This section provides information about working with menu groups in the menu manager.
This section provides information about creating menu groups.
For multi-location restaurants, newly created menu groups inherit the target and owner of their parent menu or menu group by default. For example, consider the following location group hierarchy:
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Corporate
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Northeast Franchises
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Boston
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New York City
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If you add a new menu group to a menu that is targeted at the Northeast Franchises location group, that menu group is also targeted at the Northeast Franchises location group.
You must also have the Edit Full Menu permission to the owner of a menu or menu group in order to create a new child menu group inside it.
To create a menu group
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Choose Menus > Menu manager to open the Menu manager page.
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From the Show section, choose Full menu.
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(Multi-location only) Select the locations whose menu data you want to edit from the locations control.
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Expand the menu that will contain the new menu group. If the new menu group will be a subgroup of an existing menu group, expand the existing menu group.
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Select + Add menu group (or + Add subgroup if you are adding a subgroup), enter a name for the new menu group, and select the check icon. Alternatively, you can press Enter on your keyboard or select anywhere outside the text box to complete the entry. Your changes are automatically saved.
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Manually publish your changes when you are ready for guests and employees to see them.
Follow the procedure below to rename a menu group.
To rename a menu group
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Choose Menus > Menu manager to open the Menu manager page.
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From the Show section, choose Full menu.
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(Multi-location only) Select the locations whose menu data you want to edit from the locations control.
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Select the menu group's name to open its side panel.
Note
For multi-location restaurants, selecting a menu group's name opens its classic details page, where you can update the name.
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Enter the new name in the Menu group name field.
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Select Save.
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Manually publish your changes when you are ready for guests and employees to see them.
Your Toast ordering channels display your menu groups in the order you see them in the Full menu view. You can reorder your menu groups so they appear in the order you want them to.
Menu group reordering is limited to:
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Reordering the menu groups contained in a single parent menu. You cannot move a menu group from one menu to another.
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Reordering the subgroups contained in a single parent menu group. You cannot move a subgroup from one parent menu group to another.
Note |
If you have a multi-location restaurant, you cannot reorder menu groups in Full menu view. You must use the classic pages instead. |
To reorder a menu group
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Choose Menus > Menu manager to open the Menu manager page.
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From the Show section, choose Full menu.
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Expand the menu to locate the menu group you want to reorder.
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Select the reorder icon for the menu group you want to move and drag it to its new location. Your changes are automatically saved.
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Manually publish your changes when you are ready for guests and employees to see them.
You can remove a menu group from its parent menu or menu group to hide it from your Toast ordering channels.
For multi-location restaurants:
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You must have the Edit Full Menu permission to the owner of a menu group's parent in order to remove the menu group. For example, consider a Food menu that contains a Sandwiches menu group. You must have Edit Full Menu permission to the owner of the Food menu to remove the Sandwiches menu group from it.
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If the parent of the menu group you want to remove is versioned, you must pick the version you want to remove the menu group from. The menu group is removed from that version only. The other versions continue to use the menu group.
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If the menu group you want to remove is versioned, removing the menu group from its parent removes all versions of the menu group from the parent.
Note |
To undo a menu group archive, go to the Menus > Bulk management > Items database page in Toast Web. Select the Menu Groups tab and then choose Show Archived. Select the checkbox for the menu group you want to restore and choose Restore. |
To remove a menu group
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Choose Menus > Menu manager to open the Menu manager page.
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From the Show section, choose Full menu.
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(Multi-location only) Select the locations whose menu data you want to edit from the locations control.
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Expand the menu to locate the menu group you want to remove.
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Select the overflow menu (...) for the menu group you want to remove and choose Remove menu group.
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To confirm, select Remove in the Remove the menu group dialog.
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Manually publish your changes when you are ready for guests and employees to see them.
You can customize the names and colors of the buttons employees see in the Toast POS app for the various menu entities:
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For menus, menu groups, subgroups, menu items, and modifier groups, go to the details section of the menu entity's details page. For example, for a menu, go to Menu details.
Enter a name in the POS name field. To specify a button color, select the Button color option and then select a color from the color palette.
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For modifiers, go to the Edit modifier dialog for the modifier, select the POS button color option and then select a color from the color palette. Modifiers do not have a POS name. The Toast POS app displays the Modifier name.
By default, the POS name field is empty and the button color is set to white.
During the on-boarding process, you specify the tax rates that apply to your restaurant location. By default, these tax rates are inherited by any menus you create for the restaurant. According to the rules of menu inheritance, the tax rates also flow down to your menu groups, subgroups, and menu items in the following ways:
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Menu groups inherit their tax rates from their parent menus.
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Menu items and subgroups inherit their tax rates from their parent menu groups.
You can override tax rates on individual menus, menu groups, subgroups, or menu items as needed.
In addition to tax rates, Toast Web includes two tax behavior settings that allow you to specify that taxes are included in a menu item's price and takeout orders are exempt from taxes. You can set the tax behavior settings at the menu, menu group, subgroup, or menu item level and they follow the same rules of inheritance as tax rates. You can override these settings as needed on individual menu entities.
For more information on menu inheritance, see Understanding inheritance.
The following sections provide instructions for setting tax rates and behavior. They also provide more information about the tax behavior settings.
To override the inherited tax rates for a menu, menu group, or subgroup, go to the Taxes section of the entity's details page, select the link icon next to Tax rates to unlink the configuration, and then select the tax rates from the list. To override the Calculate prices with tax included or Takeout exception setting, select its link icon to unlink the configuration and then configure the setting as needed.

To configure a menu, menu group, or subgroup so it inherits its tax rates, select the link icon next to Tax rates so the tax rates setting is grayed out. To inherit the Calculate prices with tax included or Takeout exception setting, select its link icon so that the setting is grayed out.

To override the inherited tax rates for a menu item, go to the Tax settings section on its details page, set its Inherit tax rates? setting to No, and then select the tax rates from the list. To override the Tax inclusion or Takeout tax exception setting, set Inherit tax inclusion? or Inherit takeout tax? to No and then configure the setting as needed. When you configure settings directly on a menu item, those settings apply any time the menu item is ordered, from any menu path.

To configure a menu item so that it inherits its tax rates, set the Inherit tax rates? setting to Yes. To inherit the Tax inclusion or Takeout tax exception setting, set the Inherit tax inclusion? or Inherit takeout tax? setting to Yes.
If you do not have any tax rates configured yet, you see a Manage tax rates link that you can select to go to the Tax rates page where you can create them. For more information on creating tax rates, see Taxes overview.
When tax is included in a menu item's price, the guest pays the price you have set and any applicable taxes are taken out of that price, instead of being added to it. Use this option when you want a guest's check total to be a round number. This eliminates the need for employees to deal with coins and makes tipping simpler to calculate. It can, however, decrease net revenue if the price you set does not account for applicable taxes.
To better understand the effect of tax inclusion on your revenue, consider an item that has a price of $10 and a tax rate of 7%. When tax is included, the Toast platform calculates a price and tax combination that equals the price you have set but also covers any applicable taxes. In this case, the guest pays $10 ($9.35 for the item and $0.65 for the tax) and your revenue is $9.35:
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$9.35 item price x .07 tax rate = $0.65 tax
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$9.35 item price + $0.65 tax = $10 price with tax included
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Your revenue is $9.35
When tax is not included, the guest pays $10.70 ($10 for the item and $0.70 for the tax) and your revenue is $10:
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$10.00 item price x .07 tax rate = $0.70 in tax
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$10.00 item price + $0.70 tax = $10 price without tax included
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Your revenue is $10
Your sales reports display the item price and tax amount that the Toast platform has calculated for any tax included items, so you can see the breakdown of revenue versus tax when tax is included.
For information on enabling tax inclusion, see Setting tax rates and tax behavior.
For states that do not tax takeout orders, you can specify that menu items are tax-exempt when ordered for takeout. To determine if an order is a takeout order, the Toast platform looks at the dining option associated with the order and then it looks at that dining option's behavior. Dining options that use the Take Out behavior are considered takeout orders and are not be taxed.
For more information on setting takeout tax exemption behavior, see Setting tax rates and tax behavior.
For more information on dining options, see Dining options.
You use prep stations to route menu items to the appropriate stations in the kitchen for fulfillment. A prep station represents the location of a kitchen printer or KDS device that receives orders for fulfillment.
Important |
If a menu item does not have any prep stations assigned to it, the Toast platform automatically routes that menu item to all prep stations. |
You can set prep stations at the menu, menu group, subgroup, or menu item level. By default, menu groups inherit prep stations from their parent menus. Menu items and subgroups inherit prep stations from their parent menu groups. For more information on inheritance, see Understanding inheritance.
To set prep stations for a menu, go to the Kitchen prep section of the menu's details page and select the prep stations to which items ordered from the menu should be routed.
To override the inherited prep stations for a menu group or subgroup, go to the Kitchen prep section of the group's details page, select the link icon next to Prep stations to unlink the configuration, and then select the prep stations from the list.

To configure a menu group or subgroup so it inherits its prep stations, select the link icon next to Prep stations so that the prep station settings are grayed out.

To override the inherited prep stations for a menu item, go to the Kitchen section on its details page, set its Inherit prep stations? setting to No, and then select its prep stations from the dropdown list. When you configure settings directly on a menu item, those settings apply any time the menu item is ordered from any menu path.

To configure a menu item to inherit its prep stations, set the Inherit prep stations? setting to Yes.
If you do not have any prep stations configured yet, use the Manage prep stations link to go to the Prep Stations page where you can create them. For more information on creating and using prep stations, see Add a prep station and Routing to prep stations.
You use courses to manage the firing of tickets to the kitchen for fulfillment.
You can set courses at the menu, menu group, subgroup, or menu item level. By default, menu groups inherit their course from their parent menus. Menu items and subgroups inherit their course from their parent menu groups. For more information on inheritance, see Understanding inheritance.
To set the course for a menu, go to the Kitchen prep section of the menu's details page and select the course.
To override the inherited course for a menu group or subgroup, go to the Kitchen prep section of the group's details page, select the link icon next to Course to unlink the configuration, and then select the course from the list.

To configure a menu group or subgroup so that it inherits its course, select the link icon next to Course so that the course setting is grayed out.

To override the inherited course for a menu item, go to the Kitchen section on its details page, set its Inherit course? setting to No, and then select its course from the dropdown list. When you configure settings directly on a menu item, those settings apply any time the menu item is ordered, from any menu path.

To configure a menu item so that it inherits its course, set the Inherit course? setting to Yes.
If you do not have any courses configured yet, use the Manage courses link to go to the Courses page where you can create them. For more information on creating courses, see Creating courses. For more information on using courses, see this Toast Central article.
While you can assign courses in the menu builder, you must use the classic Courses page to create the courses themselves.
To create courses
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Go to the Courses page:
If you are viewing a menu item in the menu builder, select Kitchen. If you are viewing a menu, menu group, or subgroup in the menu builder, select Kitchen prep. In the Related settings section, select .
Alternatively, you can do the following:
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Switch to the restaurant you want to create courses for.
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Select Kitchen > Pacing > Courses.
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Select + Add to add a row to the Courses table.
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Enter a name for the course.
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Repeat steps 2 and 3 for any additional courses you want to create.
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Select
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The Sales Summary and other Toast reports use sales categories to create a breakdown of your sales, organized by sales category, for example, Food, Drinks, Retail, and so on.
Some points to keep in mind when using sales categories:
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If you change the sales category for a menu entity, those changes are reflected in future sales reports but existing reports remain unchanged.
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While highly recommended for a better reporting experience, sales categories are optional. If you select Sales category menu, no sales category is applied to the menu entity.
from the
For information about the reports that use sales categories, see these Toast Central articles:
You can set sales categories at the menu, menu group, subgroup, or menu item level. By default, menu groups inherit their sales category from their parent menus. Menu items and subgroups inherit their sales category from their parent menu groups. For more information on inheritance, see Understanding inheritance.
To set the sales category for a menu, go to the Reporting section of the menu's details page and select the category from the Sales category dropdown list.
To override the inherited sales category for a menu group or subgroup, go to the Reporting section of the group's details page, select the link icon next to Sales category to unlink the configuration, and then select the sales category from the list.

To configure a menu group or subgroup so that it inherits its sales category, select the link icon next to Sales category so that the course setting is grayed out.

To override the inherited sales category for a menu item, go to the Reporting section on its details page, set its Inherit sales category? setting to No, and then select its sales category from the dropdown list. When you configure settings directly on a menu item, those settings apply any time the menu item is ordered, from any menu path.

To configure a menu item so that it inherits its sales category, set the Inherit sales category? setting to Yes.
If you do not have any sales categories configured yet, use the Manage sales categories link to go to the Sales categories page where you can create them. For more information on creating sales categories, see Creating sales categories.
While you can assign sales categories in the menu builder, you must use the classic Sales Categories page to create the sales categories themselves.
To create sales categories
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Do one of the following to navigate to the Sales categories page:
On the details page for a menu, menu group, or menu item, select Reporting. In the Related settings section, select .
Alternatively, you can:
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Switch to the restaurant you want to create courses for.
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Select Menus > Settings > Sales categories.
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Select + Add to add a row to the Sales Categories table.
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Enter a name and a description for the sales category.
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Repeat steps 2 and 3 for any additional sales categories you want to create.
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Select
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The details page for each menu group has a Channel visibility section that shows the channels where the menu group is visible. If a menu group is visible on a channel, it is available for ordering on that channel. Options include:
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POS: The menu group is visible in the Toast POS app.
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Kiosk, Toast Order and Pay: The menu group is visible on Toast kiosks and on the Toast order and pay web page. In order to enable this setting, you must first enable the POS setting.
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Toast Online Ordering, Toast Takeout (Local by Toast) App: The menu group is visible on your restaurant's Toast Online Ordering website and in the Toast Takeout (Local by Toast) app.
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Customer invoices: The menu group is visible when creating customer invoices for orders using the Payments > Payment methods > Customer invoices page. Note that this setting is always enabled for all menu groups and you cannot change it. (For information on creating customer invoices, see this Toast Central article.)
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Online ordering partners: The menu group is visible on the online ordering sites of all ordering partners you have allowed to integrate with your Toast restaurant (for example, DoorDash, UberEats, or Grubhub).
Unlike other settings such as tax rates and prep stations, the Channel visibility settings cannot be inherited from a parent. That said, if a parent menu entity is hidden from view for any of the Toast channels, then its child menu entities are also hidden from those channels. For example, consider a Dinner menu that contains an Appetizers group with a Chicken Satay menu item. If you hide the Dinner menu from Toast Online Ordering and the Toast Takeout (Local by Toast) app, then the Appetizers group and the Chicken Satay menu item will also be hidden from Toast Online Ordering and the Toast Takeout (Local by Toast) app, even if the Toast Online Ordering, Toast Takeout (Local by Toast) app setting is enabled for Appetizers and Chicken Satay.