Manage your menu

Set up your menu so staff can find dishes in the POS and customers can order them online. Open Menu > Menus in the Back Office . You can import an existing menu or add menus, courses, and dishes yourself.

Choose how to update your menu

Use the Menu Assistant card when you have a menu file or want to describe a change:

• Import file reads a PDF, menu photo, CSV, or spreadsheet. Check the draft and choose which dishes to apply.
• Edit previews a change you describe, such as “Add lemonade to Beverages for $3.50.”
• Proofread suggests fixes to dish names and descriptions. Accept only the changes you want.

Nothing changes until you choose what to apply. See Build your menu for the steps and file limits.

Selflane saves a copy before applying changes from these tools. An owner can restore it within seven days from Owner's Portal > Data & History > Backups in the Back Office . Restoring replaces your current menu.

Understand the menu structure

For example, Spring rolls can appear under Appetizers on your Lunch menu. The same dish can appear on your Dinner menu too. Each dish has one course, so create your menus and courses before adding dishes.

Set up a menu

Make a menu for a group of dishes you sell together, such as Lunch, Dinner, or Happy Hour.

1. Scroll to Menus. Click + to add a menu, or click a menu card to change it.
2. Enter a Name customers will recognize, such as “Lunch.” Add a Description if needed.
3. If you serve it only at certain times, turn on Special Hours. Choose the days and hours. Leave this off for an all-day menu.
4. Choose where the menu should be available:
   • Turn on Online if customers can order it from your Selflane site.
   • Turn on Third Party if you publish it through Third-Party Ordering.
   • Turn on Catering if it belongs in your online catering menu. Catering menus do not appear in the regular online menu.
   • Turn on Run out (86'd) only when you need to make the menu temporarily unavailable.
5. Click Save.

To change the menu order, drag the cards in the Menus section.

Set up a course

Courses are sections such as Appetizers, Entrees, and Desserts. They help staff and customers find dishes.

1. Scroll to Courses. Click + to add a course, or click a course card to change it.
2. Enter the Name, such as “Appetizers.” Choose a Classification that fits the dishes, such as Food or Beverage.
3. Set P & L if you group sales for reporting. Otherwise, keep the default.
4. Turn on Online or Third Party where you want the course to appear. Use Run out (86'd) to make the whole course temporarily unavailable.
5. Click Save.

Use + Many to add several courses at once. Drag course cards to change their order.

Add a dish

Add each food or drink that customers can order. For example, add Spring rolls to the Appetizers course and the Lunch and Dinner menus.

1. Scroll to Dishes. Click + to add a dish, or click an existing dish to change it.
2. Enter the customer-facing Name and Price. Add a Description if customers need more detail. Use Kitchen Name for a shorter name on kitchen tickets.
3. Choose at least one Menu and one Course. If you leave Menus empty, the dish will not appear on any menu.
4. Choose the kitchen or bar printers that should receive the dish. Select a Printing Group if your kitchen uses one.
5. Turn on Online or Third Party where customers can order it. Use Run out (86'd) when the dish is temporarily unavailable.
6. Set a Daily Limit if you can sell only a certain number each day. Leave it at 0 for no limit.
7. Click Save.

If online or third-party prices differ from the in-store price, set Online Upcharge or 3rd Party Upcharge. A pricing strategy for that channel takes precedence over the dish’s upcharge. You can also add a dish photo and modifiers, such as sizes or toppings.

Track a dish’s stock

Use Stock to record the amount you have, deliveries, counts, waste, and corrections. Sales do not reduce Current Amount yet.

Copy a dish

Use Duplicate when a new dish is similar to one you already sell. Check the copied settings before saving.

1. In Dishes, find the dish in its course or use the search box.
2. Click its Duplicate icon in the Actions column.
3. Enter a new Name. Check the copied price, menus, course, and printers. Add a Kitchen Name if needed.
4. Click Save.

Set up printing groups

Create a printing group when you want to assign dishes to a named printer station.

1. Scroll to Settings at the bottom of Menu > Menus.
2. Under Printing Groups, click + Group.
3. Enter a name and choose a printer from Select Printer.
4. Click Save.
5. Return to Dishes, open a dish, choose its Printing Group, and click Save.

Add dish markers

Dish markers give staff selectable notes in the POS. You can put them above or below the modifier choices.

1. Scroll to Settings and find Dish Marker.
2. Turn on Use Marker. Choose Top of modifiers or Bottom of modifiers.
3. Click + Marker and enter its name. Add a Kitchen Name if staff need a shorter kitchen label.
4. Click Save.

Publish saved menu changes

Save your edits, then publish them so your POS and connected marketplaces receive the menu.

1. Click Publish menu at the top of the Menu area.
2. Review each connected channel. Behind needs an update; Not yet published has no confirmed current publish status.
3. Select the channels to update, such as POS or Marketplaces, then click the publish button.
4. Check each result. If a channel fails, click its Retry button in the dialog.

POS includes POS screens and displays. When StreamOrder is connected, the dialog uses it for marketplace publishing instead of Chowly.

POS publishing is limited to once a minute. Wait for the displayed cooldown before retrying POS; other channels can still publish.

If no channels appear, no POS or marketplace is connected yet. If the publish status cannot load, click Retry beside the status message.

Check your menu before taking orders

If customers cannot see a dish on your regular online menu, check these settings:

• The menu, course, and dish all have Online turned on and are not marked Run out (86'd).
• The dish is assigned to that menu and course.
• The menu is not marked Catering. Catering menus appear in the catering view instead.
• The dish is not set to Open Price or Priced By Weight. Those dishes are not shown online.
• If the dish is priced at $0, it needs a required modifier with at least one priced choice to appear online.

If a dish is missing from a third-party ordering service, check Third Party on its menu, course, and dish. Then follow the sync steps.

Related links

• Build your menu — import, edit, proofread, or build a menu step by step.
• Combo — group dishes into a combo.
• Modifiers and Matrix Modifiers — offer choices with a dish.
• Dish Guides — give staff preparation instructions.
• Third-Party Ordering — control menus sent to ordering services.