TastyFood
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Menu Management

Manual Menu Creation

A well-structured menu consists of thoughtfully organized categories and items. With TastyFood, you can efficiently create, organize, and manage your menu content, ensuring diners can easily discover and select their preferred dishes. This guide provides step-by-step instructions for building and maintaining your menu categories and items for an optimal customer experience.

On this page, you'll find:

If you'd like a shortcut to importing your menu categories and items, check out our Menu Magic feature. Just snap a photo of your menu and our AI will automatically build your menu for you (learn how).

Category & Item Settings

Let’s explore the key options available for customizing your menu to best reflect your restaurant’s brand and offerings.

Category

A category groups related menu items together, helping diners easily navigate your menu and discover dishes that interest them.

Category Name

This is the display name for the category as it will appear to customers.

Publish Category

When enabled, the category is visible to customers on the TastyFood platform. You may unpublish a category at any time to temporarily hide it from view.

Description

Provide a brief description to give diners more context about the category. For example: "Seasonal offerings" or "Available weekends only."

Note

Add any additional notes or footnotes relevant to this category. For example: "Served with rice and vegetables" or "Spice level can be adjusted."

Item

An item is a single dish or product that is offered on your menu.

Item Name

This is the display name for the item as it will appear to customers.

Publish Item

When enabled, the item is visible to customers on the TastyFood platform. You may unpublish an item at any time to temporarily hide it from view.

When enabled, the item will be marked as "Popular" to feature it on the menu.

Pricing

Each item can have one or more prices. For each price, specify:

  • Price: Enter the amount exactly as you want it displayed (e.g., "$20.00" or "+$4.00").
  • Note: Optionally, add a label to clarify the price, such as "Small", "Add Shrimp", or "Family Size". This is especially helpful when offering multiple sizes or add-ons.

You can customize the order in which prices appear for each item (learn how).

Description

Provide a brief description to give diners more context about the item.

Special Instructions

Include any special instructions or important notes for this item. For example: "Please allow an extra 20 minutes for preparation" or "Spice level can be customized upon request."

Dietary Information

Enhance your menu items with dietary information to help diners make informed and safe choices. You can enable the following dietary and allergen indicators for each item:

  • The item is Vegan
  • The item is Gluten-Free
  • The item is Vegetarian
  • The item contains nuts or nut-derived ingredients
  • The item includes milk or dairy products

These icons will appear alongside your menu items, providing clear guidance for guests with dietary preferences or restrictions.

Once menu items have been created, add photos and videos to them to make them more engaging (learn how).

Category & Item Management Functions

Manage your categories and items in TastyFood with these simple steps.

  1. Navigate to your Menu List (learn how)
  2. Click the menu you want to view

Create a Category

From the Menu Editor, click the button.

Enter your category details. For a description of each field, see the Category Settings section above.

Create an Item

From the Menu Editor, click the button.

Enter your item details. For a description of each field, see the Item Settings section above.

Update your Category/Item

  • To update Category details, click the button.
  • To update Item details, click the Item row.

Delete your Category/Item

First navigate to the Update screen (learn how). Then, click the button at the top right corner of the screen.

Reorder your Categories & Items

Menus categories and items will be displayed in your specified order when a diner visits your menu.

On the Mobile App, you can choose to reorder either categories or items within a category. On the Web Browser, categories and items can be reordered at the same time.

  1. Navigate to the Menu List (learn how).

  2. Enter Reorder Mode:

Click the button at the top bar.

Click the button at the top bar.

  1. Rearrange your menu categories and items by dragging and dropping them into your preferred order. On the mobile app, long-press the menu to grab it before moving it.

  2. Click the button.

Items cannot be moved between categories. To place an item in a different category, you will need to delete it from its current category and recreate it in the desired one.

Price Management

You can assign multiple prices to a single item. For example, a base price ("$20.00") and additional options or add-ons ("+$4.00 Add Shrimp").

  • Click the button to add a new price.
  • Click the button to remove a price.

When you have multiple prices for an item, you can reorder them to display in the order you want them to appear.

Click the button at the top bar.

Click the button at the top bar.

Tips for Effective Menu Items

Category

Create 5-7 categories with clear, descriptive names, and order them logically. For example:

  • Appetizers/Starters - Build excitement
  • Main Courses - Primary dishes
  • Sides & Extras - Complementary items
  • Desserts - Sweet endings
  • Beverages - Drinks and specialties

Item

Create 5-8 items in each category to prevent decision paralysis.

  • Guide attention to high-margin items by positioning them first
  • Write concise, sensory descriptions (1-2 sentences) that highlight quality and unique benefits
  • Consider including dietary information
  • Add photos and videos to showcase what makes your dishes special

Next Steps

AI-Powered Menu Creation

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Adding Media to Your Menu

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