Basic Menu Concepts : Categories, Items, Options and Group Categories

 

Categories: 

• Menu Categories such as “salads” or “starters” are implemented here

• Availability can be updated for the entire category (this means all items assigned to this category follow these rules).
  

• This is useful if, say, the lunch menu is only available Mon-Fri 11am-3pm. You can change under the availability tab from “All Days” to “Specific Times” and adjust each day accordingly. 
  

• You can view all items assigned to a category under the “items” tab and here you can adjust sort order (useful for restaurants that number their dishes) 

Items: 

• In the items tab you can add new items, search for and change existing items, copy existing items, and select multiple items to enable or disable simultaneously

• When adding items, you can include the name, description (which appears in smaller, lighter text under the item name), price, and assign the item to a category (this MUST be done in order for the item to show up).
  

• Items can be assigned to more than one category.
  

• Items with NO price and/or NO category will NOT appear 

• Disabled items will NOT appear 

• For alcoholic beverages, clicking the “is alcohol” radio button will ensure that a user who adds this item to their cart is sent the “alcohol notification” (ie. “you must be 21+ in order to buy alcoholic drinks”)

• You can also add specific options to your items under the options tab. These are things such as “toppings” or “salad dressings” 

• In order to do so, search the option (that you already have created) and select it 

• You may define an option as required or not 

• Add the choices by clicking on the big blue button & selecting relevant choices

• To make the options add or removed price from the item total simply fill out that box under “price”

• You can also adjust sort order of all options, or choices within the options themselves, if your menu has a logical progression 

• Item availability can also be specified, but this is rarely useful (only used if you have a “tuesday special”)

Options:

• Adding options is really easy. Just click the blue button, give the option a name (ie “add” or “choice of side”) and select its type. There are three useful types: select, checkbox, and radio 

• Select: only allows one choice from all options & is given in a drop down menu 

• Checkbox: allows user to select multiple options (you can set a max under the options tab of the individual item) or multiple quantities 

• Radio: allows user to see all options in similar format to checkbox, but only select one 

Group Category

• Group categories are used when you have multiple menus (ie “lunch” / “dinner” / “brunch”) 

• Create the group category, choose the items to assign, and make sure to select the “hide title” button in order for the group category name to appear 

• Ensure that you have checked the box which says “group category menu shop” and chosen a style (tabbed or in line) in order for everything to appear on the online ordering platform 

• There is no “power” in the group category; it is simply used to organise / divide menus. All rules (ex availability and assigning items) must be completed at the category level.

Best Practice for setting up a new Menu: 

Setup menus in following order: 

1. First add and sort all categories 

2. Fill out all options 

3. Create items with categories & options assigned.

4. Check all items appear and are accurate

5. Assign group categories & any category rules 

6. Check everything :) 

Tips & Tricks: 

Copy Options Functionality:

• If multiple items have similar options (ie all salads have same dressing choices) you can simply add the options to one item,
  

• Then under the “copy options” section, search for this item, choose "check options", select the option you wish to copy (“dressings”) from all the options assigned to it.
  

• Then search the other dishes (your other salads) and select SAVE in the top right corner to copy that option across.  
  

• Everything will be copied exactly; as in, price changes and sort order
  

• Copying will not alter existing options on either item (ie copying “dressings” will not change the ‘add protein” option already created on a salad)