Categories & Meals - User Guide

Overview

The Categories & Meals section is where you organize your restaurant's menu items. Think of it as your digital menu builder:

  • Categories are groups of similar items (e.g., "Appetizers", "Main Dishes", "Desserts", "Beverages")
  • Meals are the individual items within each category, complete with names and prices

This structure helps you keep your menu organized and makes it easier for staff to find items when taking orders.

Managing Categories

Viewing Your Categories

When you open the Categories section, you'll see a list of all your existing categories. Each category shows:

  • Category name (e.g., "Appetizers", "Main Courses")
  • Total meals count - how many items are in that category

If you don't have any categories yet, you'll see a message: "No Categories yet"

Creating a New Category

  1. Click the + Add button (floating button in the top-right corner)
  2. Enter a name for your category (e.g., "Appetizers", "Desserts")
  3. Click Save

✅ Success! You'll see a confirmation message: "Category created"

Tips:

  • Use clear, descriptive names that staff will recognize
  • Common categories: Appetizers, Soups, Salads, Main Dishes, Desserts, Beverages, Sides
  • Category names must be unique for your restaurant

Editing a Category

  1. Find the category in the list
  2. Click the ⋮ (three dots) menu button on the right
  3. Select Edit
  4. Change the category name
  5. Click Save

✅ You'll see: "Category updated"

Deleting a Category

⚠️ Warning: This action is irreversible. All meals within this category will also be deleted.

  1. Click the ⋮ menu button next to the category
  2. Select Delete
  3. Confirm the action when prompted

✅ You'll see: "Category deleted"

When to delete:

  • Seasonal items are no longer available
  • You're restructuring your menu
  • The category was created by mistake

Managing Meals (Menu Items)

Viewing Meals in a Category

  1. Click on any category from the Categories list
  2. You'll see two tabs:
    • Meals - all items in this category
    • Audit - history of changes to this category

Each meal displays:

  • Meal name (e.g., "Caesar Salad", "Grilled Salmon")
  • Price in ₴ (Ukrainian hryvnia) with two decimal places

If a category has no meals yet, you'll see: "No Meals here yet"

Adding a New Meal

  1. Open a category (click on it from the list)
  2. Click the + Add button
  3. Fill in the meal details:
    • Name (required) - e.g., "Caesar Salad"
    • Price (required) - e.g., "150.00"
  4. Click Save

✅ You'll see: "Meal created"

Best practices:

  • Use descriptive names customers will understand
  • Keep prices up-to-date
  • Be consistent with naming (e.g., all salads end with "Salad")
  • Meal names must be unique within your restaurant (not just the category)

Editing a Meal

  1. Open the category containing the meal
  2. Click the ⋮ menu button next to the meal
  3. Select Edit
  4. Update the name or price
  5. Click Save

✅ You'll see: "Meal updated"

Common reasons to edit:

  • Price changes
  • Correcting spelling or naming
  • Updating seasonal variations

Deleting a Meal

⚠️ Warning: This action cannot be undone.

  1. Find the meal in the category view
  2. Click the ⋮ menu button
  3. Select Delete
  4. Confirm when prompted

✅ You'll see: "Meal deleted"

When to delete:

  • Item no longer available
  • Discontinuing a dish
  • Duplicate entries

Audit Trail

Every category has an Audit tab that shows a complete history of changes:

What's tracked:

  • When the category was created
  • All meals that were added
  • Price changes to meals
  • Meals that were deleted
  • Who made each change

How to view the audit log:

  1. Open any category
  2. Click the Audit tab
  3. Review the chronological history

Audit log shows:

  • Action type (e.g., "Category created", "Meal created", "Meal updated")
  • Date and time of the change
  • User who made the change
  • Specific changes (for updates, shows what was changed)

This is useful for:

  • Tracking price history
  • Understanding who made recent changes
  • Reviewing menu evolution over time
  • Resolving disputes or questions

Common Workflows

Setting Up Your Menu for the First Time

  1. Plan your structure - List out main categories (5-10 is typical)
  2. Create categories - Add each category one by one
  3. Add meals - Go through each category and add all items with prices
  4. Review - Check for typos, pricing errors, or duplicates

Updating Prices

  1. Open the relevant category
  2. Find the meal to update
  3. Click ⋮ → Edit
  4. Update the price
  5. Save

💡 Tip: Price changes are logged in the Audit trail, so you can always see the history.

Reorganizing Your Menu

If you need to move a meal to a different category:

  1. Note the meal's name and price
  2. Delete it from the old category
  3. Open the new category
  4. Create the meal again with the same details

⚠️ Note: There's currently no "move" function, so you'll need to recreate the item.

Seasonal Menu Updates

For seasonal items:

  • Option 1: Delete old seasonal items and add new ones
  • Option 2: Keep categories year-round but update meal names/prices seasonally
  • Option 3: Create seasonal categories (e.g., "Summer Specials")

Validation & Error Messages

Common errors when creating/editing:

"Can't be blank"

  • You must provide both a name and price for meals
  • Category names cannot be empty

"Has already been taken" or "Must be unique"

  • Category names must be unique in your restaurant
  • Meal names must be unique across your entire menu (not just within the category)
  • Solution: Use slightly different names or add qualifiers

"Must be at least 3 characters"

  • Names should be descriptive enough to be useful

Price must be greater than 0

  • You cannot set a price of 0 or negative amounts

Tips & Best Practices

Naming Conventions

✅ Good examples:

  • Categories: "Appetizers", "Main Courses", "Desserts", "Hot Beverages"
  • Meals: "Caesar Salad", "Grilled Salmon with Lemon", "Chocolate Lava Cake"

❌ Avoid:

  • Vague names: "Item 1", "Food", "Stuff"
  • Overly long descriptions: "Our signature hand-crafted artisanal Caesar salad with romaine lettuce imported from..."
  • Special characters that might cause confusion

Organizing Categories

  • Logical flow: Start with appetizers, move through mains, end with desserts
  • Consistent naming: Use either singular or plural (not mixed)
  • Keep it simple: 6-12 categories is ideal for most restaurants
  • Customer perspective: Use names customers expect

Managing Prices

  • Use consistent decimal places (e.g., always .00 or .50)
  • Round to convenient amounts when possible
  • Review regularly to keep pace with costs
  • Update in batches during scheduled price reviews

Audit Trail Usage

  • Check before big changes - Review what's currently there
  • Monthly reviews - Look at what changed to spot trends
  • Training tool - Show new staff what items used to cost
  • Accountability - Track who made changes

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I have meals with the same name in different categories?
A: No. Meal names must be unique across your entire restaurant, not just within a category. Use qualifiers if needed (e.g., "Side Salad" vs "Caesar Salad").

Q: What happens to meals if I delete a category?
A: All meals within that category are permanently deleted. Make sure you want to remove everything before confirming.

Q: Can I temporarily hide a meal without deleting it?
A: Not currently. If an item is temporarily unavailable, you'll need to delete it and recreate it later, or keep it in the system and inform staff not to order it.

Q: How do I change a meal's category?
A: You'll need to delete the meal from the current category and recreate it in the new category. Note the name and price first.

Q: Can I bulk import meals from a spreadsheet?
A: Not through the user interface. Contact your system administrator if you need to import a large menu.

Q: How far back does the audit trail go?
A: The audit trail keeps all historical records indefinitely, so you can review the complete history of any category.

Q: Who can see and edit categories and meals?
A: This depends on your user permissions. Contact your administrator if you need access or have questions about permissions.

Need Help?

If you encounter issues or have questions:

  • Check if you have the necessary permissions
  • Verify your internet connection is stable
  • Try refreshing the page
  • Contact your restaurant manager or system administrator

Common issues:

  • Changes not saving: Check for validation errors highlighted in red
  • Can't find a category: Use the browser's search function (Ctrl+F / Cmd+F)
  • Accidentally deleted something: Check with your administrator - they may be able to restore from the audit trail

Last updated: November 2025