Customizing Modifiers: Mastering Modifier Free Item Priority 🍕🆓
When configuring complex modifier groups—such as a "Choose 3 Toppings, 2 Free" layout—controlling exactly which items absorb that free credit can drastically affect your profit margins. For instance, if a guest chooses a premium topping and a standard topping, you probably want the system to charge them for the expensive one and make the cheaper one free.
NX Restaurant includes an Advanced Setting at the item level called Free Item Priority to give you total control over how these discounts are distributed.
The Core Setup: Free Item Allowances
To understand how priority works, you first need to look at how a modifier category is linked to a parent menu item:
Free Amount: This defines how many modifier selections are included at no cost (e.g., setting Free: 2 allows the guest to choose two toppings before charges kick in).
Free Item Priority: This dropdown controls the behavioral logic that decides which modifiers get that free allowance.
🛠️ The Four Priority Modes Explained
NX uses four distinct calculations to determine which modifier items get discounted first.
1. Free Items First (System Default)
This mode applies the free budget to the first items added to the check. Any selections rung up after the free allowance is spent are charged at full price.
Example: If a server rings up Topping A, then Topping B, then Topping C—Toppings A and B will be free, while Topping C is charged, regardless of their individual costs.
2. Free Items Last
This reverses the default rule. The system charges for the first items rung up until the mandatory paid budget is met. Any selections added to the check after that point become free.
3. Based on Free Priority
This is our most powerful and strategic option. Instead of relying on the order the server taps the screen, it sorts modifiers by an explicit Free Priority Integer assigned in the back office. The lowest number wins the free allowance first.
Strategy Tip: Give your least expensive modifiers (like onions or jalapenos) a priority of
1, and premium modifiers (like avocado or extra bacon) a priority of3. NX will automatically award the free credits to the cheap items first, protecting your margins on premium products.
4. Based on Item Sort Order
This operates exactly like Based on Free Priority, but instead of using a unique priority field, it simply uses the existing Display Sort Order of the modifiers as they appear on the POS screen. The item positioned first on the grid wins the free credit first.
đź“‹ At-a-Glance Priority Summary
| Selected Dropdown Value | Which Modifiers Get the Free Allowance? | Uses the "Free Priority" Field? |
|---|---|---|
| Free Items First | The first items tapped on the POS screen. | No |
| Free Items Last | The last items tapped on the POS screen. | No |
| Based on Free Priority | The items assigned the lowest integer value in the portal. | Yes |
| Based on Item Sort Order | The items positioned first on the POS grid layout. | No (Uses Display Sort Order) |
🧮 Blended Price Math (No Cluttered Checks)
What happens if a guest orders a quantity of two of the same premium modifier, but your budget rules dictate that only one of them should be free?
To keep your customer-facing guest checks clean and easy to read, NX will never split a single modification into two confusing lines (one paid, one free). Instead, it calculates a blended per-unit rate behind the scenes using this formula:
price = Ranged Price Ă— Charged Units / Total Quantity
Example: A guest adds 2 orders of a $3.00 topping, but only 1 is allowed to be free. Instead of printing one line at $3.00 and one line at $0.00, NX blends the price map. It displays a quantity of 2 at a single blended unit price of $1.50, resulting in the exact same correct total of $3.00.
Need Help? đź’ˇ
Where do I set the numerical priority values?
These numbers live on the connection between the category and the item. Go to Menus > Modifier Categories, click your category, and look for the Free Priority column next to your item names. The default is always
1.
What happens if two modifiers share the same priority number?
If there is a tie, NX breaks it based on their alphabetical entry order in your database system. Because the sorting mechanism is mathematically stable, your calculations will remain consistent on every check.
Does this setting affect standard item discounts or coupons?
No. This feature specifically governs modifier item limits inside parent menu groups and operates completely independently of your standard marketing rewards or manual manager comps.