Variants and add-ons
Both of these let one menu item cover several things a guest might order. They work differently, and picking the wrong one is the most common menu-building mistake.
- Plans
- Bistro, Brasserie, Signature, Enterprise
- Can it be switched off?
- No. It is part of every plan that includes it and cannot be switched off.
Which one you want
Section titled “Which one you want”A variant group is a choice about the item. Size, spice level, cooking temperature. The guest is picking which version of the dish they are getting. The section is labelled “Variants (Size, Spice level)”.
An add-on is something added to the item. Extra cheese, a sauce, bacon. The section is labelled “Add-ons (Extra cheese, sauces)”.
Rule of thumb: if choosing nothing leaves the order incomplete, it is a variant. If choosing nothing is a perfectly normal order, it is an add-on.
Building a variant group
Section titled “Building a variant group”Select Add variant group and give it a Group name — the placeholder suggests “e.g. Size, Spice level”. Then add options, each with a name (“Option name (e.g. Large)”) and a price.
Each group has two selection rules:
| Rule | Its own help text |
|---|---|
| Required | “Must the customer select at least one option?” |
| Maximum selections allowed | “Set to 1 for a single choice (like radio buttons). Set higher to allow multiple selections.” |
So a Size group is Required with a maximum of 1. A Toppings group is not required with a maximum of 3.
Groups and individual options each have their own Active switch, so you can retire Large for a week without deleting it and losing its price.
Add-ons
Section titled “Add-ons”Simpler: a name and a price. An item with none shows “No add-ons added yet.”
How variant prices behave with channel pricing
Section titled “How variant prices behave with channel pricing”This catches people out, so it is worth stating plainly. From the item form’s own hint: “Variants scale with the channel base.”
In other words, if your takeaway channel is set at +10%, the variant option prices scale with it. You do not set separate variant prices per channel, and there is no screen to do so. The settings help text says it outright: “Variant option prices scale with the channel base (no separate variant channel prices).”
See Prices by channel for the whole picture.
Variants, add-ons and recipes
Section titled “Variants, add-ons and recipes”If you use recipes for automatic stock depletion, variants and add-ons can carry their own ingredients. The recipe screen’s hint: “Base ingredients apply to every sale. Variant and add-on ingredients apply only when that choice appears on the order.”
So extra cheese can deplete cheese only when someone actually orders it. See Recipes and depletion.