DeccanPro · Chennai restaurant guide
https://deccanpro.com/guides/restaurant-menu-change-checklist/
Updated
Write one approved change list
List the old item name, intended new name, price to be confirmed by the owner, effective date and first shift using the change. Separate new dishes from renamed dishes and unavailable dishes. A handwritten instruction such as ‘change meals’ leaves too much room for interpretation when the menu has several meal options.
Compare the change list with printed menus, counter boards and any customer-facing material you maintain. Give one person responsibility for the approved version. Do not leave staff choosing between a message in a group chat and a different paper list.
Check how existing orders are handled
Before changing live items, ask to demonstrate what happens to a running table containing the affected dish. Establish which price should apply and who resolves a guest query. Do not assume an edit will change, or preserve, every existing order in the same way.
Use the supported setup procedure and check the result from the actual captain handset and billing counter. If an item is meant to be unavailable, demonstrate the intended procedure for preventing new orders. The kitchen team also needs the final wording, especially where two dishes differ by just one ingredient or portion size.
Verify the first example from entry to bill
Prepare one sample order for each changed item. Read the item name and quantity on the kitchen output, then check the intended amount on the bill. Review long names for confusing wrapping. Resolve discrepancies before the shift begins rather than asking staff to remember a temporary verbal correction.
After the first service, collect confusing names and missed customer-facing updates in one list. A weekend special in a Chennai cafe and an evening tiffin addition need the same discipline: a clear effective time and a complete check of the resulting order.
Test the boundary between old and new prices
Use a fictional training menu outside live service: a meal changes from Rs.120 to Rs.130 at an agreed test time. The owner’s practice policy is that two meals already accepted on an open order remain at Rs.120 each, while new orders use Rs.130. This is a policy chosen for the exercise, not a claim that the software applies it automatically.
Create and save an open order before the change, then make the approved menu update through the demonstrated procedure. Reopen that order and create a separate new order afterwards. Compare the actual results with the agreed practice policy. If they differ, resolve the supported procedure before using it during service.
Scroll sideways if needed to see all columns.
| Practice record | Agreed expectation | What to inspect |
|---|---|---|
| Completed bill from before the change | Original two-meal total Rs.240 remains the historical record | Open the saved bill and compare reference, items and amount |
| Open order accepted before the change | Two meals remain Rs.240 under this exercise’s policy | Check the running order after the item price is edited |
| New order after the change | Two meals use Rs.130 each: Rs.260 | Check entry screen, saved order and final bill |
Add one more dish to the existing table
Now ask the fictional guest on the old open order for one additional meal. Decide explicitly which price should apply to that addition. If the exercise uses Rs.130 for the new meal while retaining two earlier meals at Rs.120, the intended item subtotal is Rs.370. If the owner instead approves Rs.120 for the whole existing order, the intended subtotal is Rs.360. Record the chosen rule before testing, so the cashier is not guessing from the final amount.
Demonstrate whether the supported workflow can represent that policy and communicate the single additional meal to the kitchen. If it cannot, agree a different supported process before rollout. These figures exclude taxes, discounts and other adjustments. Do not repair a mismatch by creating an extra payment or by sending all three meals as fresh preparation.
Check the old menu has actually left service
For a Chennai tiffin counter moving from breakfast to an evening menu, check the counter board, printed menu and actual order-entry screens together. For a cafe adding a weekend special, check the portion name as well as the price. Keep a copy of the approved previous menu with its effective dates for reference, while clearly removing superseded customer-facing copies from use.
After the first changed shift, inspect a small sample of new bills and any tables that crossed the change time. Record discrepancies with their saved references and the responsible person. Reversing an item price does not automatically resolve already-created orders: review affected records through the supported process. Repeat only the failed checks after a correction, and confirm the final version with the next shift.
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Your checklist
- One owner-approved version of the change list
- Completed, open and new orders checked separately
- Price rule for a late addition agreed before testing
- Only the additional dish reaches the kitchen as new work
- Counter, captain and kitchen read the same dish
- Printed and displayed menus reviewed
- First changed shift checked against saved references
