Choose a layout
The layout is chosen per menu type, when the type is enabled, and it decides how the whole menu reads. It is worth ten minutes of thought, because changing it later means re-checking every section.
Where the choice is made
Settings → Restaurant settings → Content settings → Content types. Each menu type that is not yet active shows a template selector; choosing one and enabling the type generates that layout.
The options depend on the family:
| Family | Layouts offered |
|---|---|
| À la carte, terrace, breakfast, desserts, bar menu, wine list, cocktails, beverages | Horizontal carousel · Masonry · Price list · Vertical · Swipe |
| Tasting menu, set menu | Menu design 1 · Menu design 2 |
Decide from the content, not the taste
Answer three questions honestly before choosing:
1. How many items does this menu have?
- Under 25 → any layout works.
- 25 to 60 → photo layouts still work if the photography is complete.
- Over 60 → Price list, unless you have a photograph of every single item.
2. Do you have a photograph of every item, in a consistent style?
- Yes → Vertical, Masonry, Horizontal carousel or Swipe.
- No → Price list. A grid with gaps looks worse than a list with none.
3. How does the guest use this menu?
- Deciding between a few dishes → photo-led.
- Scanning for something specific — a wine, a spirit, an allergen-safe dish → Price list.
- Ordering at a counter, quickly → Price list.
A practical mapping
| Menu type | Usual choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| À la carte | Price list, or Masonry with complete photography | Usually long |
| Breakfast | Price list | Long, text-heavy |
| Desserts | Masonry or Horizontal carousel | Short and photogenic |
| Bar menu | Price list | Read standing up |
| Wine list | Price list | Long, browsed by family |
| Cocktails | Horizontal carousel or Masonry | Short, visual |
| Beverages | Price list | Long, rarely photographed |
| Tasting menu | Menu design 1 or 2 | Read as one document |
| Set menu | Menu design 1 or 2 | Read as one document |
Layouts are per menu type, so a photo-led dessert menu and a text-only wine list on the same site is a normal, deliberate combination.
Mixing layouts across a site
It works, within limits. Guests move between menus through the contact dock, and a change of layout is a change of pace they will notice.
Keep the palette, the icons and the navigation consistent so the menus still read as one restaurant.
Changing the layout later
The layout is generated when the type is enabled, and there is no in-place layout switcher on the Content types screen afterwards. Re-running the setup assistant's design step regenerates layouts for the selected menu types — which also re-applies the chosen home template, so treat it as a deliberate action rather than a quick experiment.
The practical consequence: choose the layout with real content in mind, and prefer the layout that will still work when the menu grows.
Before you commit
Do this test with the real menu, not a sample:
- Enable the type and add one full category of real items, with real photos and real prices.
- Open the archive on a phone, signed out.
- Read it as a guest: can you find a dish, compare two prices, and reach another section?
- Only then build the rest.