TLDR; Toast’s new Menu Builder enables restaurant operators to design custom digital menus with pre-built layouts and real-time syncing with the POS system. Early feedback shows it will save time, improve menu management, and enhance branding.
My Role & Team
I was the lead designer and researcher, guiding the design process and conducting user interviews to validate the feature’s impact.
I collaborated with engineers and a product manager
The Challenge
Restaurant owners struggled to leverage their existing menu data to create visually engaging online menus that truly told their brand's story. Without expressive, customizable options, their digital menus were generic and inconsistent, failing to reflect the unique identity of each restaurant.
Our challenge was to empower them to transform accurate, real-time menu data into dynamic, custom menu pages that create a cohesive, brand-driven experience across every guest touchpoint.
The Menu Builder
The new Menu Builder is designed to solve this challenge by providing restaurant owners with a powerful yet intuitive tool for creating dynamic, custom-designed menu pages. With dozens of pre-built menu layouts to choose from, this feature allows for quick customization without the need for a designer. All layouts are componentized, meaning each section—such as item names, descriptions, prices, and images—are integrated to the POS, ensuring that updates made in the POS system are automatically reflected in the digital menu. This componentized structure allows for scalability and flexibility as the restaurant’s offerings evolve.
Key Features
User Testing & Research Insights
I began the design process by conducting customer research—interviewing 10 restaurant operators and analyzing their feedback to uncover the key challenges they faced with their online menus. The main pain points included:
Inconsistent Menu Versions
"It’s a nightmare to update menus in different places – one version here, another there. My brand suffers from the inconsistency."
Branding & Aesthetic Limitations
"Our brand has a unique style, but the online ordering menu looks generic everywhere. I need more creative control to reflect my identity in my menu."
With these insights, I started by designing guest-facing menu layouts that prioritized visual appeal and adaptability. This helped me define the core components—such as menu lists, item cards, pricing structures, and category sections—that were essential for a cohesive and dynamic menu experience. Each component was built with full customization controls, allowing users to adjust layouts, borders, background colors, fonts, and more. This approach enabled restaurant owners not only to override the default website theme when needed but also to receive best-practice guidance, ensuring that their menus remained both on-brand and user-friendly.
Throughout the process, continuous usability testing helped refine the editor experience, ensuring that restaurant operators could create and manage professional, visually consistent menus that accurately reflected their brand across all platforms.
Phased Implementation Approach
We rolled out the Menu Builder in phases to ensure a seamless launch:
Impact on Toast Websites
The Menu Builder is a significant addition to the Toast Websites product, transforming how restaurant owners create and manage their online presence. By bridging the gap between menu content and website design, it enhances brand consistency while ensuring menus remain accurate and up to date. Key impacts include: