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A well-structured menu helps customers decide faster and order more. Poor structure leads to abandoned carts and missed sales.

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Categories

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Keep Names Short and Clear

Category names should be instantly understood:

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Add Brief Descriptions

Category descriptions help customers understand what’s in each section:
  • Explain how items are meant to be enjoyed (“Perfect for sharing”)
  • Highlight key ingredients (“All served with hand-cut chips”)
  • Set expectations (“Served 12pm-3pm only”)

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Items

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Names Matter

Item names should be descriptive but concise. Customers scan menus quickly.

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Descriptions: First 60 Characters Count

Most of your item description gets truncated on the menu page: only the first ~60 characters show before customers tap to see more. Front-load the important stuff:
  • Key ingredients first
  • Dietary info (V, VG, GF) early
  • Save the story for later in the description

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Category Patterns

Group categories the way your customers think about your food: These are ways to organise your own categories, not settings in the dashboard. To change the order categories appear in, see Reordering categories. Note that drag and drop is disabled on phones, tablets and touchscreen laptops — on those devices use the Sort categories tool instead.

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Keep It Focused

Shorter menus convert better:
  • Fewer choices = faster decisions — Analysis paralysis is real
  • Quality over quantity — 20 great items beats 50 average ones
  • Easier operations — Less waste, faster prep, consistent quality
If a menu item sells less than 5% of the category total, consider removing it.

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Bundles

Group items together to increase average order value:
  • Meal deals — Main + side + drink at a slight discount
  • Family bundles — Complete meals for 2-4 people
  • Sharing platters — Multiple items in one selection
Bundles simplify ordering and make customers feel they’re getting value.

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Modifiers

Let customers customise their order:
  • Required choices — Size, protein, base
  • Optional extras — Extra toppings, sauces, sides
  • Dietary swaps — Gluten-free bun, oat milk
Well-designed modifiers increase order value while reducing special requests in order notes.

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Quick Checklist

  • Category names are 1-3 words
  • Each category has a brief description
  • Important info is in first 60 characters of item descriptions
  • Menu has 20-80 items (not 100+)
  • Low sellers have been removed
  • Bundles are available for common combinations
  • Modifiers cover common customisations