Organise your menu into categories

Categories group your products into buttons on the till and into sections on the QR menu and online ordering. A good set of categories makes products quicker to find for staff and guests alike.

Before you start

• You need the Manage menu permission to create and change categories.
• Uploading a category image needs the Organization settings permission. The Owner role has it.
• Categories do not decide where an order ticket goes. That is set per product with its Prep station. See Route products to prep stations.

Create a category

1. 1In the back office, go to Menu › Categories and select Add category.
2. 2Under Details, enter a Name, for example "Hot drinks".
3. 3Add a Description if you want one. It is shown under the category heading on the QR menu and online ordering.
4. 4Add an Image if you want one. It is shown on the guest menu. Use JPG, PNG or WebP; square works best.
5. 5Under Appearance, pick a colour. It marks the category on POS buttons and prep station tickets. Preview on the POS shows how the button will look.
6. 6Save.

You can also create a category from the Category drop-down while adding a product.

Add products to a category

1. 1Open the category.
2. 2Under Products, select Add products.
3. 3Search for and tick the products, then select Add.

A product belongs to one category. Products that were in another category move to this one.

To change the order of products, drag them in the list. The order is used on the POS and on guest menus. You can also use Sort to sort by Name A–Z, Name Z–A, Price, low to high or Price, high to low.

To take a product out, use the remove button on its row. It is then left without a category.

Make a sub-category

1. 1Open the category you want to place inside another one.
2. 2Under Organisation, choose the Parent category.
3. 3Save.

Sub-categories show inside their parent on the POS and guest menus. Choose None (top level) to make it a main category again. A category cannot be its own parent, or the parent of one of its parents.

Choose where guests see a category

Under Sales channels, choose where the category appears:

Turn off QR menu or Online ordering to keep a category for staff only, for example staff meals or items you only sell at the counter. Guests can't order products from a category that is hidden on their channel.

The QR and online switches only appear when QR ordering or online ordering is turned on.

Switch a category off

Under Status, turn the category to Inactive and save.

• The category is hidden on the POS and on guest menus.
• The till can still sell its products: they appear under Other.
• Guests can't order its products at all.

Use this for a seasonal menu you want to keep for later. To stop selling a single product, turn off its On sale switch instead (see Add and edit products).

Delete a category

1. 1Move or remove every product in the category first.
2. 2Open More actions and choose Delete category, then confirm.

The category is removed from every menu. If it still has products, deleting is refused with a message saying how many products to move.

Common questions

Does a category send items to the kitchen?

No. Each product has its own Prep station. Two products in the same category can go to different stations.

Can a promotion target a whole category?

Yes. A pricing rule can apply to categories. A rule on a parent category also covers its sub-categories.

Why can't I see the QR menu and Online ordering switches?

Neither feature is turned on yet. Turn it on under Settings › Features.

If something goes wrong

• A category is missing on the POS: check that it is Active.
• Guests can't see a category: check its Sales channels and that it is Active.
• Guests get "product not found" for an item: its category is inactive or hidden on that channel.