Learn essential Toast Web configurations for going live! Select the button below to start this learning path.

If your restaurant uses Toast Multilocation Management, see this Support Center article for more information about menu versions and copying menus to make location-specific changes: Manage Menus Across Locations Using Multilocation Management.

Quick answer

To add, edit, alphabetize, rename, or archive a menu item, log in to Toast Web and navigate to Menus > Bulk management > Advanced properties. Expand the menu, select the menu group, scroll to the Items section, and use the + Add button to add items or Edit to modify or remove existing items. Always Save and Publish your changes when you are finished. Menu items in Toast cannot be deleted — they can only be archived. Archived items remain accessible from the Items Database.

Important: Toast's menu item feature is not intended to configure or enable credit card surcharges. You may not use menu items to add any fee or other amount that does not represent an item offered for sale during your business. Customers attempting to use the menu item feature to assess credit card surcharges bear a risk of non-compliance. Noncompliance may result in card network fines or other liabilities under state law. You are responsible for any noncompliance from using the menu item feature.

Before you begin

What you'll accomplish: Add new menu items, reuse existing items in additional groups, edit item properties, rearrange or alphabetize items, rename items, and archive items you no longer use.
Required permission: 6.4 Publishing is required to publish saved changes.
When to use this article: When you need to add, edit, reorder, rename, or archive an individual menu item or a small batch of items.
When not to use this article: If you are setting up your menus for the first time, see Get Started With Menus. If you need to copy a whole menu or duplicate items across locations, see Manage Menus Across Locations Using Multilocation Management. If you need to update prices in bulk, see Use the Price Editor Tool.

Note: Before creating a new menu item, check that the item doesn't already exist elsewhere in your menus. Creating multiple versions of the same item can cause cluttered menus, inaccurate menu reporting, and extra maintenance work. If the item already exists, reuse it with Add Existing Items instead. See Reuse or Copy Menu Groups, Items, and Modifiers.

Add a new menu item

Use this when you are adding a brand-new item that does not exist anywhere else on your menu.

In Toast Web, navigate to Menus > Bulk management > Advanced properties.
Expand the menu and select the name of the group you want to add an item to.
Scroll to the Items section on the group details page.
Select + Add.
Enter the Name and Price in the text fields.
Select Save and then Publish to apply your changes.

Expected outcome: The new item appears in the Items section of the group, and is available on the POS the next time the menu loads.

Note: Menu availability (the days and times a menu is available on your selected ordering channels) cannot be adjusted at the menu group or item level. You cannot add a single new item that is available on different days or times than the rest of the menu. See Set Menu Availability.

Bulk add new menu items

Use this when you are building a menu from scratch and want to paste multiple items at once from a spreadsheet.

On your menu group page (such as "Appetizers"), scroll to the Items section and select the dropdown arrow next to the + Add button.
Select Bulk Add New Items.
Using the format shown at the top of the Bulk Add New Items prompt, copy and paste your menu items from an Excel sheet.
Select Add to add your items in bulk.
Select Save and then Publish to apply your changes.

Expected outcome: All pasted items appear in the Items section of the group with the names and prices you provided.

Add an existing item to another group

Use this when an item already exists somewhere in your menus and you want it to also appear in another group (for example, adding a side dish to both the "Lunch" and "Dinner" menus).

On the menu group page, select the dropdown arrow next to the + Add button.
Select Add Existing Items.
Use the search bar to type the name of the item you want to add. You can also search by POS Name or Kitchen Name.
Select the item or items in the search results.
Select Done to add them to your menu group.
Select Save and then Publish to apply your changes.

Expected outcome: The existing item appears in the new group as well as its original group, sharing the same configuration in both places.

Note: If you want an item that is similar to an existing item but with a different price or name, Toast recommends creating a new item instead of adding the existing item. To duplicate an item with separate settings, see Reuse or Copy Menu Groups, Items, and Modifiers.

Edit menu item properties

You can edit menu item settings from any of the menu editing tools. Advanced properties lets you view your entire menu at once and apply changes to multiple items at the same time.

In Toast Web, navigate to Menus > Bulk management > Advanced properties.
Quickly manage key settings including menu visibility, tax rates, prep stations, and sales categories. See Use Advanced Properties to Edit Your Menus in Bulk.

To update prices for many items at once, use the Price editor. See Use the Price Editor Tool.

To make edits without immediately publishing them, adjust the menu's visibility settings so it is hidden from your ordering channels while you work, then switch the menu back to visible after finalizing changes. This keeps live menus unaffected. See Manage Your Menu Visibility Settings.

Expected outcome: Your edits are saved as drafts until you select Publish all changes, at which point they appear on the POS and any active ordering channels.

Arrange the order of menu items

You can rearrange items inside a menu group, alphabetize an entire group, or move a single item to a specific position. You can also reorder items directly on the POS using Quick Edit Mode.

To reorder items from a computer or laptop:

Navigate to the menu, menu group, or subgroup you want to organize.
Scroll down to the Items list and select Edit at the bottom.
To reorder a single item, select the six-dot (⋮⋮) icon next to the item name and drag it to the new position. To sort the entire group alphabetically, select Alphabetize at the bottom of the Items list.
Select Done when finished.
Select Save and then Publish to apply your changes.

Expected outcome: Items appear in the new order on the POS the next time the menu loads. It is common to move the most-ordered items to the top of the group for faster server access.

Note: Alphabetize sorts only the items inside one menu group at a time. There is currently no way to alphabetize all items across every group in a single action. [Suggested approach – requires validation: confirm whether the same Alphabetize option exists at the menu or subgroup level.]

Note: To alphabetize modifier groups or modifier options, see Create and Manage Modifier Groups and Modifier Options. The steps above apply to menu items only.

Note: If the page becomes unresponsive when you select Alphabetize, the group may be too large to sort in a single action. [Information missing: requires input on the supported maximum group size and Toast's recommended workaround for unresponsive Alphabetize attempts.] In the meantime, see Troubleshoot Web Browsers for Accessing Toast to confirm your browser is supported.

Rename a menu item

You can edit an item's display name, the name shown on the POS, and the name shown on the kitchen ticket independently.

In Toast Web, navigate to the item details page for the item you want to rename.
Edit the Name, POS Name, or Kitchen Name field as needed.
Select Save and then Publish to apply your changes.

Expected outcome: The renamed item appears with its new label on the POS, kitchen tickets, or guest-facing menu, depending on which name field you edited.

Note: Not sure which name field controls what? See Customize Menu Item and Modifier Names for POS and KDS.

Remove a menu item

Items in Toast cannot be deleted — only archived. An archived item is removed from the menu group but remains in the Items Database, where it can be restored later if needed.

In Toast Web, navigate to Menus > Bulk management > Advanced properties.
Expand the menu and select the menu group that contains the item you want to remove.
Scroll to the Items section and select Edit.
Select the X icon next to each item you want to remove. Select Done when finished.
Select Save and then Publish to apply your changes.

Expected outcome: The archived items no longer appear in the menu group, on the POS, or on any active ordering channel. They remain visible in the Items Database for future restoration or reporting.

Frequently asked questions

How do I alphabetize my menu items?

Open the menu group in Toast Web, scroll to the Items section, select Edit, and then select Alphabetize at the bottom of the Items list. Select Done, then Save and Publish. Alphabetize sorts items inside a single group — it does not sort all items across every group at once.

How do I alphabetize my modifiers?

Modifier alphabetizing is handled in the modifier group, not on the menu item. See Create and Manage Modifier Groups and Modifier Options for the steps.

How do I duplicate or copy a menu item?

If you want the same item to appear in another group with the same price and configuration, use Add Existing Items (see Add an existing item to another group above). If you want a copy with a different price or configuration, see Reuse or Copy Menu Groups, Items, and Modifiers.

How do I delete a menu item?

Menu items cannot be permanently deleted — they can only be archived. Follow the Remove a menu item steps above. Archived items remain in the Items Database and can be restored at any time. See Use the Items Database to View, Archive, Restore, and Version Menus.

How do I bring back an archived item?

Restore archived items from the Items Database. See Use the Items Database to View, Archive, Restore, and Version Menus for the restore steps.

Can I add the same item to two menus or groups?

Yes. Use Add Existing Items to share the same item across multiple groups (for example, adding the same side dish to both the "Lunch" and "Dinner" menus). Both groups will share the same item configuration. If you need different prices or names, create a new item in the second group instead.

Why is the page unresponsive when I select Alphabetize?

[Information missing: requires input on the supported maximum group size and Toast's recommended workaround for unresponsive Alphabetize attempts.] As a starting point, confirm your browser is supported in Troubleshoot Web Browsers for Accessing Toast. If the issue continues, contact Toast Customer Care with the menu group name and a screenshot.

Can I move a single item to the top of the group?

Yes. Open the menu group, scroll to the Items section, select Edit, and use the six-dot (⋮⋮) icon to drag the item to the top of the list. Select Done, then Save and Publish. This is the recommended approach for highlighting the most-ordered items.