How to Set Up Your Menu - Menu Management in Table Needs

How Menu Management Is Organized

Menu Management has seven tabs. Each one controls a different part of how your menu looks and works:

Work through them in this order the first time you set up your menu. After that, jump to whichever tab you need.

1. Menus

What it's for: Creating and organizing your menus: your main menu, a seasonal menu, a Happy Hour menu, or a special event menu.

What you can do here:

• Create a new menu
• Rename or reorder existing menus
• Assign categories to each menu
• Set a menu as active or inactive

When to use it: Anytime you need to add a new menu or change how your items are organized for customers.

2. Categories

What it's for: Grouping your menu items so they're easy to find for your staff and your customers. Examples: Appetizers, Salads, Drinks, Sandwiches, Breakfast

What you can do here:

• Add a category name and description
• Choose a layout and color (optional)
• Add an icon or emoji (optional)
• Assign menu items to the category
• Link the category to one or more menus

How to set it up: Follow the prompts on the page. At the bottom, you'll see two association sections: one for Menu Items and one for Menus. Drag items into the category from there.

3. Menu Items

What it's for: Building every item that appears on your menu.

What you'll fill in:

• Item name
• Price
• Description
• Variations (size, format, etc.) with individual pricing
• Inventory and tracking settings
• Display settings to make the item visible

At the bottom of each item page, you can also set:

• Availability — limit when this item appears
• Destinations — control where it prints or shows on the KDS
• Labels — tag it (Gluten-Free, Spicy, etc.)
• Taxes — assign the right tax rules

When you're done: Hit Save and Publish to make your changes live.

4. Modifiers

What it's for: Letting customers customize their order — and making sure your kitchen gets the right instructions every time. Examples: Add Cheese, No Onions, Choose Your Side, Extra Shot

What you can do here:

• Create modifier groups
• Set minimum and maximum selections
• Allow or restrict multiple selections
• Add pricing to individual modifiers
• Assign modifier groups to specific menu items

How to create one: Click New Modifier Group in the top right. Name the group, set your min/max rules, then use the associations section to apply it to the right menu items.

5. Availability

What it's for: Controlling when certain items show up on your menu. Great for breakfast-only items, Happy Hour specials, or limited-time offerings.

What you can do here:

• Set time-based rules (days and hours)
• Apply rules to a whole menu, a category, or a single item

How to set it up: Click the button in the top right to create a new availability group. Add a name and description, then use the associations section to connect it to the right items or menus.

6. Destinations

What it's for: Telling the system where each item goes when it's ordered: Kitchen, Bar, Dessert Station, etc.

When you will use it: If our support team asks you to check this tab during printer or KDS troubleshooting, this is where you'll go.

7. Labels

What it's for: Tagging items so your staff and customers have the information they need.

Common examples: Gluten-Free, Spicy, Contains Nuts, Vegan, Allergen

What you can do here:

• Create custom label groups
• Choose colors or icons for each label
• Assign labels to menu items

How to create one: Click the button in the top right. Add a group name and description, then use the associations section to apply labels to the appropriate items.

8. Taxes

What it's for: Manage tax rates and rules, as well as organizing tax configurations into groups. 

What you can do here: 

• Create New Tax — name, rate, tax type, associations, and toggle on/off

• Edit Taxes — name, rate, tax type, associations, and toggle on/off
• Create New Tax Group — name, description, and associations
• Edit Tax Groups — name, description, and associations

9. Import

What it's for: Build your menu with AI

How it works: First, get the AI guide to create json file. Then, upload your menu json file to build a draft menu right in the Table Needs POS System. 

Quick Reference: Where to Go for Common Tasks

Need help? Call, text, or email our support team — real people, available 24/7.