Overview

Once Open Menu Item is enabled, it allows your team to create a menu item on the fly during Order Entry. Your team can enter a custom description and price at the time the order is placed.

The description and price apply only to that specific order. This is useful for adding special items you don’t regularly offer but are willing to provide in certain circumstances.

Before your team can use Open Menu Items during Order Entry, the feature must be enabled in Admin.

Common Use Cases

Open Menu Items are commonly used for:

• Custom catering requests

• One-off or special items not on the menu

• Custom charges or adjustments

Enable Open Menu Item

• Go to Admin → Menu

• Click Open Menu Item

• Click Show “Open Menu Item” option on menu

Once enabled, this option will appear for employees during Order Entry only. It will not appear on your public online menu.

How Open Menu Items Work

When an Open Menu Item is enabled, in Order Entry:

• Open Menu Item appears as a selectable menu item

• The order taker is prompted to enter:

  • A custom item name and/or description

  • A price and other optional items

• The entered information applies only to that order

Customers placing orders through online ordering do not see these fields and cannot create or modify Open Menu Items.

The original Open Menu Item remains unchanged for future orders.

Creating an Open Menu Item

Once Open Menu Items are enabled, your team can add one during Order Entry.

• In the menu section, search for Open Menu Item, click to add to the menu

Edit the Open Menu Item

• Enter an Item Name: This is required. If the item name is left blank, the Open Menu Item will not save. 

• Select the Quantity.

• Enter the Price.

Optional Settings (If Needed)

The following fields are optional and only need to be used if they apply to this item:

• Service Fee
  Add a service fee if this item requires one.

• Taxable / Non-Taxable
  By default, Open Menu Items are marked as taxable. You can change this if the item should not be taxed.

• Sales Category
  Assign a sales category if you want this item grouped correctly for reporting.

• Special Instructions
  Add a description or notes about the item if needed.

• Unit
  Change the unit (for example, from Per Item to Per Pound) if needed.

Refresh to View the Item

After saving the Open Menu Item, refresh your browser.
The Open Menu Item’s name will now appear on the order.

What Your Team Sees During Order Entry

When your staff adds an Open Menu Item to an order:

• A text field appears to enter the item description

• A price field appears if pricing is editable

• The entered details are saved with the order

Customers ordering online will only see the final item name and price that your team enters.

Best Practices

• Use Open Menu Items sparingly.

• If you sell an item frequently, we recommend creating a standard menu item instead.

• Standard menu items allow for:

  • Consistent pricing

  • Inclusion on PLU and sales reports

  • Kitchen Production Formulas and reporting

Open Menu Items:

• Do not appear on PLU Reports

• Do not support Kitchen Production Formulas

• Are best used for one-off or special requests

Troubleshooting

If the Open Menu Item fields do not appear:

• Confirm Open Menu Item is enabled in the Admin Section

• Clear the menu cache if changes were made recently

Related Articles

• Menu Manager: Add Menu Items

• Menu Manager: Change Menu Item Prices

• Menu Settings: Clear Menu Cache

Support

For additional help, refer to the CaterZen Support Center or contact our CaterZen Support Team.

Not a CaterZen customer yet? Discover how our catering software can streamline your business — click here to learn more!