How to Configure Ingredients & Portions
🍽️ How to Configure Ingredients & Portions
Each ingredient in your recipe needs a quantity rule. This rule defines how the ingredient behaves depending on the item's size (variants) and customizations (modifiers).
There are 3 main ways to configure your ingredients, depending on how your item is built.
🥣 1. Simple Item, Match Item Size
Example: Soup
This is the simplest case.
- Your item is made from one preparation only (e.g. soup, juice, sauce).
- The unit of the recipe equals the unit you sell (grams, ml, etc.).
- The size of the item directly defines the quantity used.
How it works
You use: Match item size.
- You don't enter any quantity manually.
- The system automatically uses the variant size.
Example
| Variant | Quantity used |
|---|---|
| 250 g | 250 g soup |
| 500 g | 500 g soup |
When to use this
Use Match item size when:
- You have only one ingredient.
- The item is a preparation already made.
- The portion sold equals the portion consumed.
✅ Typical items: Soup, Smoothie, Prepared sauce, Juice.
🍔 2. Complex Item, Fixed + Custom per Variant
Example: Hamburger
This case is more advanced.
- Your item is made of multiple ingredients.
- Some ingredients change with size, others don't.
How it works
You combine:
- Fixed quantity for ingredients that never change.
- Custom per variant for ingredients that depend on size.
Example setup
Variants: Classic burger, Big burger.
Ingredients:
-
Beef changes with size. Use Custom per variant:
Variant Beef Classic 200 g Big 400 g -
Bread, tomato, lettuce, sauce stay the same for all variants. Use Fixed quantity:
- 1 bun
- 20 g sauce
- 30 g vegetables
When to use this
Use this setup when:
- Your item has multiple ingredients.
- Only some ingredients vary with size.
✅ Typical items: Burgers, Sandwiches, Bowls, Pizzas.
🧀 3. Advanced Item, With Modifiers (Add-ons)
Example: Burger + Extra Cheese
This builds on the previous case.
- You still have multiple ingredients.
- Customers can add extras (modifiers).
How it works
You configure:
1. Base recipe (same as the hamburger case):
- Fixed quantity for bread, sauce, etc.
- Custom per variant for meat.
2. Modifiers (add-ons):
Each modifier must be linked to an ingredient.
Example:
- Modifier: Extra cheese
- Linked ingredient: cheese
- Quantity added: +20 g
What happens
If a customer selects Extra cheese:
- +20 g cheese is consumed from stock.
- Food cost increases automatically.
When to use this
Use this setup when:
- Customers can customize items.
- Extras impact inventory and cost.
✅ Typical modifiers: Extra cheese, Extra meat, Add avocado, Double portion.
🧠 Summary, Choosing the Right Rule
For each ingredient, ask yourself:
- Does the quantity follow the item size? ✅ Use Match item size.
- Is the quantity always the same? ✅ Use Fixed quantity.
- Does the quantity change depending on the variant? ✅ Use Custom per variant.
- Can the customer add more of this ingredient? ✅ Link it to a modifier.
⚙️ How to Set This Up in Foody Admin
Step 1. Create your item
- Add variants (e.g. Small, Large or Classic, Big).
Step 2. Add ingredients
For each ingredient:
- Select the ingredient.
- Choose how it behaves:
- Match item size for automatic quantity.
- Fixed quantity to enter one value.
- Custom per variant to define a value per variant.
Step 3. Add modifiers (if needed)
- Create the modifier (e.g. Extra cheese).
- Link it to an ingredient.
- Define the added quantity.
🎯 Final Mental Model
Instead of thinking in system terms, just ask:
- "Does this ingredient depend on size?"
- "Is it always the same?"
- "Can the customer add more of it?"
That's it. The system handles the rest.