Digital menu glossary

This glossary defines the core concepts behind modern restaurant digital menus in plain language. Whether you are choosing a menu platform, briefing your team, or just trying to understand the jargon, these short definitions explain what each term means and why it matters for a restaurant.

Digital menu

A digital menu is a restaurant menu that lives online and is viewed on a phone, tablet, or screen instead of on paper. Diners usually open it in their browser by scanning a code or tapping a link, with no app to download. Because it is software, a digital menu can be updated instantly, shown in several languages, and styled to match a restaurant's brand.

QR-code menu

A QR-code menu is a digital menu that diners reach by scanning a QR code printed on a table tent, sticker, or poster. Scanning the code with a phone camera opens the menu's web page directly, so there is nothing to install. It is the most common way restaurants connect a physical table to an always-up-to-date online menu.

Contactless menu

A contactless menu lets guests browse the menu on their own device without handling a shared physical menu. It became widely adopted for hygiene reasons and stuck around because it is convenient and easy to keep current. In practice, "contactless menu" and "QR-code menu" usually describe the same thing.

Multilingual menu (menu translation)

A multilingual menu shows the same dishes in more than one language so guests can read it in their own. Each item name and description can carry a version per language, and the diner picks their language on the menu. Menu translation is the process of producing those language versions, either by hand or automatically.

Allergen tags

Allergen tags are labels attached to a menu item that flag common allergens such as nuts, gluten, dairy, or shellfish. They appear as small icons or text next to the dish so guests can spot what they need to avoid at a glance. Clear allergen tagging improves safety and saves staff from repeating the same questions.

Menu modifiers (option groups)

Menu modifiers, also called option groups, are the customizable choices attached to an item, such as size, toppings, sauces, or cooking style. They are typically built once as a reusable group and attached to many items, with rules for whether a choice is required and how many options a guest can pick. Modifiers let one base item cover many variations without duplicating it.

Menu categories and items

Categories are the sections that organize a menu, like Starters, Mains, or Drinks, and items are the individual dishes inside them. Items carry a name, description, price, and often a photo, and categories can contain subcategories for finer grouping. This structure is what gives a digital menu its navigable, scannable layout.

Public menu URL (slug)

The public menu URL is the web address where a restaurant's live menu is published for diners. The slug is the short, readable part of that address that identifies the venue, for example the your-restaurant in a /m/your-restaurant link. A QR code simply encodes this URL, so scanning it opens the menu at that slug.

QR code

A QR code is a square, scannable barcode that stores a link or piece of data. When a phone camera reads it, the device opens the encoded web address automatically. In restaurants, the QR code typically encodes a venue's public menu URL and can be styled with a logo before being printed.

Menu analytics

Menu analytics are the metrics that show how guests interact with a digital menu, such as total menu views, unique visitors, most-viewed dishes, busy hours, devices, and languages. Because a digital menu is a web page, this activity can be measured automatically. The insights help a restaurant refine pricing, layout, and promotions based on real behavior rather than guesswork.

Landing page

A menu landing page is a branded welcome screen a guest sees before the menu itself when they scan a QR code. It usually shows a hero image, a primary call-to-action, and quick links such as booking, directions, or social profiles. It makes a stronger first impression and puts key actions one tap away before diners browse the food.

Loyalty / Customer Club

A loyalty program, often presented as a Customer Club, lets a restaurant capture guest sign-ups directly from the menu and build an owned marketing list. Diners join through a sign-up form, and each member is stored as a record the restaurant can segment by consent channel and export. It turns one-time menu visitors into contacts a venue can market to later.

Promotional popup

A promotional popup is a small modal that appears over the menu to highlight a special offer, seasonal dish, or announcement. The restaurant controls when it shows, how often repeat visitors see it, and whether it includes a clickable call-to-action button. Used sparingly, it draws attention to a promotion without disrupting the browsing experience.

Auto-translation (AI)

AI auto-translation automatically fills in a menu's empty language fields the moment content is saved, using a machine-translation model. The restaurant writes each item once in a default language, and the names and descriptions are translated into every enabled language while the original wording stays untouched. It makes a multilingual menu practical to maintain without manual translation for every change.

Menu design / theming

Menu design, or theming, is the control a restaurant has over how its digital menu looks, including brand color, logo, fonts, layout, and imagery. A live preview typically shows changes instantly across mobile, tablet, and desktop views. Good theming keeps the online menu consistent with the venue's physical branding and atmosphere.

Out-of-stock / item visibility

Item visibility controls whether a dish appears on the live menu and whether it is marked as available. A restaurant can hide an item entirely, or keep it visible but flag it as out of stock so guests know it is temporarily unavailable. This keeps the menu accurate in real time without anyone reprinting anything.