When you first sign in, the dashboard shows a Welcome to MenuDock card. It's a checklist that walks you through everything needed to start taking orders, and it ticks each step off on its own as you complete it. This article explains what each step does and what happens when you go live.
Only the account owner sees this card. Managers, viewers and staff land straight on the dashboard without it. The card stays put until you go live, then disappears for good.
The steps
Your progress sits at the top of the card ("0 of 8 steps to launch your store") with a progress bar. Each row links to the page where you finish that step, and turns into a green Done tick once it's sorted.
| Step | What it's for | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Connect a payment provider | Link Stripe, Square or PayPal so customers can pay you | Yes |
| Add your menu | Create at least one category and product | Yes |
| Add your address & contact | Set your location's address and phone number | Optional |
| Add your branding | Upload your logo and pick your colours | Optional |
| Confirm your opening hours | Review the default hours and confirm they're right | Optional |
| Connect a custom domain | Point your own domain at your storefront (Pro and Business) | Optional |
| Add another location | Set up a second branch (Business only) | Optional |
| Preview & go live | Open your storefront, test an order, confirm you're live | — |
The two required steps, a payment provider and a menu, are the only ones that block launch. They're flagged in red until they're done, and the I'm live button stays greyed out until both are ticked. Everything else is optional; add it whenever suits you.
Most steps just send you to the right page and tick themselves once the underlying thing exists: connect Stripe, add a product, upload a logo, and so on. Confirm your opening hours is the exception. It has a Confirm button on the card itself, so if the default hours are already correct you can tick it off without opening the settings page.
Which optional steps appear depends on your plan. A custom domain shows up on Pro and Business; a second location only on Business. On Starter you'll see the core steps without those two.
Going live
There's no hidden publish switch. Your storefront is reachable from the day you sign up, and it starts taking real orders the moment a payment provider is connected and at least one product is on the menu. The I'm live button is your own "I'm ready" confirmation. Clicking it clears the welcome card and nothing else. If you somehow reach it without the two required steps, it won't work anyway. The server blocks go-live until payments and a menu are both in place.
Before you press it, use Preview store to open your storefront in a new tab and place a test order from start to finish. Verify your store walks through that test run.
Hiding it for now
Not ready to work through the list yet? Hide for now collapses the card into a slim bar at the top of the dashboard.
Click Continue on that bar to bring the full checklist back. It only goes away for good once you press I'm live.
Related articles
- Getting started: the 10-minute checklist
- Create an account and choose a plan
- Business settings
- Start taking payments
- Add your first product
- Verify your store
Need a hand?
If a step won't tick off even though you've done it, or the I'm live button stays greyed out when it shouldn't, email support@menudock.co.uk with your store name and we'll take a look.