Digital Menu, Publish, Unpublish and Online Ordering: How Modern Resto Works

What is a digital menu?

A digital menu is the live online version of your restaurant menu. Customers open it from a phone, usually by scanning a QR code or clicking a link from Google, Instagram, your website or a message.

Unlike a static document, the digital menu is meant to change with your restaurant. You can update dishes, prices, photos, descriptions, allergens and formulas from your dashboard. The same link and the same QR code continue to work after every update.

Publish and unpublish your menu

In Modern Resto, publishing means your digital menu is visible to customers. The menu link works, the QR code opens the menu, and customers can browse what you serve.

Unpublishing means the menu is temporarily hidden from customers. This is useful if you are still preparing the menu, changing prices, testing photos or closing a seasonal restaurant. You keep the menu in your dashboard, but the public link no longer shows it.

This gives the owner clear control: edit privately, publish when ready, unpublish when the menu should not be visible.

Online ordering is optional

Online ordering is a separate option. When it is enabled, customers can use your menu link to send an online order request. You can copy the digital menu link and share it on Google Business Profile, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, your website or anywhere customers already look for your restaurant.

If you do not want customers to buy online yet, you simply disable online ordering. The menu can stay published as a digital menu while online ordering stays off.

Table order requests require order management

The option "Let guests send an order request from the menu" is for table ordering. A guest scans a table QR code, chooses dishes and sends a request from the menu.

This feature only makes sense when order management is active, because the restaurant team needs a place to receive, accept, prepare and follow those requests. That is why Modern Resto makes it clear: table order requests unlock the team, table, order-taking and kitchen dashboard workflow.

Order management is a bigger topic, so we explain it in a dedicated article: restaurant order management and staff workflow.

Example: a team of 3 people

Imagine your restaurant has a team of three:

• The owner configures the digital menu, publishes it, activates online ordering if needed and adds staff in the dashboard.
• The waiter or order taker uses the order management screen to take orders, assign tables and follow service.
• The kitchen uses the kitchen dashboard to see new orders, mark them as preparing and follow what must be cooked next.

The simple setup path

1. Create your digital menu.
2. Publish it when customers should see it.
3. Copy the link or print the QR code.
4. Enable online ordering only if you want remote customers to send order requests.
5. Enable table order requests only when the team is ready to manage incoming orders.
6. Add your team in the dashboard when staff need access.

What customers see

Customers only see what you activate. If the menu is published, they can browse the digital menu. If online ordering is active, they can send an online order request from the menu link. If table order requests are active, guests at the restaurant can scan the table QR code and send a request from their table.

If online ordering and table order requests are both disabled, customers simply see a clean digital menu. That is often the best first step.

Start with the menu, then add operations

Modern Resto is designed so restaurants can start small. You do not have to activate every workflow on day one. Publish the digital menu first, share the link, print the QR code, then add online ordering or order management when your team is ready.