Menus with a clear structure simplify the use of the POS, so users can find item buttons quickly and ensure efficient service. Add main screens to sort items into broad categories, and sub-screens to narrow those categories down.
Once a specific menu is set up, only items in that menu will appear on the POS. Items must be set in a menu to be visible on the POS.
Creating a new menu
Adding a menu
Adding a menu defines the name of the menu. The name is displayed in the Back Office and on the POS. After adding a menu, you'll need to edit it to add main screens and buttons.
- Log in to the Back Office with your Lightspeed credentials.
- From the main navigation menu, select Menu management > Menus.
- Click Create.
- Enter a name for the menu.
- Click Save to save the menu name and access the menu settings page.
- Move on to Adding main screens.
Adding main screens
Main screens are menu categories that sort buttons into groups. In one menu, you can have a maximum of 20 main screens.
The menu settings page will immediately load after adding a menu. To access this page at a later time, see steps 1 and 2 below.
- From the main navigation menu, select Menu management > Menus.
- Click the name of the menu you want to add main screens to.
- Click Add in the MAIN SCREENS column.
- Enter the main screen’s name. For instance, Wines.
- (Optional) Enable Add color theme and choose a color under Button color to give the button a background color to display on the POS.
- (Optional) Repeat steps 3–5 to add additional main screens.
- Click Save to add the main screen(s) to the menu.
- Move on to Adding buttons to the main screen.
Adding buttons to the main screens
Buttons can be items, sub-screens (screens within a main screen), discounts, production instructions, transfer operations, order profiles, or web extensions that can be selected on the POS within a main screen. These buttons are used at the POS to place and process orders.
You'll be taken to the menu settings page to add buttons immediately after first adding a menu and main screens. To access the page at a later time, see steps 1 and 2 below.
- From the navigation menu, select Menu management > Menus.
- Click the name of the menu you want to add buttons to.
- Select a main screen from the MAIN SCREENS column. The display for the main screen opens on the right side.
- Click Add button.
- Select a type of button from the drop-down menu.
- Enter the required information. See Button settings below for details.
- Click Add button to add the button to the main screen.
Button settings
Button settings allow you to set specific permissions or edit what's on your menu. To modify buttons, such as giving them a background color, see the Editing menus section of Managing menus.
Item: Items refer to standard food and beverage products that can be added to an order. Items are created from the Back Office (Menu management > Items).
- Choose from all items, from a specific accounting group, or search for items at the top of the window.
- Enable the checkboxes of one or more items.
Sub-screen: Sub-screens allow further grouping of items. You can define whether only one item can be ordered per sub-screen or several, as well as if a sub-screen is only restricted to managers (for instance, a discount button). Managers must have the user permission POS user is a manager enabled in the Users section of the Back Office.
- Sub-screen name: Name that appears in the Back Office and on the POS.
- Button color theme: Colored background for the screen button displayed on the POS when Add as background color is enabled.
- Add as background color: When enabled, the previously selected background color is displayed on the POS.
- Manager-only access: When enabled, the sub-screen is only accessible to managers.
- Allow multiselect in the sub-screen: When enabled, several items can be selected from the sub-screen.
Discount: Discounts reduce the price of an entire order or individual items in the order on the POS. Discounts are created from the Back Office (Configuration > Settings > Discounts).
- Search for specific discounts or choose a discount from the table.
- Enable the checkboxes of one or more discounts.
Production instructions: Production instructions are used to inform the kitchen on specific cooking instructions, such as meat cooking options (rare, medium, or well). Product instructions are created from the Back Office (Menu management > Production instructions).
- Search for specific production instructions or choose them from the table.
- Enable the checkboxes of one or more product instructions.
Transfer Operation: Transfer operations are used to move an amount from one payment method to another. Transfer operations are created from the Back Office (Configuration > Settings > Transfer operation).
- Search for specific transfer operations or choose them from the table.
- Enable the checkboxes of one or more transfer operations.
Order profile: Order profiles are order types that affect the settings of an item during a sale. For instance, taxes will change when an item is ordered for takeaway or delivery. Order profiles are created from the Back Office (Configuration > Settings > Order profiles).
- Search for specific order profiles or choose them from the table.
- Enable the checkboxes of one or more order profiles.
Web extension: Integrate web pages on the POS. When selecting the web extension button, the linked web page is automatically loaded. Web extensions are created from the Back Office (Configuration > Settings > Web extension).
- Search for specific web extensions or choose them from the table.
- Enable the checkboxes of one or more web extensions.
Linking and unlinking menus
After creating menus in the Back Office, you will need to link menus to different configurations. In this context, a configuration is a preconfigured profile of settings for a device. A menu can have multiple configurations, but a configuration can only be linked to one menu.
The POS device can be switched between different configurations with different menus and settings. See About POS configurations for information on configurations.
You can link and unlink configurations using the Menus page from the Back Office. Visit the Deleting menus section of Managing menus for details on how to unlink configurations.
- Log in to the Back Office with your Lightspeed credentials.
- From the main navigation menu, select Menu management > Menus.
- Click the name of the menu to link with a configuration.
- Click Add configuration.
- Enable one or more configurations via the checkboxes. Currently linked menus will be unlinked from the selected configurations.
- Click Next.
- Click Publish to publish the menu with the chosen configuration on the POS devices.
- On the POS, navigate to Settings > Control center and click Reload to make the changes visible.
What's next?
Importing and exporting menus
Avoid manually entering item information by using the automated import and export tool for menus.
About importing/exporting menusSharing menus with business locations
Assign a specific menu to any of your locations. Any edits made are updated automatically onsite.
About sharing menus