Barcode System - How to Use

Overview

The Barcode System allows you to assign barcodes to your meals for use with barcode scanners, printed labels, and checkout search. Each meal gets a unique barcode that can be auto-generated or manually entered.

Requirements

• POS Module must be active on your account. The barcode field will not appear on the meal edit page without it

Setting Up Barcodes

Auto-Generated Barcodes

When you create or save a meal and leave the barcode field empty, the system automatically generates a UPC-A barcode. The format is a 12-digit number starting with "2" (reserved for in-store use), followed by a padded version of your meal ID, plus a check digit

For example, meal #302 would get barcode 200000003029

Manually Entering a Barcode

If you already have existing barcodes from a previous system, you can type the barcode directly into the Barcode field on the meal edit page (Admin > Meals > Edit Meal). The field accepts up to 30 characters including letters and numbers

Where to Find the Barcode Field

1. Go to Admin > Meals
2. Click on a meal to edit it
3. The Barcode field is located below the Net Weight field
4. A preview of the barcode image will appear below the field after saving

Barcodes on Labels

Barcodes can be displayed on meal labels when printing. To enable:

1. Go to Admin > Settings > Labels
2. In the label element options, make sure Barcode is checked for the label types you want:

• • Meal Labels
  • Retail Labels
  • Proposal Labels
  • Catering Labels

3. The barcode will appear on the following label sizes:

• • 4x2 (standard, vertical, retail)
  • 5x3.5 (standard and Avery 8168)
  • 4x2 Proposals
  • 2x1 Barcode Only (Presta 94220) - a dedicated label showing just the meal name and barcode, 24 per page

Using Barcode Search in Checkout

Search Within a Module

1. Open Admin > Checkout (or POS terminal)
2. Select a module (e.g., Grab and Go, A la Carte, etc.)
3. Type or scan the barcode number into the search bar
4. The meal will filter and appear in the results
5. If using a barcode scanner, the meal will automatically be selected after scanning

Global Search Bar

A search bar is available at the top of the module selection screen before choosing a module. When you scan or type a barcode here:

• The system will automatically open the first available module (priority: A la Carte > Grab and Go > POS)
• Once the module loads, it will find and select the matching meal

Important Limitation

The barcode search only works for meals that are on the menu for the currently selected delivery date in that module. If a meal is not assigned to the current delivery date, it will not appear in search results regardless of the barcode

Barcode Scanning with Hardware

Barcode scanners work by acting as a keyboard — they type the barcode number and press Enter. Any USB or Bluetooth barcode scanner will work with the checkout search bars automatically. No special configuration is needed

Updated on: 15/03/2026