Client Background
A Denver-based ice cream business with multiple scoop shops is known for its creative flavors that rotate. Each location needed to showcase its daily menu online, feed directly from its Square POS system.
Customers needed to see available flavors and quickly understand dietary details, allergen info, and staff recommendations.
The Challenge with Square POS
The existing Square integration supplied flavor names as modifiers of a single “Ice Cream” product. This created several challenges:
- Matching flavors across systems was problematic
Flavor names needed to match entries in WordPress. Typos and formatting caused mismatches between POS data and website content. - Organizing the menu proved difficult
Flavors needed to appear under categories such as Ice Cream, Vegan Ice Cream, Sorbets, and Sandwiches. - Adding ingredient details and badges were not possible
Each flavor needed visible indicators for allergens, including nuts, soy, gluten, and eggs, alongside highlights such as “Staff Pick.” These details needed to be managed within WordPress.
The Solution that Enriched the UX as Needed
We connected the Square POS menu data with a richer flavor database in WordPress.
- Extended the WordPress Flavor Database
We expanded the existing Flavors custom post type with allergen checkboxes, dietary flags such as Vegan and Dairy-Free, and badges such as Staff Pick, Seasonal, and Limited Edition. - Connected POS Flavors to Website Entries
The website retrieved each shop’s “Now Scooping” list from Square. String-matching logic linked POS flavor names to WordPress entries, with direct Square ID mapping where available. - Built Dynamic Shop Menus
Each location’s webpage combined its Square flavor list with categories, allergen icons, and badges stored in WordPress. This allowed the website to reflect menu changes in Square while displaying additional flavor information. - Added Fallback Matching
A fuzzy-matching fallback helped accommodate minor naming differences between Square and WordPress, reducing the chance that an otherwise matching flavor would appear without its supporting details.
Results
- More Efficient Menu Management
Square supplied each location’s flavor list, while WordPress supplied the descriptive details, reducing the need to maintain separate website menus manually. - Clearer Customer Information
Customers can now browse grouped menus with visible allergen indicators, dietary details, and staff highlights. - Simpler Maintenance
Staff could now manage flavors in WordPress while continuing to use the POS as before. - An Ongoing Foundation for Rotating Menus
The integration supported the shop’s changing flavor options by separating daily menu availability from the information maintained for each flavor.
Key Takeaways
By extending a WordPress custom post type, it provided a practical way to enrich third-party menu data we can present to users.
By combining name matching with direct ID mapping where available, helped connect records across systems.
By centralizing flavors in WordPress, it allowed each location’s menu to display consistent categories, dietary details, and badges.
In summary, by connecting Square POS with WordPress, we created a flexible menu management system for a Denver-based ice cream business, helping staff maintain flavor information and customers explore what each location was scooping.