Use this article as a worked example of what a complex restaurant menu item looks like in Shop+ and how to build one from scratch. It follows one dish, a Surf & Turf Filet, from the first modifier group to the finished order in Checkout. Every step below was done in a live Stackably account, and the names and prices are examples you can replace with your own.
The end result
One menu item, Surf & Turf Filet, priced at $42.00. When staff add it to an order they are prompted, in this order, for:
Steak temperature – required, pick exactly one (Rare, Medium Rare, Medium, Medium Well, Well Done).
Choice of two sides – required, pick exactly two (Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Creamed Spinach, or Truffle Fries for +$3.00).
Steak sauce – optional, pick up to one (Bearnaise, Peppercorn, or Red Wine Demi-Glace for +$2.00).
Steak add-ons – optional, pick up to two (Lobster Tail +$18.00, Grilled Shrimp +$9.00).
The dish also has a recipe: 8 ounces of beef tenderloin and 1 tablespoon of butter every time it is ordered, plus 1 lobster tail only when the Lobster Tail add-on is chosen.
In the example order below the guest chose medium rare, mashed potatoes, truffle fries, bearnaise and a lobster tail, and the total came to $63.00 ($42.00 + $3.00 + $18.00).
What you will build
Four modifier groups: Steak Temperature, Choice of Two Sides, Steak Sauce and Steak Add-Ons.
One product, Surf & Turf Filet, with the four groups attached in the order staff should be asked.
A Recipe Map with base ingredients and one ingredient tied to a modifier option.
Step 1 – Create the Steak Temperature group (required, pick one)
In the left sidebar click Shop+, stay on Products, then click the Modifiers tab and click Create.
Enter the Group Name (Steak Temperature) and the External Name (How would you like it cooked?). Under Configuration Settings set Minimum Selection to 1, Maximum Selection to 1 and Selection Type to Single Choice. A minimum of 1 is what makes the group required.
Click + Add Item once for each temperature. In the item's Name box type the name and press Enter. Leave the price at 0 because a temperature does not change the price. When all five are listed, scroll down and click Save Modifier.
Step 2 – Create the Choice of Two Sides group (required, pick exactly two)
Click Create again. Name the group Choice of Two Sides, set Minimum Selection to 2, Maximum Selection to 2 and Selection Type to Multi Select. Setting the minimum and maximum to the same number forces an exact count.
Add an item for each side. For a premium side, type the upcharge in the item's Price box. Here Truffle Fries has a price of 3, which adds $3.00 when it is chosen. Click Save Modifier.
Step 3 – Create the Steak Sauce group (optional, pick up to one)
Click Create. Name the group Steak Sauce, leave Minimum Selection blank, set Maximum Selection to 1 and Selection Type to Single Choice. The Minimum Selection list starts at 1 and there is no 0 in the list, so an optional group is one where the minimum is left blank. Blank is the same as zero. Add Bearnaise and Peppercorn with no price, and Red Wine Demi-Glace with a price of 2. Click Save Modifier.
Step 4 – Create the Steak Add-Ons group (optional, paid extras)
Click Create. Name the group Steak Add-Ons, leave Minimum Selection blank, set Maximum Selection to 2 and Selection Type to Multi Select. Add Lobster Tail with a price of 18 and Grilled Shrimp with a price of 9. Click Save Modifier.
Back on the Modifiers tab, search to confirm the groups are saved. The list shows each group's minimum, maximum and number of items.
Step 5 – Create the product
Click the Products tab, then click the + icon in the toolbar above the product list.
Enter the Title (Surf & Turf Filet), the External Title and a Description, and choose a Product Type. On the right, set Publication Status to Active and turn on Point of Sale under Publishing Channels so the item can be sold at the register.
Scroll down the right-hand column. Under Print Configuration turn on the printer this item should print to. Under Product Organization choose a Category, and under Pricing enter the Price (42).
Step 6 – Attach the modifier groups and set the order
Scroll to Product Modifiers. In Select modifier groups, search for and select each of the four groups. The Display order list underneath controls the order staff are prompted in; use the up and down arrows to rearrange it. Here the order is temperature, sides, sauce, add-ons.
Step 7 – Add the recipe
Scroll back to the top of the form and click the Recipe Map tab. Under Base Recipe Ingredients click Add Ingredient, type the ingredient name and press Enter to create it, then enter the Quantity and choose the Unit. This example uses Beef Tenderloin, 8 Ounces, and Butter, 1 Tablespoons. Base ingredients are the ones used every time the item is ordered.
Below that, Modifier Adjustments lists every option of every attached group. Click Add Adjustment next to an option to give that option its own ingredient. Here the Lobster Tail add-on gets Lobster Tail, 1 Each, so the lobster is only part of the recipe when a guest orders it. Click Save Product.
The product now appears in the Products list as Active.
Step 8 – See the result in Checkout
At the top right of Shop+ click Checkout, search for the dish and click the + button on its card.
The modifier prompt opens with the groups in the display order you set. Add to Cart stays disabled until every required group is satisfied.
Choose a temperature, then two sides. With only one side chosen, Add to Cart is still disabled. Once two sides are chosen the remaining sides are greyed out, so a third cannot be added. The running total updates with each upcharge.
Add a sauce and the lobster tail. The total is now $63.00. Click Add to Cart.
Click Cart. The dish is listed with its choices, and clicking Modifiers under the item shows every group with the selected options highlighted, where they can still be changed before payment.
Common questions
How do I make a modifier required? Set the group's Minimum Selection to 1 or more. The item cannot be added to the cart until the minimum is met.
How do I force an exact number of choices, like two sides? Set Minimum Selection and Maximum Selection to the same number and use Multi Select.
How do I make a modifier optional? Leave Minimum Selection blank and set only the maximum. Blank is the same as zero.
Why is there no 0 in the Minimum Selection list? The list starts at 1 because a blank Minimum Selection already means zero. To set a minimum of zero, leave the field blank.
How do I charge extra for an option? Enter the upcharge in that modifier item's Price box. It is added to the item price when the option is chosen.
How do I control the order of the prompts? Use the Display order list under Product Modifiers on the product.
Can a modifier option have its own ingredients? Yes. On the product's Recipe Map tab, use Add Adjustment next to the option under Modifier Adjustments.