Lunch

The Lunch application in Odoo allows users a convenient way to order food and pay for their meal directly from the database.

Before employees can use the Lunch application, there are a number of configurations to consider: settings, vendors, locations, products, product categories, and alerts. Once these are created, employees can view offerings and order food.

Settings

Only two settings are needed to configure in the Lunch app: overdraft settings and notifications. To access the settings, navigate to Lunch app ‣ Configuration: Settings.

Configure the following:

  • Lunch Overdraft: enter the maximum overdraft amount for employees. The currency format is determined by the localization setting of the company.

  • Reception notification: set the message users receive via the Discuss app when their food has been delivered. The default message Your lunch has been delivered. Enjoy your meal! populates this field, but can be modified, if desired.

Tip

If in a database with multiple languages installed, many forms in the Lunch application have the option of entering translations for various fields.

If translations are available to be configured, a language code appears next to a translatable field on a form. To add translations for that field, click the two letter language code (for example, EN for English) and a translation pop-up window appears.

The following is an example for the Reception notification field in the settings menu:

Navigate to Lunch app ‣ Configuration: Settings. Click the EN In the top-right of the text box beneath the Reception notification section. A Translate: company_lunch_notify_message pop-up window loads with the option to enter a translation for the other languages used by the database.

The first column lists the different languages in alphabetical order, with the currently selected language in bold. The second column has the currently configured message in each column. The last column in the far-right provides a text box to type in a translation for each language.

Enter the text that should appear for each language, then click Save.

The translation text box, with the current language highlighted, and the Arabic translation field highlighted.

Vendors

Before food can be ordered, the restaurants that make the food, referred to as vendors in Odoo, must be configured.

First navigate to Lunch app ‣ Configuration: Vendors, and all currently configured vendors for the Lunch app appear in a default Kanban view. To change to a list view, click the ≣ (four horizontal lines) icon in the top-right corner.

To add a new vendor, click the New button in the top-left corner, and a new lunch supplier form loads.

Fill out the following fields on the form.

Vendor information

  • Vendor: enter a name for the vendor.

  • Vendor: select the vendor from the drop-down menu. If the vendor has not already been entered in the system, type in the vendor name and click either Create “vendor” to add them, or Create and edit… to create the vendor and edit the vendor form. The vendor form allows for more detail, aside from the name, to be entered, such as contact information.

    Note

    If a selection is made to the drop-down Vendor field, the text Vendor field (above the drop-down Vendor field) updates with the name of the vendor chosen from the drop-down menu.

    The list of vendors that is presented in the drop-down menu is pulled from the Contacts application.

  • Address: enter the vendor’s address in the various fields in this section.

  • Email: enter the vendor’s email in this field.

  • Phone: enter the vendor’s phone number in this field.

  • Company: if this vendor is only available to a specific company, select the company from the drop-down menu. If this field is left blank, the vendor’s items are available to all companies.

The top portion of the vendor form filled out.

Availability

The AVAILABILITY section presents a table with two rows. The days of the week populate the top row, and the bottom row has checkboxes. Check the corresponding box for each day of the week the vendor is available.

By default, Monday through Friday have checkmarks.

The default view of the availability section, with Mon-Fri enabled.

Orders

  • Delivery: using the drop-down menu, select either Delivery if the vendor delivers food to the office, or No Delivery if ordered food must be picked up.

  • Location: select which locations are able to order from this vendor. Multiple locations can be selected. If this field is left blank, all locations can order from the vendor.

    Note

    By default, an HQ Office location is created by default when creating a database, and is available to select from the list.

  • Send Order By: click the radio button to select how orders are sent to the vendor. The available options are Phone or Email.

  • Order Time: this field appears if Email is selected for Send Order By. Enter the time that an order must be emailed for the order to be accepted. Enter the time in a HH:MM format, then select either AM or PM from the drop-down next to the time field.

The orders section of a vendor form, with all fields filled out.

Extras

When ordering an item in the Lunch app, it is possible to show extra items that can be added to an order, sometimes referred to as add-ons. These can be configured in any manner that suits the products being offered.

By default, Odoo allows for three types of extra items, which can be thought of as categories. By default, the first type or category of add-ons is labeled Extras, the second is labeled Beverages, and the third is labeled Extra Label 3.

Important

When configuring the extras, it is important to keep in mind that all the extras configured will appear for every item offered by the vendor. That means that only items which apply to all products from the vendor should be added.

Configure extras

Enter the following information for each of the three available extra sections:

  • Extra (#) Label: enter a name for the type of extra, such as Toppings or Beverages. This can be thought of as a category.

  • Extra (#) Quantity: select how the extras are allowed to be selected. The options are:

    • None or More: select this if the user is not required to select anything.

    • One or More: select this to require the user to make at least one selection.

    • Only One: select this to require the user to make only one selection.

Add extras

After the labels and quantities have been configured for an extra category, the individual extra items must be added for each category.

Click Add a line at the bottom of the list that appears on the right-hand side of the extra category. Enter the Name and Price for each item being added. The price can remain at $0.00 if there is no cost. This is common for items like disposable silverware or condiments.

Example

For a pizzeria that only offers personal pies, see their extras configured as follows:

The first extra is configured for the various toppings they offer. The Extra 1 Label is set to Toppings, and the Extra 1 Quantity is set to None or More. The various toppings are then added, with their corresponding costs.

The first of the extras configured for pizza toppings.

The pizzeria also offers a free beverage with any purchase. To set this up, the Extra 2 Label is set to Beverages, and the Extra 1 Quantity is set to Only One. The various beverage choices are added, and the cost for each remains zero.

The second of the extras configured for a free beverage with purchase.

Locations

By default, Odoo creates an HQ Office location when the Lunch application is installed. If a company has more than one location, they must be configured.

To add a location, navigate to Lunch app ‣ Configuration: Locations. The currently configured locations appear in a list view. Click the New button in the top-left corner and a blank line appears beneath the last location in the list.

Enter the name of the location in the field. Next, click into the Address field to the right of the name, and enter the location’s address. It is possible to enter multiple lines in the address field.

Repeat this for all locations that need to be added.

A list view of the locations with the new button highlighted.

Products

Before any orders can be placed, the individual products that are being offered must be configured, as no products are pre-configured in Odoo, by default.

First, navigate to the products page by going to Lunch app ‣ Configuration: Products. Next click the New button in the top-left corner and a blank product form loads.

Enter the following information on the form:

  • Product Name*: enter the name for the product.

  • Product Category*: using the drop-down menu, select the category this product falls under.

  • Vendor*: using the drop-down menu, select the vendor that supplies this product.

  • Price: enter the price for the product. The currency is determined by the localization of the company.

  • Description: enter a description of the product in this field. This description appears beneath the product photo when users are viewing the options for the day.

  • New Until: using the calendar popover, select the date that the product will no longer be labeled as new. Until this date, a green New tag appears on the product.

  • Company: if the product should only be available to a specific company, select it from the drop-down menu. If this field is left blank, this product is available for all companies in the database.

  • Image: hover over the image box in the top-right corner of the form, and click the ✏️ (pencil) edit icon that appears. A file explorer pop-up window appears. Navigate to the image, then click Open.

    (*) indicates required field.

A product form filled out for a nine inch pizza.

Product categories

Product categories are a way to organize the offerings in the Lunch app, and allows for users to quickly filter the offerings when reviewing the menu for the day.

To add or modify categories, navigate to Lunch app ‣ Configuration: Product Categories. The available categories appear in a list view. In the Lunch app, there are four default categories : Sandwich, Pizza, Burger, and Drinks.

To add a new category, click the New button in the top-left corner, and a blank category form loads. Enter a name in the Product Category field. If the category is company-specific and should only appear for a certain company, select the Company from the drop-down menu.

If desired, add a photo for the category. Hover over the image box in the top-right, and click the ✏️ (pencil) edit icon that appears. A file explorer pop-up window appears. Navigate to the image, then click Open.

The category form, with the fields filled out for a Soup category.

Alerts

It is possible to set up alerts that can either be displayed in the Lunch app, or be sent to specific employees via the Discuss app.

No alerts are pre-configured by default. To set up an alert, navigate to Lunch app ‣ Configuration: Alerts. Click the New button in the top-left corner and a blank lunch alert form loads. Enter the following information on the form:

  • Alert Name: enter a name for the alert. This should be short and descriptive, such as New Lunch Vendor or Order by 11. This field is required.

  • Display: select whether the alert is visible in the Lunch app (Alert in app) or sent to employees via the Discuss app in a chat window (Chat notification).

    • Recipients: this field only appears if Chat notification is selected for the Display option. Select who receives the chat alert. The options are: Everyone, Employee who ordered last week, Employee who ordered last month, or Employee who ordered last year.

  • Location: select the locations the alert should appear for from the drop-down menu. Multiple locations can be selected. This field is required, therefore, if the alert applies to all locations, select all the locations from the drop-down menu.

  • Show Until: if the alert should expire on a specific date, select the date from the calendar picker.

  • Active: this option is on (appears green) by default. To turn off the alert, click the toggle so that it no longer appears green.

  • Message: Enter the alert message in this field. This field is required.

  • Notification Time: select the days of the week the alert should be sent. By default, all seven days are active. Click on a checkbox to change the setting from active to inactive.

    If Chat notification was selected for the Display option, a Time field also appears. Enter the time the chat message should be sent. Next, select if the time is either AM or PM using the drop-down menu to the right of the Time field.

An alert form with all of the information filled out for a chat alert sent at 10:30 AM, asking employees to submit orders by 11:30 AM.