A menu is a collection of items and packages offered to guests. Menus are built in Settings > Menus, using items and packages built in their own tabs first. Menus built this way use a shared library of items and options, so pieces built once can be reused anywhere.
Options, Items, Packages, and Menus
These four pieces work together, and it helps to know how they differ before building a menu.
- Options: Reusable modifications added to items for customization, such as a protein choice, sauce selection, or add-on. Options can be applied across multiple items without being recreated each time.
- Items: Standalone selections that live in a shared library and can be reused across multiple menus. Items can be priced flat or per person, and are assigned a category, locations, and optional descriptions and photos.
- Packages: Groups of items bundled together, commonly used for prix-fixe menus, tasting menus, and tiered offerings. Packages can include item groups (Appetizers, Entrées, Desserts, for example), minimum and maximum selection requirements, and optional add-ons.
- Menus: Where items and packages come together. When a menu is built, event styles, locations, and meal periods (if enabled) are chosen for where it should be available. Only items and packages added to the menu are available to guests.
1. Create Items
Items live in a shared library. Once built, an item can be added to any package or used on its own, so the same item never needs to be recreated.
Items can only be created from the Items tab.
- Go to the Items tab and select the "+ New Item" button.
- Enter a name and price.
- To adjust price based on the number of guests selecting the item, check "Price Per Person." This adds a price and quantity automatically when the item is selected.
- Choose a Menu Item Category.
- Add a description and photo if needed.
- Select the applicable locations.
- Required fields are marked with a red asterisk.
- Select Save.
After saving, an Option Groups tab appears on the item page.
- Select "+ Option Group" to add a group.
- Select "Add Option" to add one underneath it. This opens a library of options already built, with a search bar. Pick one, or select "+ New" inside that same window to build an option on the spot.
- Options can also be built ahead of time in the Options tab, using "+ New Option," so they are ready to use on any item.
- Up to three layers of option groups and options can be added to one item.
2. Create Packages
- Go to the Packages tab and select "+ New Package."
- Enter a name and price. Check "Price Per Person" if the price should adjust with guest count.
- Choose a Menu Item Category, add a description and photo, and select locations.
- Required fields are marked with a red asterisk.
- Select Save.
After saving, an Item Groups tab appears.
- Select "+ Item Group" and title it (Appetizers, Entrées, Desserts, for example). Set any minimum or maximum selection rules and add a description, then save. Item groups are still built one at a time for each package.
- Select "Add Item" inside a group. This opens the shared items library instead of a blank item form, so an existing item can be chosen directly. Its options come along with it.
- Options cannot be edited, deleted, or reordered from inside a package. Those changes happen in the Items tab.
- Packages have an Upcharge field. An item's own price does not carry into a package on its own, so use Upcharge to add extra cost for one item within it (for example, $10 for a Surf & Turf upgrade).
3. Assemble the Menu
- Go to the Menus tab and select "+ New Menu."
- Title the menu and choose event styles, locations, and meal periods, if enabled.
- Save, then select "Items and Packages."
- Add the items and packages built above.
- Select Update once the menu is complete.
Once built, the menu is available anywhere menus are used.
Video Walkthroughs
For a closer look at each step, these videos walk through the process.