Understanding Modifiers

Modifiers let you define what customers can change about a menu item — add extra toppings, remove ingredients they don't want, choose a size, or swap one ingredient for another. They're how you turn a single "Burger" menu item into dozens of possible variations, each with accurate cost tracking.

Why Modifiers Matter

Without modifiers, you'd need a separate menu item for every possible combination — "Burger No Onions", "Burger Extra Cheese", "Burger Large". Modifiers let you start with one base item and define the available customizations, so:

• Your team sees exactly what modifications are possible for each dish
• Cost calculations update automatically when modifiers add or remove ingredients
• Meal planning tracks the actual ingredients needed, including modifications
• Production reports reflect the true quantities, accounting for adds, removes, and substitutions

Key Concepts

Modifier Groups and Modifiers

The modifier system has two layers:

A modifier group defines the rules (how many can be selected, whether it's required, pricing), while each modifier within it represents one specific choice.

Modifier Group: "Burger Toppings" (optional, pick up to 3)
├── Modifier: "Add Bacon" (+$2.00)
├── Modifier: "Add Avocado" (+$1.50)
├── Modifier: "Extra Cheese" (+$1.00)
└── Modifier: "Add Jalapeños" (+$0.50)

Where to Create Modifiers

You can add modifier groups in two places:

1. On a recipe (recommended) — The modifier group is tied to the recipe itself. When that recipe is used in any menu item, the modifiers automatically appear. Change the recipe's modifiers once, and every menu item using that recipe gets updated.

2. On a menu item directly — The modifier group is assigned to a specific menu item. Useful for modifiers that don't come from a recipe (e.g., "Add a Side" or business-level choices).

Templates — Getting Started Quickly

When you create a new modifier group, PrepStation offers seven templates that pre-configure the settings for common scenarios. You can always adjust the settings after creation.

Each template pre-fills the display type, selection rules, and pricing strategy so you don't have to configure everything manually. See Modifier Types & Templates for a deep dive into each one.

Creating Your First Modifier Group

Here's how to create a modifier group using the template picker:

1. Navigate to either a recipe page (under Dish Modifications) or a menu item page (under Pricing & Modifiers)
2. Click Add Group (or Add Your First Modifier Group if none exist yet)
3. The Create Modifier Group modal appears with the template grid
4. Click the template that matches your use case (e.g., Add-Ons / Extras)
5. Enter a Group Name (e.g., "Burger Toppings")
6. Depending on the template, you may be asked to:
   • Select a menu item to auto-populate ingredients (for Remove/Substitute templates)
   • Search and pick recipes to use as add-on options (for Add-On/Required Choice templates)
   • Add custom options with a name and price
7. Click Create Modifier Group

Tip: You can skip the ingredient/recipe selection step and add modifiers manually later. Just click Skip — I'll add modifiers manually later at the bottom.

Advanced Settings

The template pre-fills the advanced settings, but you can expand Advanced settings in the creation form to adjust:

How Modifiers Affect Costs

Every modifier can impact the food cost of a menu item:

The system calculates these automatically. When you view a recipe's Dish Modifications panel, you'll see a cost summary showing the Base Cost, Max Add-Ons, Max Removals, and the full Cost Range for the item with all possible modifications.

Managing Modifier Groups

You can manage all your modifier groups from Modifier Groups in the main navigation:

• View and edit any group's settings, modifiers, and assignments
• Archive groups you no longer need (they can be restored)
• Search for groups by name
• Share groups across locations (if you have multiple locations)

Individual modifiers within a group can also be archived and restored independently.

Common Questions

Q: What's the difference between a modifier group and a modifier?
A: A modifier group is the category (e.g., "Toppings"), and modifiers are the individual options within it (e.g., "Add Bacon", "Extra Cheese"). Think of the group as the question and modifiers as the possible answers.

Q: Can a modifier group be used on multiple menu items?
A: Yes. You can assign the same modifier group to as many menu items as you want. If you create the group on a recipe, it automatically appears on every menu item that uses that recipe.

Q: What happens if I archive a modifier group?
A: It's removed from active use but can be restored anytime from the Archived view. Archiving removes inherited assignments from menu items automatically.

Q: Do I need to set up modifiers to use menu items?
A: No. Modifiers are entirely optional. A menu item works fine with just a recipe and a price — modifiers add customization on top of that.

Q: Can customers see modifier groups?
A: Modifier groups are used internally for operations — meal planning, production, and cost tracking. They define what modifications are possible when planning meals or processing orders.

Next Steps

• Recipe Modifiers — The recommended way to add modifiers: define them on recipes and let them auto-inherit
• Modifier Types & Templates — Deep dive into each modifier type with real-world examples
• Advanced Modifier Settings — Pricing strategies, portions, nested choices, and more