> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ofatoura.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Menu Setup Overview

> Build your restaurant menu in the web admin — menus, categories, items, variations, modifiers, sorting, bulk import, and promotions that feed the POS, ePOS app, and customer shop.

Your menu is the foundation of everything you sell. You build it once in the web admin, and that same data powers your in-store POS, the ePOS waiter app on phones and tablets, and your online customer shop. This section walks you through every part of menu setup, from the broad structure down to individual item options and discounts.

## How the menu fits together

The menu is built in layers. Understanding the hierarchy makes the rest of this section easier to follow.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Menus group your items">
    A menu is a named collection of items available at a branch (for example, a Lunch menu or an All-Day menu).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Categories organize items">
    Each item belongs to an item category such as Starters, Mains, or Drinks. Categories appear as filters when staff and customers browse.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Items carry the details">
    A menu item has a name, price, description, photo, type (veg, non-veg, or egg), and toggles for availability and whether it shows on your customer site.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Variations and modifiers add choices">
    Items can offer size or price variations (Small, Medium, Large) and modifier groups (Sauce, Toppings) so staff and customers can customize an order.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Promotions discount single items">
    A promotion applies a time-limited fixed or percentage discount to one menu item.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Info>
  Everything you set here flows to all three ordering surfaces: your web POS, the ePOS waiter app, and the customer shop. Set it up once and it stays consistent everywhere.
</Info>

## In this section

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Creating Menus and Item Categories" icon="folder-tree" href="/menu/menus-and-categories">
    Build the named menus and the categories (Starters, Mains, Drinks) that organize your items.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Adding and Editing Menu Items" icon="utensils" href="/menu/menu-items">
    Add dishes with name, price, photo, description, type, and availability and visibility toggles.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Variations, Modifier Groups, and Item Modifiers" icon="sliders" href="/menu/variations-and-modifiers">
    Offer size and price variations and attach customization options like sauces and toppings.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sorting Menu Items and Categories" icon="arrow-down-up" href="/menu/sorting-items">
    Control the order items and categories appear in using drag-and-drop or sort numbers.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Bulk Importing Menu Items" icon="file-up" href="/menu/bulk-import">
    Add many items at once from a CSV or Excel file, with preview and per-row validation.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Item Promotions and Specials" icon="badge-percent" href="/menu/promotions">
    Run time-limited fixed or percentage discounts on individual items and track them in reports.
  </Card>
</Columns>

<Tip>
  New to setup? Start with [Creating Menus and Item Categories](/menu/menus-and-categories) to lay down the structure, then move on to [Adding and Editing Menu Items](/menu/menu-items).
</Tip>

## Related

* [Assigning Menu Items to Kitchens](/kitchen/routing-items)
* [Online Ordering and Customer Site Overview](/online-ordering/index)
* [Creating Orders on the POS](/pos/creating-orders)