Categories help guests find related items, such as Sandwiches or Drinks. Create a category, add its items, then add it to a menu.
✅ Short on time? Ask Owner Agent to create a menu category or add items to a category for you. Open Ask Owner in your Owner Dashboard or Owner App.
Requirements
The Manage menus permission. See Staff jobs and permissions.
Before you start
Choose the location and menu you want to change. If your menu comes from a third-party POS (a POS from another company, not Owner POS), create categories and items in that third-party POS. Use Override in Owner to change how those items look to guests, as explained below.
A category can belong to more than one menu. An item can belong to more than one category. Adding existing content shares it, so a name or price edit can affect every place it is used.
In the Owner Dashboard
Create and edit categories under Menu › Categories, then add them to a menu.
Create or rename a category
Open Menu › Categories.
Click Create Category, or open an existing category.
Enter or update its Display name.
Add a Description if guests need context for all items in the section.
Click Save Category to keep the name or description change.
Add existing items
⚠️ For items that come from a third-party POS, click Override beside Items before changing their order or hiding them. Click the eye icon to hide or show an item, then click Save Category. This doesn't delete the item in your third-party POS, and the change affects every menu that uses this category.
In the category's Items section, click Add Items.
Select the items.
Click Add Item for one, or Add followed by the item count for several.
Click Save Category.
To change item order later, drag the dots beside an item and click Save Category.
Read the restore warnings in Customize how your third-party POS menu looks in Owner before undoing changes.
To add an item that doesn't exist yet, follow Create a new menu item, then return to add it here.
Add the category to a menu
Open Menu › Menus and select the menu.
In Categories, click Add Categories.
Select the categories and click Add Category for one, or Add followed by the number selected.
Click Save Menu.
Drag the dots beside categories before saving to choose their order. Creating a category from the Categories tab does not add it to a menu.
Remove a category or item from one list
Open the menu and remove the category from its Categories list, then click Save Menu. To remove an item, open its category, remove it from Items, then click Save Category. Removing it from a list does not delete it. Removing an item from a shared category affects every menu that uses that category.
⚠️ Do not use the trash can on the main Categories or Items table for this task. That deletes the content itself rather than removing it from one list.
Check where content is used
Item: open Items, select the item, and check Parent Categories.
Option: open Options, select the option, and check Parent Option Groups.
Option group: open Option groups, select the group, and check Used in these items.
Check each relevant menu's Categories list before changing a shared category.
On your Owner Tablet or Owner POS
Use these steps for menus you build in Owner, including Owner POS menus. If your menu comes from a third-party POS (a POS from another company), use the Owner Dashboard steps above.
Create a category
Tap Menu in the left-hand navigation, then choose the menu from the top-left dropdown.
Tap the pencil beside the menu name, then Create new category.
Enter the Name and optional Description.
Tap Done.
The category is added to the selected menu. To reuse one instead, open Edit menu › Add existing categories, select categories, and tap Done.
Edit the category and items
Open the category.
Tap its three-dot button and choose Edit name or Edit description.
Enter the change, then tap Done on the keyboard.
When the internal and display names differ, the three-dot list has separate Edit internal name and Edit display name actions. Use Edit display name for the name guests see.
To add items you already have, tap Add existing items, select the items, then tap Done. For a new item, tap Create new item.
Remove or share without deleting
Remove an item from this category: open Reorder and remove items, remove the row, then tap Done.
Change which menus use the category: open Menus, select or clear the menus, then tap Done.
Change where an item appears: open it, choose Categories, select or clear categories, then tap Done.
These actions change where the category or item appears without deleting it. Delete at the bottom removes the category or item itself and can affect other menus.
Check where choices are used
Open an option group and check Used in to see its items. Open an option and check Used in to see its option groups. Check those uses before changing shared choices.
In the Owner App
Open More › Menu. Choose your location in the top-left, then choose the menu from its name dropdown. Open Items.
Use a category you already have
Tap Add category.
Select the existing category.
Tap Save to reuse it.
Create a new category
Tap Create new category from Add category.
Enter the category name.
Tap Save.
Creating it from this menu adds it to the selected menu.
Rename a category
Open the category and tap Edit.
Update its name.
Tap Save.
Use your Owner Dashboard to add or change a category description.
Add or remove items
Open the category and tap Add item.
Select the existing items you want in Update items.
Clear an item to take it out of this category. Every menu using this category is affected.
Tap Save.
To add a new item, choose Create new item from Add item. Tap Save after changing a selection. The checkmark only closes a list you haven't changed.
Remove a category from this menu
Open the menu and tap Edit.
Under Categories, tap Edit.
Remove the category from the list, then tap Done.
Tap Save in the top-right of the menu.
This does not delete the category. To reuse it elsewhere, switch to the destination menu and use Add category.
Check where categories, items, and choices are used
Category: open its Edit page and check Menus.
Item: open it through a category and tap Categories.
Option: open Options, select its group, open the option, and check Used In.
Option group: open Options, select the group, tap Edit, and check Used in these items.
Check these lists before editing something used in more than one place. To add or remove categories or items, open the menu’s Add category list or the category’s Add item list.
Set category hours and recommendations
Use your Owner Dashboard to choose when the category is offered. These hours must fit within the menu's and restaurant's ordering hours.
Open Menu › Categories and choose the category.
Find Availability Hours and choose a day.
Set the hours and click Done.
Click Save Category.
Upsell Categories helps Owner choose recommendations; it does not guarantee a particular suggestion. Read How the Goes Well With section works before changing it.
Add dietary labels and allergens to individual items, not the category. After adding or removing items, open your ordering website to make sure guests can find the right category and items.