Add a Menu Item

Summary

Menu items are any items that appear on menus and can be ordered. These can include food items and non-food items, such as gift cards, non-revenue* items (i.e., donations) and open-value items. Deposits and deposit refunds also appear as menu items on menus.

*Non-revenue items are not taxable.

Note:

Menu items cannot be deleted after they have been created.

Configuration

Basic steps to add a menu item:

Go to Menu Items
Click Add Menu Item
Select menu item type
Complete fields on the appropriate Add Menu Item form (general, combo or PLU/Barcode)
Save changes

Detailed steps to add a menu item:

Path: Products > Menu Items

Click Add Menu Item

Select the menu item type from the drop-down list on Creating a menu item pop-up.

Menu item types

Type	Description
Sales	Item for sale (usually a food item)
Misc Item Sales	Open value; manual entry (can be used when an item is priced incorrectly or not on the menu)
Gift Card Open Value Sale	Activate a gift card and apply any amount of value; manual entry
Gift Card Preset Value Sale	Activate a gift card and apply a preset value
Gift Card Reload	Apply additional value to an existing active gift card
Gift Card Cash Out	In some states, the merchant is required to redeem the balance of a store-issued gift card for cash upon request if the balance falls below a certain threshold. In California, for example, a card under $10 can be refunded.
Non-Revenue	Items for sale that do not generate revenue (e.g., money collected for charity); these do not appear as revenue on reports. (Non-revenue items are not taxable.)
Deposit	Money paid toward a future order; not a sale. (Use a Deposit key on the menu.)
Deposit Refund	Use to refund a deposit. Since a deposit is not a sale, it cannot be refunded through Adjustments > Refund.
Ticket Sale	Type used to sell tickets, e.g., a carnival ride.
Combo	Standard combo item; multiple items on an order are combined as a single menu item as defined by the restaurant. See Add a Combo Menu Item.
Open Value Non-Revenue	A value is manually entered for an open value non-revenue item. (Non-revenue items are not taxable.)
PLU/Barcode Entry	Used to create a menu item for PLU lookup (manual entry or barcode scan) on the OE app.
Link to ...	Used to link a menu item to a menu item category. When the linked menu item is clicked, the ordering menu will display the menu items that exist in the linked menu item category. Since discounts cannot be applied to a menu item's components and serving options, this workflow was created to allow discounts by linking a menu item to a menu item category and allowing discounts to be applied to the menu items in the linked menu item category. Example: Menu item: Sourdough Bread Menu item category: Bread types In the Bread Types category are menu items, such as: Bowl Full Loaf Half Loaf Rolls Menu item Sourdough Bread is linked to the menu item category Bread Types Result: When menu item Sourdough Bread is ordered, the Bread Types are displayed. The user can select Bowl, for example, and can apply a discount because it is a menu item, not a component or serving option. Note: Link to ... menu item types can be added to a combo. If a combo has a Link to qualifier and The Link to qualifier contains menu items that are not specified regular qualifiers in the combo then Allow the menu items in the Linked to qualifier to be added to the combo

Menu item item types

The menu item form shown will depend on the menu item type selected from the drop-down:

General form (For all types except Combo, PLU/Barcode Entry and Link to ...)

Combo form (See Add a Combo Menu Item)

PLU/Barcode Entry form (See PLU/Barcode Search)

Link to ... form
Optional feature - Account feature toggle required

An account feature toggle must be enabled for your account to use this feature:
4.8 Enable “Link to” menu item type
Please contact your NorthStar representative to have this feature enabled for your account.
The Link to ... menu item type is used to link a menu item to a menu item category.
- When the linked menu item is clicked on the app, the ordering menu will display the menu items that exist in the linked menu item category. (Linking a menu item to a menu item category allows discounts to be applied to the menu items in that linked menu item category.)
- Select "Link to" type (currently Menu Item Category)
- Select "Link to" destination (the menu item category to link the menu item to)

General field descriptions

Complete the appropriate fields on the Add Menu Item form (Fields below are for the general form for all types except Combo, PLU/Barcode Entry and Link to ...)

Item	Description
Name	Menu item name
Button Name	Optional feature - Account feature toggle required An account feature toggle must be enabled for your account to use this feature: Menu Item Button Name Please contact your NorthStar representative to have this feature enabled for your account. Text in this field appears on the button on the POS ordering menu. (Button text differs from kitchen label and item name printed on the guest check.) If this field is blank, the button name will be inherited from the item name.
Description	Item description. Long-press (touch and hold) the menu item on the app ordering screen to display the description. This is also displayed to the guest on the guest UI.
Require Age Verification	Item requires that age be verified for the item ordered (e.g., alcohol).
Build Your Own	Guest can build (customize) the item.
Allow Save To Favorite	In guest-facing, if customer has an account, item can be saved to the customer's "Favorites."
Active	Make the menu item active/inactive on all applications.
Available for takeout	Item can be ordered to go (not consumed in the restaurant).
Available for Web Ordering	Item can be ordered online.
Refillable	Item can be refilled (usually beverages); can set a refill price or leave blank for free refill.
Automatically walk guest through ordering process	In guest-facing interface, pop-ups will guide the customer through ordering this item.
Featured	Item is featured on the guest user interface and can be ordered. See Featured items/categories - Guest-facing UI
Zero-priced items print on the check	Setting determines whether items set to $0.00 will print on the check.
Sold by weight	Sell this item with a weight component.
Hide menu item customization on add	Unchecked: The component customization screen always opens Checked: The component customization screen is displayed only if additional selections or rules must be met. Example 1: A hamburger is created with default components of pickles, lettuce and tomatoes. The customization screen does not display Example 2: A hamburger is created with default components of pickles, lettuce and tomatoes. The patty requires a temperature selection. The customization screen does display
Requires staff to order	Optional feature - Account feature toggle required An account feature toggle must be enabled for your account to use this feature: 4.0 G3e Make a menu item require staff to order it Please contact your NorthStar representative to have this feature enabled for your account. A staff member must assist when ordering. When the item is ordered, the following message is displayed:
Require seat number	Optional feature - Account feature toggle required An account feature toggle must be enabled for your account to use this feature: 4.0 G1c Seat Numbers Please contact your NorthStar representative to have this feature enabled for your account. A seat number is required when ordering the item. The app will prompt the user to enter a seat number before they can add the item to the order:
Restricted; requires job permission to order	Optional feature - Account feature toggle required An account feature toggle must be enabled for your account to use this feature: Restricted items Please contact your NorthStar representative to have this feature enabled for your account. The menu item is only available for jobs with this job permission: Allow user to order restricted items
Number of Placements	Determines the number of ways the item can be split up for components (e.g., a pizza with 2 placements can be split into left and right side.) Note: The component category for components used on the menu item must also have the number of placements set. Example: The menu item Pizza allows 2 placements. Components (pizza toppings) can be placed on the left side, right side or the whole pizza. The component category for the pizza toppings must also be set to allow 2 placements so toppings can be on the left side, right side or whole pizza.
Price	The item price
Refill Price	The price for refilling the item (if charging for refill)
External Code	Leave as default value. External codes are used for 3rd-party software integration.
Background Color	Select a button color from the color palette displayed in the drop-down
Quantity included in purchase (ticket only)	The quantity of tickets included in the item purchase. A site might have an item that is worth 5 tickets, another worth 10 tickets.
Tare weight	The weight of the empty container for this menu item. When an item is sold by weight, the weight of the container is deducted before establishing price.
Guest-facing: Use checkbox modifications	Optional feature - Account feature toggle required An account feature toggle must be enabled for your account to use this feature: 4.8 Menu item: Checkbox modifications setting Please contact your NorthStar representative to have this feature enabled for your account. Modifies the guest-facing user interface to customize an order, allowing guests to use checkboxes to select components and serving options.
Type	Menu item type for this item (See Menu Item Types, above)
Sales Category	Sales category to be used for reporting the menu item
Prep Type	Preparation type established for the item (preset; used by QSR)
Prep Description	Preparation description sent to kitchen
Prep Category	Preparation category for the item
Prep Time (sec)	Approximate time to prepare this menu item
Convenience Center Category	The convenience center category for the item (if available in the convenience center)
PLU/Barcode Number	PLU/Barcode number associated with menu item. Can be scanned or manually entered on app using the PLU/Barcode Entry button. Global- and site-level settings.
Cover Count	Optional feature - Account feature toggle required An account feature toggle must be enabled for your account to use this feature: Cover Count - Menu Items Please contact your NorthStar representative to have this feature enabled for your account. Number of servings (covers) the item represents Default: 0.00 Minimum: -999.99 Maximum: +999.99
Start Date	Optional feature - Account feature toggle required An account feature toggle must be enabled for your account to use this feature: Start and end dates Please contact your NorthStar representative to have this feature enabled for your account. The date the menu item becomes available for ordering
End Date	The date the menu item is no longer available for ordering
Menu Item Categories	The menu item categories this menu item will appear in; multiple categories can be selected. (Menu Item Category selection required for this menu item to be available to order.)

Save - Save changes and close Add Menu Item window
Save and Edit - Save changes and keep window open
Cancel - Cancel changes and close Add Menu Item window

Order Entry Documentation