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Toast Classroom - Getting Started With Online Ordering

No, not unless your pricing differs between in-store and online. We recommend using the Visible To setting to control which menus appear on your online ordering page. See Set menu visibility in the Menu Builder for instructions. That article also covers how to control visibility settings for individual third-party online ordering partners.

If you need a separate menu because your pricing is different or you want to hide certain modifier groups from guests, use the deep copy option. Deep copying lets you modify the copy independently without affecting your original menu. See Reuse or copy menu items and modifiers for how to do this.

Create a menu titled "Specials Menu" and add your desired items with images. To ensure it appears at the top, use the menu display order tool in the Menu Manager to arrange that menu above your other menus. Alternatively, create a menu group titled "Specials" within an existing menu, add a description noting the items are discounted or seasonal, and reorder the group to display first.

See Menus, menu groups, and subgroups for details on reordering.

Menus on your Toast Online Ordering page use continuous scrolling, so guests can browse all menus without selecting from a dropdown. Each menu appears in sequence as guests scroll.

To set up catering on your online ordering page:

For minimum order thresholds or specific pickup time restrictions, use the modifier group structure to prompt guests to choose from defined options.

Note: If you would like to create a separate online ordering page for your catering orders, check out Toast Catering and Events Pro, which can be purchased on the Toast Shop. Check out Getting Started with Catering and Events and Get Started with Catering Online Ordering for more info!

Use an infographic image (maximum height 400 px) for the menu item and include ordering instructions in the item's description. Then create required modifier groups with titles like "Step 1: Choose your bread" to guide guests through the selection process. Use the order tool to arrange modifier groups in the correct sequence.

Yes. Once you configure Prompt for Quantity and a Unit of Measure on an item, guests can order in fractional quantities through online ordering. See Items priced by the pound or unit for configuration steps.

No. Images and descriptions are not required for setup. You can add them later to enhance your menu — they improve the guest experience but are not required to go live.

Follow these guidelines:

All images must be in .PNG format.

You cannot restrict individual items to specific times of day, but you can make entire menus available based on time of day and day of the week. For example, a coffee and bagels menu can be set to appear from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Guests who place an order at 8:30 a.m. see the coffee menu; guests ordering at 11:00 a.m. do not.

See Set menu availability for configuration steps.

Note: Make sure the Visible To setting for that menu is set to Online Ordering. See Manage your menu visibility settings for details. Menu availability only applies to menus, not groups or items.

No. Both the order time and the scheduled pickup time must fall within the discount window. In the example above, the guest would need to place the order AND schedule pickup between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. for the discount to apply.

Yes. The items must be identical, including modifiers. For example, a two-cheese-pizza discount applies only if both pizzas have the same topping selection.

No. Price adjustments only apply to new orders placed after the change is saved. Orders that have already been paid are not affected.

For Toast Retail customers: In Toast Web, navigate to Retail > Settings > Online ordering and enable Hide out of stock items.

For Digital Storefront Pro subscribers: In Toast Web, select Websites > Edit Site (blue button) > Online Ordering. From the left navigation, select Global > Menu styles and colors. Scroll to Show out of stock items and toggle the setting. Select Save and Publish.

You can also manually remove items from the online ordering page by removing visibility on the Advanced Properties page. Please note that visibility will need to be assigned back the next business day manually.

Yes. Guests who are logged in to their account can add previously ordered items directly from the Order Again carousel on your online ordering page. The carousel displays each item's current image and price. If a previously ordered item had a modifier, that modifier is preselected. Items that are no longer available do not appear in the carousel.

Note: Guest order history is not currently available in Canada, Ireland, or the U.K.

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The Popular Items section displays items based on 30-day order activity — the items your guests order most frequently appear automatically. No setup is required.

To disable the feature, in Toast Web navigate to Takeout & delivery > Branding & Customization > Featured Items & Upsells and disable both toggles. Select Save. [Navigation path requires validation]

Toast's Menu Item Upsell feature automatically suggests items to guests during checkout, helping increase average order value.

For upsells on the guest-facing display, see Manage upsell offers for use on the guest-facing display.

Note: The upsell feature is also available for catering menus. Ensure the relevant menu items are included in your upsell configuration.

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For frequently asked questions about your online ordering schedule, see Manage your takeout and delivery schedule.

An autofire device receives online orders and sends them to the kitchen automatically. Choose one device to handle all online orders, then enable Order Auto-Firing on that device from the device menu. See Set up order auto-firing for step-by-step instructions.

No. If your autofire device is logged out of Toast, online orders are not sent automatically to the kitchen. Orders must be manually approved until the device is logged back in. Your autofire device must be powered on and logged in to Toast at all times for automatic order firing to work.

[Suggested approach – requires validation] In most configurations, a fixed Toast terminal (such as a Toast Flex) is recommended as the autofire device to ensure it remains on, logged in, and connected at all times. Handheld devices are more likely to be logged out or moved out of Wi-Fi range, which would interrupt automatic order firing. Confirm with Toast Customer Care whether your specific hardware setup supports a handheld as the designated autofire device.

In Toast Web, navigate to Takeout / Delivery and toggle the Delivery option on under the Toast Online Ordering section. See the takeout and delivery setup article for full details.

Yes. When a guest fills out their delivery information, there is an optional field where they can add specific instructions — for example, "Ring the doorbell and leave the food on the porch." The driver receives these instructions when the order is placed. Both Toast Online Ordering and Toast Local include this field automatically when delivery is enabled.

Create or update a dining option with the Curbside behavior, then add it to your online ordering settings page under the Dining Options section. See Setting up curbside pickup for online ordering for the full workflow.

[Suggested approach – requires validation] To remove curbside as an option for online guests, navigate to your online ordering settings in Toast Web and remove the curbside dining option from the Dining Options section. If you want to retain the dining option for in-store use but hide it from online ordering, update the dining option's Visible To setting to exclude online channels.

For the most current steps, see Setting up curbside pickup for online ordering or contact Toast Customer Care for assistance.

Yes. In your Online Ordering setup page under Online Ordering Scheduling Settings, enable Yes, guests may schedule orders. An additional field, Max Future Scheduled Order Date (days), appears below. Select Custom Date Range and enter 0 to restrict scheduling to same-day orders only.

First-party delivery for online orders is not currently available in Canada, Ireland, or the U.K. Check back for updates.

Yes. At checkout, guests select Pay with a Gift Card and enter their 16-digit gift card code. If the gift card balance does not cover the full order, guests can add another payment method for the remaining balance. See Redeem a Toast Gift Card for online ordering for details.

Note: Gift card payments for online orders are not currently available in Canada, Ireland, or the U.K.

Yes. Guests can create an account before or during checkout and save a credit card for future use. At checkout, guests choose between Express checkout with Toast (uses saved information) or Checkout as guest (enter payment details each time).

Check the modifier group settings for that item. If Multi-select? is enabled, guests can choose multiple options without an additional charge. To charge for each selection, create a new modifier group with a price assigned to each option. See Create a new modifier group for steps.

Yes. See the Email Notification Setup section of Online Ordering: Advanced settings for instructions.

Note: Notifications via text message or phone call are not available at this time.

Apple Pay transactions placed online are charged at the Card-Not-Present rate. When Apple Pay is used in-store by tapping at a terminal, it is billed at the Swiped rate.

Note: Apple Pay for online ordering is only supported in Safari.

Yes, online ordering is available in Canada, Ireland, and the U.K. See Get started with online ordering for details. Note that some features — including first-party delivery, gift card payments, and guest order history — are not yet available in those regions.

A negative fire time means the order should have already been sent to the kitchen but was not. This typically indicates a problem with your autofire device settings.

To troubleshoot:

For more thorough steps, see Troubleshoot your autofire device.

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These are the most common issues that occur when online ordering settings in Toast Web are not configured correctly.

The three most common causes are:

[Suggested approach – requires validation] This message means Toast detected a problem with your autofire device and has temporarily paused automatic order approval to prevent orders from going unacknowledged. Online ordering may be turned off for guests while this message is active.

To resolve this:

If the message persists, see Troubleshoot your autofire device or contact Toast Customer Care.

Menu visibility settings control where each menu can be accessed. Visibility applies to everything below it in the hierarchy:

Check visibility settings at every level — menu, group, and item — to identify where the restriction is applied. See Manage your menu visibility settings on how to update them.

The most common cause is the Order Delay feature. Order Delay adds a wait time before a new order fires, giving the kitchen time to finish current work before receiving the next ticket. Check this setting first — it is accessible from both the POS and the Online Ordering Dashboard in Toast Web.

If Order Delay is not the issue, confirm that your autofire device is online and logged in. See Manage off-premise orders with Orders Hub for additional steps.

[Suggested approach – requires validation] Third-party online orders (DoorDash, Uber Eats, etc.) also rely on your autofire device. Confirm that your autofire device is powered on, logged in, and has a stable network connection. If one integration autofires correctly but another does not, check whether the non-firing integration has any separate order approval settings in its configuration in Toast Web.

For full troubleshooting steps, see Troubleshoot your autofire device. If the issue persists, contact Toast Customer Care.

Try these steps in order:

If a guest sees an error message during checkout, identify the message and use the guidance below.

Address mismatch error ("The address information provided does not match the billing address on file.") The billing address entered does not match the address their card issuer has on file. Ask the guest to check their billing statement or online banking and reenter their address exactly as it appears. They can also try a different card.

Unverified card information ("Your card information could not be verified.") The card number, expiration date, CVV, or billing information doesn't match what the bank expects. Ask the guest to double-check for typos, especially in the card number and expiration date. If the issue continues, have them try a different card or contact their bank.

CCV mismatch ("The card code (CCV) provided does not match the code on file.") The CVV the guest entered doesn't match the code on file. For Visa, Mastercard, and Discover, the CVV is the three-digit number on the back of the card. For American Express, it is the four-digit number on the front. Ask the guest to recheck the digits carefully.

CCV required ("The card code (CCV) is required.") The guest has not entered the CVV. Direct them to the back of the card (Visa/Mastercard/Discover) or the front (American Express). If their card has no CVV, it may not be eligible for online payments.

CCV required to update information ("The card code (CCV) is required to update your information.") The guest needs to enter the current CVV to update stored card details. Have them use the physical card to locate the security code.

Expiration date required ("The card expiration date is required.") The guest needs to provide their card's expiration date, usually printed on the front in MM/YY format.

Credit card number required ("The credit card number is required.") The guest needs to enter their full card number with no spaces or dashes. Confirm they are using a supported card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover).

Invalid credit card number ("That credit card number is invalid.") The card number entered doesn't match a valid format. Ask the guest to check for typos or missing digits and reenter the number without spaces or dashes.

Billing zipcode required ("The billing zipcode is required.") The guest needs to enter the five-digit ZIP code associated with their billing address. If they are unsure, have them check a recent bank statement or their online banking profile.

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Yes. See Mange Toast Gift Card Sales for details on adding a gift card link to your ordering page. You can also promote eGift card purchases by sharing your eGift card ordering link on your website or social media. See Share Your Online Ordering & eGift Card Links on Social Media for instructions.

The prompt appears automatically when a guest first visits your online ordering page. If a guest refreshes the page after starting an order, the prompt does not reappear because the system assumes they already made a selection. They can reopen the prompt at any time by selecting the pickup/delivery button at the top of the page.

After completing setup (see Get started with online ordering), navigate to Takeout & delivery in Toast Web. If the toggle for Toast Online Ordering is set to Ordering on, your page is live and accepting orders.

Your online ordering link is the Online Ordering Public Link listed on your Restaurant Info page in Toast Web. You can also select Download QR Code on that page to give guests a scannable link.

Guests create and log in to their account at checkout using their mobile number (not an email address). After entering their number, they receive a one-time SMS code to complete the login.

Note: Guest online accounts are not currently available in Canada, Ireland, or the U.K.

Upload a new Restaurant Logo and Banner Image on your Restaurant Info page in Toast Web. See image size guidelines for required dimensions.

All images must be in .PNG format.

Select the Download button option in Toast Web to get a button image you can add to your website. Attach your online ordering public link to the button so guests are directed to your ordering page when they select it. To find your online ordering link, navigate to your Restaurant Info page and copy the Online Ordering Public Link.

Yes. In Toast Web, navigate to Takeout & delivery > Restaurant Info and scroll to the social media links section. Add your desired links and select Save and Publish.

Toast does not currently support embedding the online ordering page directly on a website. However, you can add your online ordering URL as a link on your site.

To find your URL:

You can also add digital ordering buttons to your site. See Adding digital order buttons to your website for how to do this.

Web traffic analytics for your Toast Online Ordering page are not currently available. For order-level reporting, use the reporting tools in Toast Web.

Confirm your credit card surcharging settings are configured correctly. Toast's surcharging solution has eligibility requirements and limitations that may affect online orders. See Get started with credit card surcharging for eligibility details and setup instructions. Also see Configured surcharge is not applying to all card transactions for troubleshooting.

Yes. Guests can opt in to your email marketing list during checkout using the checkbox on the order confirmation screen. Guests who do not select the checkbox are not added to your list.

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