Categories are the sections your menu is split into: Starters, Pizzas, Drinks, and so on. Every product sits under one category (or under "No category"), and the order you give them is the order customers scroll through on your storefront. This article shows you how to create categories, put them in the right order, and edit or remove them later.
Create a category
- In the admin panel sidebar, open Catalog → Category. This is the Categories page, listing everything you've added so far.
- Press Add category in the top right.
- Fill in the Category name (required), for example "Sides". This is the heading customers see on your menu.
- Optionally set a Sort order number to decide where it appears (more on that below).
- Press Create category.
That's it. The new category is ready, and you can start assigning products to it from the product form.
Put categories in the right order
Categories are ordered by their Sort order number, and lower numbers come first. A category with sort order 1 sits at the top of your menu; sort order 6 sits below sort order 5. The number shows as a small badge (#1, #2) next to each category in the list.
To move a category, open it with Edit and change its sort order. If you want Pizzas above Starters, give Pizzas the lower number. There's no drag-and-drop here, just the number, which makes it easy to leave gaps (10, 20, 30) so you can slot new categories in later without renumbering everything.
Edit or delete a category
Each row has an Edit action for changing the name or sort order, and a Delete action for removing one you no longer use.
Deleting a category does not delete the products that were in it. Their link is kept, so nothing is lost. Those products do lose their menu section, though, so before you delete, move them to another category from the product form. That keeps them visible where customers expect them.
When to change this
Most menus settle into five or six categories and rarely change. Revisit your categories when you add a new range (a kids' menu, a seasonal special) or when a section grows too long to scroll comfortably. Splitting "Mains" into "Pizzas" and "Pasta" often reads better than one long list.
Related articles
Need a hand?
Created a category but it's not showing on your storefront? A category only appears once it has at least one product that's visible to customers. Add a product to it, or check the Visible on storefront toggle on the products inside. Still stuck? Email support@menudock.co.uk with your store name and the category name.