Categories and menu organization

Categories are the sections of your menu — Starters, Mains, Desserts, Drinks — and their order on the Categories page is exactly the order guests scroll through. Guests also get a category navigation bar on the public menu, so good structure pays off twice.

Create and manage categories

1. Open Categories in the sidebar.
2. Choose Add category and name it.
3. Repeat until your menu's structure is complete — most menus read best with 4–8 categories.

Rename or delete a category any time from the same page. Changes reach your public menu automatically within about 2 minutes.

Reorder with drag and drop

On desktop, drag categories into position; on a phone, use the up/down buttons on each category. Put your money-makers early: the first two categories get by far the most attention on a phone screen.

One item, two categories

An item can live in up to 2 categories — set the second one in the item's editor on the Menu page. Use it for crossover dishes: the house burger in both "Mains" and "Chef's picks", a dessert wine in "Desserts" and "Drinks".

Translating category names

If your menu has more than one language, category names get translated like items do — automatically on save, with manual polish whenever you want. Manage languages on the Languages page; see Menu languages and translations.

Deleting a category safely

Items need a category to appear on the menu. Before deleting a category:

1. Open Menu and filter by the category you're removing.
2. Move each item to its new category (or switch it to Unavailable if it's going away).
3. Go back to Categories and delete the now-empty category.

Best practices

• Mirror how guests order: aperitifs → starters → mains → desserts → coffee. A menu that follows the meal's rhythm feels effortless.
• Avoid one-item categories — fold single dishes into a neighbor ("Soup of the day" belongs inside "Starters").
• Use a "Chef's picks" category as your shop window: it can hold the 2-category crossovers from anywhere in the menu.

Troubleshooting

• My new order isn't showing on the menu. Give the cache about 2 minutes and refresh — see Why isn't my menu updating?.
• I can't drag on my phone. Drag and drop is a desktop feature; on mobile use the up/down buttons on each category card.
• A category looks empty to guests. Check that its items are switched to Available on the Menu page — unavailable items are hidden from the public menu.