 - Add Special Description
On the “Special Description” list down all the menu items that should be included in the deal.
📝 If it’s a “Buy 1, Get 1 Free” type of deal, make sure to include that information in the Special Description box
Step 4
Next Order supports two types of specials: 'Discount' and 'Free Items'.
'Discount' specials offer a fixed lower price for a set of items, like '3 Large Pizzas for $30'. Extra charges may apply for add-ons.
'Free Items' specials provide a complimentary item with your purchase, such as 'Buy 2 Pizzas, Get a Garlic Bread Free' or “Buy 1, Get 1 Free” offers, with the price based on the paid items."
Setting up a "Discount" type of Special
These are special deals that have fixed pricing. For example, the price of a large pizza as an item is $12.00, the deal could be “3x Large Pizzas for $30.00”. Therefore, the deal’s discount is $6.00. Take note, that even if the deal has fixed pricing, additional prices for variations (e.g. gluten-free), modifications (e.g. +$3.00 for the special sauce instead of the regular sauce), and Extras (e.g. +.3.00 for extra pizza toppings) would still apply.
Let's break it down:
Step 4.1 - Select Discount Type
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Select the "Discount" special type.
Step 4.2 - Enter Item Quantity
Set the quantity of the item in the deal. For example, If the deal contains 1 pizza item, select “1” in this step. If the deal contains 3 x Pizzas in the same size, then select the number “3”.
📝 It is important to recheck the quantity every time after adding an item to the Special.
📝 Remember that each item included in the special deal, needs to be added separately, one by one
Step 4.3 - Enter Display Name
Set Up the “Display Name” for each item. If you’re adding a pizza, garlic bread or a 1.25L Soft Drink to the special, enter “Pizza”; “Garlic Bread” or “1.25L Soft Drink” as the general display name of the item for when users are making a selection.
*The” Display Name” is the general name of the item.
It is important to note that the display name should be in the singular form as items will be individually displayed on the website.
Step 4.4 - Select Categories
We can now proceed to add our menu items to the deal.
First, select only a menu category that contains the items included in the deal. In this example, let’s add the “Classic Pizza” category to our deal.
📝 When setting up a deal, such as '1 Large Classic Pizza, 1 Garlic Bread & 1 1.25L Soft Drink', each item must be added individually to the deal.
📝 If a deal involves the same item type across different categories (e.g., 3x Any Large Pizzas from Seafood, Lamb, or Meat), ensure you select all relevant categories when setting up discounts or free items.
Step 4.5 - Select the Size of Each Item Included in the Deal
If the deal consists of “1 X Large Classic Pizza”, only select the relevant sizes for this item in this step.
📝 The same action will be applied for all the other items included in the deal i.e. “Garlic Bread” and “1.25L Soft Drink” when you move on to add them, after finishing the current one.
📝 Tick the correct sizes for each item and double-check in both the admin panel and web app. Variants, like 'gluten-free', won’t show up in sizes but will automatically be available on the web app.
*If the deal consists of the same type of items (e.g. pizzas) but under different categories, make sure to select the applicable sizes for each category you selected under “Categories”.
Step 4.6 - Select Modifiers
🔔 This step is for Complex Menu Items only (the ones with modifiers). If you’re adding a Simple Menu Item (no modifiers) to a Special, leave all the modifiers unchecked under this step.
Select all the applicable modifiers, including the “Size” modifier, for the menu item included in the special deal.
For example, our Classic Pizzas contain 1 complex menu item “Meat Lovers” that has the size modifier as well as the “Base Sauce” modifier. All we have to do under this step is to select the applicable size (Large) and all the sub-modifiers for the “Base Sauce”
(tomato base sauce, BBQ base sauce)
🔔 Tick the correct modifiers (including size) and double-check in the admin panel and web app. Variations, like 'gluten-free', won’t appear in sizes but will be available on the web app.
Step 4.7 - Select Menu Items
Now, select all the menu items from the category you chose above, that should be included in the Special Deal. If our deal specifies that “1 X Large Classic Pizza” is a part of the deal, however, we would like to exclude some of the classic pizzas from the deal anyway, i.e. “Supreme” Pizza, you can leave that item unticked.
Step 4.8 - Add To Special
Finally, click then the “Add to Special" button.
Well done! You have just added the first item to your special deal!
Recheck the following before adding a new item:
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Categories - the item should be under the correct category. There should be no unnecessary categories showing.
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Display Name – this section shouldn't be empty. As per Step 4.1.3 display names should be the general term of the item in a singular form.
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Quantity – ensure that the accuracy in deal quantities is correct: if a deal includes three pizzas, list it as '3'; for a deal with one pizza, list it as '1'. This prevents giving customers more or fewer items than intended.
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Size – Selecting the right sizes for items is crucial for proper display on the web app.
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Modifiers – this is where you can check if all the applicable modifiers are showing and were selected correctly.
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Menu Items – check if all the items that should be included in the Special, have been selected.
Now, repeat the steps from 4.2 – 4.8 until all the remaining menu items are added to Specials. In this example, it will be the “Garlic Bread” and “1.25L Soft Drink”
Click below for a tip on adding drink items to the Admin Panel ⬇️
💡When adding Soft Drinks as menu items to the Admin Panel, include the size in the item description. This helps clarify selections for Special Deals, as the size will display alongside the item name, reducing confusion.
Buttons and their functions:
"Sort Items" - this option allows you to arrange the display order of menu items within a special deal, particularly when multiple items from the same category are included.
"Upsell Items" - use this option when certain items should be more expensive than others in the deal. It helps balance the deal by allowing you to add an extra charge as needed. For example, if the set price for the deal is $30 and includes both cheap and expensive items like classic and gourmet pizzas, you can add extra pricing accordingly for the gourmet pizzas.
"Edit" this option is used to edit specific components of an item in a special deal.
📝 Remember to always click on the “Save Changes” button after editing a particular Menu Item inside specials
"Delete" this option is used to delete items from a special deal
- You can use these buttons to change the order in which appear within the specials. For example, you can arrange 'Classic Pizza' to be the first option, followed by 'Sides', and then 'Soft Drinks'. The order you set here will be the sequence customers follow when selecting items from the special.
🔔 These buttons do not impact the item setup in the Menu Item Panel. To edit the items, go to its placement in the Menu Item Panel. Changes to size and modifiers won’t automatically apply to specials; you’ll need to edit or recreate the special for updates to reflect.
Step 5
Next, we'll adjust essential settings like special deal availability, order types, ordering locations and photo upload before saving.
Step 5.1
Availability
Set the dates when the Special Deal will be available for ordering. For instance, Sunday deals should only be accessible on Sundays.
Step 5.2
Select Order From
By default, these options are selected. A special deal can be available for both Online
Ordering and in POS (In-Store).
Online - this option is for Online Ordering. Select this box if the Special Deal should only be available online.
In-Store - this option is for the POS. Select this box if the Special Deal is available only for POS ordering.
Step 5.3
Select Order Type
Step 5.4
Special Name
Always tick the box labelled "Use Special Name On Special Frame?" This ensures that the Display Name you set in Step 4.1.3 will appear in the web app. This is especially important if you want to include special notes in the Display Name. If this option is not selected, the system will automatically generate a sentence based on the items included in the deal.
Time Limited Special Deals
Certain special deals, like Lunch specials, may only be available during specific times of the day. While the "Available Full Day" option is typically checked by default, for deals requiring limited availability, uncheck the box and set the duration accordingly.
Step 5.6
Public Holiday
Leave this option ticked if you would like your special deals to be available on public holidays.
Step 5.7
Select Stores
Choose stores where the deal will be displayed.
The special will be available at all selected locations. This is only applicable if the menu configuration is shared across all stores – the same menu items are enabled per location.
Step 5.8
Publish Special
This option is for the deals that were set up day(s) prior to their availability. For example, a special deal for Valentine's Day can be set up beforehand, and the box for this option should be unticked before saving the special. By default, this option is already ticked and shall remain as is unless requested otherwise.
Step 5.9
Set The Price For The Special Deal
Enter the price of the deal in the "Cost" field. Please note that the price should never be in a whole number(s) format. Always include 2 decimal numbers. (For example: $25.00)
Step 5.10
Upload Special Image
Add a photo of the special deal featuring the included items.
Important
Always remember to upload a special deal image, as the system requires it for the deal to be added successfully.
Step 5.11
Add Special
Finally, click on the “Add Special” button, after double checking everything.
Congratulations!
You have successfully added a Special Deal to the Admin Panel (Discount Type Special)
Setting up a “Free Items” type of Special
These are special deals that have free items included. The pricing for these deals is not fixed and will depend on the included items that are not free. For example, the price of a large pizza as a menu item is $15, and the special deal consists of "Any 2 Large Pizzas and Get a Garlic Bread for Free", as the pricing of the deal will be based on 2 large pizzas, it should only total for $30. The discount will be the price of the free item which in this case is the garlic bread. This type of deal is used also for "Buy 1, Get 1" special deals.
Let's break it down:
Step 4.1 (a)
Select The Type Of Special Deal
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Select the "Free Items" type of special
Step 4.2 (b)
Repeat the steps from 3 – 4.8 until all the items included in the deal have been added to Specials:
Let’s create a special deal that consists of 2 Large Pizzas and a Free Garlic Bread
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Enter Special Title for example “Pizza Deal 2”
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Enter Special Description
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Choose Special Type – “Free Items”
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Select Quantity of Items
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Enter Display Name
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Add each Item included in the” Pizza Deal 2” separately to Special 4.4 – 4.8
Step 4.3 (c)
Setting Up The Non-Free Items
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When configuring the non-free items in the special deal, the option "Is item on discount?" should be left unticked
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Keep the Discounted Price field unchanged
Setting Up The Free Items
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When configuring the free items in the special deal, the option “Is item on discount?” should be ticked
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You can leave the Discounted price as is or enter a specific amount of discount price for the item
📝 If the deal description says, “Buy any 2 large pizzas and get a garlic bread for $3.5”, the garlic bread's discounted price of $3.5 should be entered in the “Discounted Price” section
After adding all the deal items and setting the discount type, the items will look like in the images provided below.
The Non-Free Item (S) has a $0.0 discount price, meaning that the price of the deal will be the total for all non-free inclusions. (2 large pizzas in this case).
The free item (garlic bread in this case) will be marked as “Free”.
Repeat the steps from 5.1.– 5.11 until the special deal has been finalised and added to the Admin Panel
Step 5.11 (a)
Only Available For the “Free Items” Type Of Specials
"Setting price based on the most expensive item"
When setting up specials like "Buy One Get One Free," you can choose to calculate the total based on the highest-priced item.
By ticking this option, the system charges the customer for the more expensive item. For example, if a customer selects a $20 pizza and a $25 pizza, the system automatically marks the $20 pizza as free, charging them for the $25 pizza instead.
Congratulations!
You have successfully added a Special Deal to the Admin Panel
(Free Items Type Special)
Other features:
Display Order
Arrange the deals in your preferred sequence using the "Display Order" setting for both the website and POS system.
Editing Existing Specials
To edit the existing special deals, click on the “Edit” button inside that special
With general updates such as changing the Special Title, Special Description, Availability, Order Forms and Types, editing Special Image, enter those changes and then confirm by clicking on the “Edit Special” button at the bottom of the page for the changes to take effect. If you don’t click this button, the deal will remain unchanged.
To update specific menu items within the special deal, select the “Edit” button positioned within the menu item box/ in the respective menu item's section.
You can update an item's display name and quantity or remove items from the deal by deselecting them in the “Menu Items” section. To add a new pizza category to an existing deal, deselect the current category and reselect it along with the new one. Remember to reconfigure sizes, modifiers, and menu items to include all relevant options from both categories.
After updating the menu item, click on the “Save Changes” button, double-check your edits, and then click on the “Edit Special” button for all the changes to reflect on the system.
Deactivating Specials
If you no longer want to show the special deal or pause its activity for any reason, click on the "Deactivate" button. This will deactivate the deal without deleting it, keeping it stored in the system for potential reactivation later if required.
