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Food Items ​

Food Items are the actual dishes on your menu - the products customers order. Navigate to Foods → Food Items to manage your complete menu inventory.

Food Items - List Page

Overview ​

This is where you create and manage every dish, drink, and item available for customers to order. Food Items are the core of your restaurant's menu system.

Creating a Food Item ​

Click Add Food Item to create a new menu item. The form has multiple sections:

Food Items - Add/Edit Form

Basic Information ​

Image (Recommended)

  • Upload an appetizing photo of the dish
  • High-quality, professional food photography preferred
  • Significantly increases order rate on digital menus
  • Displays on website, mobile apps, and digital displays

Name (Required)

  • Official name of the dish
  • Examples: "Grilled Chicken Breast", "Margherita Pizza", "Caesar Salad"
  • Use consistent naming conventions
  • Should match menu and receipts

Description

  • Detailed description of the dish
  • Include key ingredients and cooking method
  • Examples:
    • "Tender chicken breast marinated in herbs, grilled to perfection, served with seasonal vegetables"
    • "Classic pizza with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil"
  • Helps customers make informed choices
  • Useful for dietary restrictions and allergen information

Menu (Required)

  • Select which menu this item belongs to
  • Examples: Breakfast Menu, Lunch Menu, Dinner Menu
  • Controls when item is available (if time-based menus enabled)

Food Type (Required)

  • High-level category: Appetizers, Main Courses, Desserts, etc.
  • First level of organization
  • Helps customers browse menu

Food Category (Required)

  • Specific sub-category within food type
  • Examples: Chicken Dishes, Pasta, Salads
  • Provides detailed organization

Pricing & Taxes ​

Price (Required)

  • Base price of the item in your currency
  • Enter numbers only (no currency symbols)
  • Example: 15.99, 250, 1200.50
  • This is the default price (can be overridden by variants)

Tax (Required)

  • Select applicable tax rate
  • Taxes must be configured first in Settings → Taxes
  • Can be VAT, GST, Sales Tax, or custom
  • Applied at checkout and shown on receipts

Preparation Time

  • Estimated cooking/preparation time in minutes
  • Example: 15, 20, 30 minutes
  • Helps set customer expectations
  • Used for delivery time estimates
  • Useful for kitchen planning

Availability & Status ​

Is Available

  • Toggle switch: Yes or No
  • Controls whether item can be ordered
  • Set to "No" for:
    • Temporarily out of stock items
    • Seasonal items currently out of season
    • Items being discontinued
  • Unavailable items don't show on website/app
  • Still visible in admin for reference

Is Featured

  • Toggle switch: Mark as featured item
  • Featured items may appear in:
    • Special section on website
    • Homepage highlights
    • "Chef's Recommendations"
  • Use for signature dishes and specials

Is Popular

  • Toggle switch: Mark as popular item
  • Popular items may show "Popular" badge
  • Influences customer choices
  • Based on sales data or manual designation

Advanced Features ​

Variants & Groups ​

Food items can have variants (size, customizations) and add-on groups (extras).

Has Variation

  • Toggle switch: Enable if item has multiple options
  • Examples of variants:
    • Pizza: Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large
    • Coffee: Regular, Large
    • Burger: Single, Double, Triple
  • Each variant can have different price
  • Customers select variant at order time

Adding Variants

Food Items - Variants Management

  1. Create the base food item first
  2. After saving, click Add Variants in actions menu
  3. Enter variant details:
    • Variant Name: Small, Medium, Large, etc.
    • Price: Price for this variant
    • Is Default: Set one variant as default selection
  4. Add multiple variants as needed
  5. Variants appear as options when ordering

Example Variant Setup:

  • Pizza (Base Item)
    • Small (10") - ₹300
    • Medium (12") - ₹450
    • Large (14") - ₹600
    • Extra Large (16") - ₹800

Add-On Groups

  • Click Add Groups in actions menu
  • Create customization groups:
    • Group Name: Extra Toppings, Sauce Options, Side Choices
    • Items: Individual options within the group
    • Price: Additional charge for each option
    • Required: Must customer select from this group?
    • Multiple Selection: Can select multiple items?

Example Add-On Group:

  • Burger (Base Item)
    • Extra Toppings Group (Optional, Multiple Selection)
      • Cheese +₹30
      • Bacon +₹50
      • Avocado +₹40
      • Extra Patty +₹80
    • Sauce Options Group (Required, Single Selection)
      • BBQ Sauce
      • Mayo
      • Spicy Sauce
      • Mustard

Variants vs Add-Ons

Variants are mutually exclusive options (customer picks one size). Add-Ons are extras that can be added (customer can add multiple toppings). Use variants for sizes/versions, add-ons for customizations.

Ingredients & Recipe ​

Ingredients

  • List ingredients used in this dish
  • Select from Inventory Items (if inventory module enabled)
  • Specify quantity of each ingredient
  • Used for:
    • Automatic inventory deduction when item sold
    • Recipe costing and profit margin calculation
    • Allergen tracking and dietary information
    • Stock alerts when ingredients low

Adding Ingredients:

  1. In Food Item form, find Ingredients section
  2. Click Add Ingredient
  3. Select ingredient from inventory
  4. Enter quantity used per serving
  5. Repeat for all ingredients

Example:

  • Chicken Burger
    • Burger Bun - 1 piece
    • Chicken Breast - 150g
    • Lettuce - 20g
    • Tomato - 50g
    • Cheese Slice - 1 piece
    • Special Sauce - 30ml

Inventory Integration

Linking food items to inventory ingredients enables automatic stock tracking. When a Chicken Burger is sold, the system automatically deducts 1 bun, 150g chicken, etc. from inventory.

Food Items List View ​

Columns Displayed:

  • Image: Thumbnail of dish
  • Name: Item name with variant count (if applicable)
  • Menu: Which menu(s) it belongs to
  • Food Type: Category
  • Food Category: Sub-category
  • Price: Display price (or price range for items with variants)
  • Preparation Time: Cook time in minutes
  • Status: Available or Unavailable badge
  • Actions: Edit, Delete, Add Variants, Add Groups

Filters:

  • Menu Filter: Show items from specific menu
  • Food Category Filter: Filter by category
  • Search: Search by item name

Variant Indicator

  • Items with variants show link: "3 Variants"
  • Click to view all variant details
  • Quick access to variant pricing

Managing Food Items ​

Editing Items

  • Click Edit to modify item details
  • Update any field
  • Changes reflect immediately on website and POS

Availability Toggle

  • Quick toggle in list view to mark available/unavailable
  • No need to open full edit form
  • Instant update across all systems

Deleting Items

  • Click Delete to remove item
  • Confirmation required
  • Cannot delete items with order history (recommended to make unavailable instead)

Bulk Actions

  • Select multiple items with checkboxes
  • Bulk delete for cleanup
  • Use cautiously to avoid mistakes

Best Practices ​

High-Quality Images

  • Professional food photography increases orders by 30-40%
  • Consistent style across all items
  • Well-lit, appetizing, accurate representation
  • Images should load fast (optimize file size)

Descriptive Names

  • Clear, concise, appetizing
  • "Grilled Salmon with Lemon Butter" better than just "Salmon"
  • Include key selling points in name
  • Keep under 50 characters when possible

Compelling Descriptions

  • Describe flavors, cooking method, key ingredients
  • Mention if organic, free-range, imported, etc.
  • Indicate dietary suitability (vegetarian, gluten-free)
  • Include allergen warnings
  • Keep to 2-3 sentences

Accurate Pricing

  • Update prices regularly
  • Use variants for size-based pricing
  • Consider food cost and profit margins
  • Stay competitive with market rates

Realistic Prep Times

  • Set achievable preparation times
  • Account for peak hour delays
  • Better to overestimate than underestimate
  • Adjust based on kitchen feedback

Inventory Linking

  • Link to inventory items when possible
  • Enables automatic stock management
  • Provides accurate costing data
  • Alerts when ingredients running low

Menu Organization

  • Assign to correct menu(s)
  • Proper food type and category
  • Makes ordering faster and easier
  • Better browsing experience

Regular Updates

  • Review items quarterly
  • Remove unpopular items
  • Update seasonal offerings
  • Adjust prices based on costs
  • Refresh photos periodically

Seasonal Items

  • Mark seasonal items clearly
  • Make unavailable when out of season
  • Consider special "Seasonal Menu"
  • Don't delete - reuse next year

Menu Psychology

Place most profitable items first in categories, with good images and descriptions. Items in top 2-3 positions get ordered most frequently.

Consistency Across Channels

Ensure food items appear consistently across POS, website, mobile app, and printed menus. Inconsistencies confuse customers and staff.

Upselling with Add-Ons

Use add-on groups strategically to increase average order value. "Make it a combo? +₹50" or "Add extra cheese? +₹30" are proven upsell techniques.