Show or Hide Menu Items for Toast Online Ordering

Last updated: May 15, 2026, 3:25 PM

Learn how to show or hide menu items for Toast Online Ordering.

Control whether a menu, menu group, or menu item appears on your Toast Online Ordering site by updating its channel visibility in Toast Web. Use this when you want to add or remove items, groups, or whole menus from online ordering — without deleting them from your menu.

 

In this Article:

 

Before You Begin

Applies to: Toast Web, Toast Online Ordering

 

Permissions needed:

  • Menu management permissions for your Toast Web user account

 

What you'll accomplish: A menu, menu group, or menu item appears (or stops appearing) on your Toast Online Ordering site after you save and publish.

 

Note: This article covers the Toast Online Ordering channel only. To control where a menu shows across all channels (POS, Kiosk, Online Ordering, Online Ordering Partners, Toast Takeout app), see Manage Your Menu Visibility Settings. To control when a menu appears (days and times), see Set Menu Availability.

 

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Quick Answer

To show or hide a menu, group, or item on Toast Online Ordering:

  1. In Toast Web, navigate to Menus > Bulk management > Advanced properties.
  2. Open the Show/Hide drop-down and select Visible To.
  3. Find the row for the menu, group, or item you want to update.
  4. In the Visible To drop-down for that row, select or clear Online orders: Toast and Online orders: Partners.
    • To show on Toast Online Ordering: select the checkboxes.
    • To hide from Toast Online Ordering: clear the checkboxes.
  5. Select Save, then Publish now.

 

Expected outcome: The menu, group, or item appears on (or is hidden from) your Toast Online Ordering site within a few minutes. Online ordering partners may take longer to reflect the change.

 

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Hide or Show on Toast Online Ordering Using Advanced Properties

Advanced properties lets you set Toast Online Ordering visibility for many menus, groups, or items at once. This is the fastest method when you need to update several items, and the method described in this article.

 

  1. In Toast Web, navigate to Menus > Bulk management > Advanced properties.
  2. Open the Show/Hide drop-down menu in the upper-right of the page, and select Visible To. A Visible To column appears in the table.
  3. Use the arrows next to your menu names to expand your menus until you see the menu, menu group, or items you want to update.
  4. Open the Visible To drop-down next to the row you want to update.
    • To show on Toast Online Ordering: select Online orders: Toast for your Toast Online Ordering site. Select Online orders: Partners if you also want the item to appear with integrated third-party partners.
    • To hide from Toast Online Ordering: clear the Online orders: Toast and Online orders: Partners checkboxes.
  5. Select Save, then Publish now to finalize your changes.

 

Expected outcome: The menu, group, or item appears on (or is hidden from) your Toast Online Ordering site within a few minutes. Online ordering partners may take longer to reflect the change.

 

Note: If the Visible To column is not in the Advanced properties table, add it from the Show/Hide drop-down at the top-right of the page. 

 

Important: Visibility follows menu hierarchy. If a parent menu or menu group is hidden from Toast Online Ordering, every group, item, and modifier below it is also hidden from Toast Online Ordering — even if you select Online orders: Toast on the child item. If a child is hidden but the parent is set to show, the parent's visibility does not override the child — you must select Online orders: Toast on the child as well.

 

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Hide or Show a Whole Menu

To hide or show an entire menu (for example, a catering menu, a breakfast menu, or a holiday menu) from Toast Online Ordering:

 

  1. In Toast Web, navigate to Menus > Bulk management > Advanced properties.
  2. Open the Show/Hide drop-down and select Visible To.
  3. Find the row for the menu name (the top-level row, not a group inside the menu).
  4. Open the Visible To drop-down for that menu.
    • To hide the entire menu from Toast Online Ordering: clear Online orders: Toast and Online orders: Partners.
    • To show the entire menu on Toast Online Ordering: select Online orders: Toast. Select Online orders: Partners if you also want it to appear with integrated third-party partners.
  5. Select Save, then Publish now.

 

Expected outcome: The entire menu, including all groups and items inside it, appears on (or is hidden from) your Toast Online Ordering site within a few minutes.

 

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Hide or Show a Menu Group

A menu group is a section inside a menu (for example, "Appetizers" or "Sides"). To hide or show a single group while keeping the rest of the menu visible:

 

  1. In Toast Web, navigate to Menus > Bulk management > Advanced properties.
  2. Open the Show/Hide drop-down and select Visible To.
  3. Use the arrows next to your menu names to expand the menu that contains the group.
  4. Find the row for the menu group.
  5. Open the Visible To drop-down for that group.
    • To hide the group from Toast Online Ordering: clear Online orders: Toast and Online orders: Partners.
    • To show the group on Toast Online Ordering: select Online orders: Toast. Select Online orders: Partners if you also want it to appear with integrated third-party partners.
  6. Select Save, then Publish now.

 

Expected outcome: The menu group, and every item inside it, appears on (or is hidden from) Toast Online Ordering within a few minutes.

 

Note: If the parent menu is hidden from Toast Online Ordering, the group will remain hidden even if you select Online orders: Toast on the group itself. Confirm the parent menu's Online orders: Toast checkbox is selected.

 

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Hide or Show a Single Menu Item

To hide or show one specific menu item (for example, one drink, one entrée, or one dessert) on Toast Online Ordering while leaving the rest of the menu unchanged:

 

  1. In Toast Web, navigate to Menus > Bulk management > Advanced properties.
  2. Open the Show/Hide drop-down and select Visible To.
  3. Use the arrows next to your menu names to expand the menu and group that contain the item.
  4. Find the row for the menu item.
  5. Open the Visible To drop-down for that item.
    • To hide the item from Toast Online Ordering: clear Online orders: Toast and Online orders: Partners.
    • To show the item on Toast Online Ordering: select Online orders: Toast. Select Online orders: Partners if you also want it to appear with integrated third-party partners.
  6. Select Save, then Publish now.

 

Expected outcome: The menu item appears on (or is hidden from) your Toast Online Ordering site within a few minutes.

 

Note: If the item is hidden but you have it selected to show, confirm that the item has been added to a menu or menu group. An item that has not been added to a menu or group will not appear on Toast Online Ordering even if Online orders: Toast is selected. To add an existing item to a group, navigate to the group, select the drop-down next to + Add, select Add Existing Items, search for the item, select it, and select Done. Save and publish all changes.

 

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If You Hide Something and It Still Appears Online

If you cleared Online orders: Toast on a menu, group, or item and it is still showing on your Toast Online Ordering site, work through these checks in order.

 

  1. Confirm you selected Publish now. Visibility changes do not take effect until they are published. In Toast Web, look at the publishing status at the top of the page. If unpublished changes are listed, select Publish now.
  2. Confirm the parent menu and group also have the channel cleared. Visibility follows menu hierarchy in one direction — a hidden parent hides its children. But if the parent is still visible to Online orders: Toast, clearing the child's checkbox alone does not always hide every variant the system has generated. Open the parent menu or group and confirm Online orders: Toast and Online orders: Partners are also cleared if you want the whole branch hidden. 
  3. Wait a few minutes for online ordering partners to sync. Online ordering partners (DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats, and others) may take longer than your Toast Online Ordering site to reflect a visibility change. If the item is hidden on your Toast Online Ordering site but still appears on a partner site, allow additional time and check again.
  4. If the item is still visible after publishing, syncing, and confirming parent visibility, see Get Help With Disappearing Menus or Menu Items for the full troubleshooting workflow (including resync and cache steps).

 

Expected outcome: Once visibility is cleared and changes are published, the menu, group, or item disappears from your Toast Online Ordering site within a few minutes.

 

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If You Show Something and It Still Does Not Appear Online

If you selected Online orders: Toast on a menu, group, or item and it is still not showing on your Toast Online Ordering site:

 

  1. Confirm you selected Publish now. In Toast Web, look at the publishing status at the top of the page and publish any unpublished changes.
  2. Confirm every parent menu and group also has Online orders: Toast selected. If a parent menu or group is hidden from Toast Online Ordering, every item below it is also hidden — even if Online orders: Toast is selected on the child item. Open the parent menu and parent group and confirm Online orders: Toast is selected on both.
  3. Confirm the item has been added to a menu or group. A menu item that exists in your catalog but has not been added to a menu or group will not appear on Toast Online Ordering, regardless of its visibility setting.
  4. Confirm the menu's availability schedule. Channel visibility controls where a menu appears. Menu availability controls when it appears. If a menu has availability set for specific days or times, it will not appear outside that window. See Set Menu Availability to review and adjust availability settings.
  5. If the item is still missing, see Get Help With Disappearing Menus or Menu Items for the full troubleshooting workflow.

 

Expected outcome: Once Online orders: Toast is selected on the item and on every parent in its hierarchy, and changes are published, the menu, group, or item appears on your Toast Online Ordering site within a few minutes.

 

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Related Tasks That Are Not Covered Here

This article covers Toast Online Ordering visibility only. If you have one of these related goals, use the article noted instead:

 

 

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Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Hide a Menu From Online Ordering?

Also asked as:

    • How do I hide a menu from online ordering or DoorDash?
    • How do I hide a catering menu from our online website?
    • How can I turn off a whole menu category to pause visibility?

To hide a menu from online ordering, in Toast Web, navigate to Menus > Bulk management > Advanced properties. Open the Show/Hide drop-down and select Visible To. Find the row for the menu, open its Visible To drop-down, and clear Online orders: Toast and Online orders: Partners. Select Save, then Publish now. The menu and everything inside it will disappear from your Toast Online Ordering site within a few minutes. See Hide or Show a Whole Menu above for the full step-by-step.

 

How Do I Hide a Single Menu Item From Online Ordering?

Also asked as:

    • How do I hide an item from online?
    • Can I hide menu items?
    • How do I hide some items from online ordering?

To hide one item from online ordering, in Toast Web, navigate to Menus > Bulk management > Advanced properties, open the Show/Hide drop-down, and select Visible To. Expand the menu and group to find the item. In the item's Visible To drop-down, clear Online orders: Toast and Online orders: Partners. Save and publish. The item stays in your menu catalog but disappears from your Toast Online Ordering site. See Hide or Show a Single Menu Item above for the full step-by-step.

 

Can I Hide a Menu Item Without Deleting It?

Also asked as:

    • Can you hide a menu item and not delete the item entirely?
    • Does removing a menu group from a menu delete it or only hide it?

Yes. Changing channel visibility hides the item from the selected channels but does not delete the item from your menu catalog. The item remains in your catalog and can be made visible again at any time by re-selecting its channels and publishing. Deleting an item is a separate action and removes it from your catalog entirely.

 

I Have a Menu Item That Is Not Visible On My Online Site. How Do I Fix It?

Also asked as:

    • My shrimp kabob platter is not visible on the online ordering.
    • I cannot find the word visibility anywhere.
    • The visibility is on for online ordering but nothing is showing on the website.

If a single item is not appearing on your Toast Online Ordering site, work through the checklist in If You Show Something and It Still Does Not Appear Online above. The most common causes are an unpublished change, a hidden parent menu or group, an item that has not been added to a menu or group, or a menu availability schedule that excludes the current time.

 

I Turned Visibility Off But The Item Is Still Showing Online. How Do I Fix It?

Also asked as:

    • I have my menu visibility off, but it is still visible and allowing orders.
    • I removed a menu item but it is still showing on our online ordering.
    • Assorted individual sodas and Antipasto Skewers still showing.

If a menu, group, or item is still showing on Toast Online Ordering after you cleared the channel boxes, work through the checklist in If You Hide Something and It Still Appears Online above. The most common causes are unpublished changes, a parent menu or group that is still visible to Online orders: Toast, or a partner sync delay. If the issue persists, see Get Help With Disappearing Menus or Menu Items.

 

Why Are My Visibility Settings Not Being Inherited?

Also asked as:

    • I turned visibility for online ordering off for an entire parent menu group but the sub groups are not following suit.
    • If I turn off visibility for a menu, do I need to turn it off for each menu group in that menu?

Visibility follows menu hierarchy from parent down to child: a hidden parent hides every group, item, and modifier below it on that channel. The reverse is not true — showing the parent does not force-show a hidden child. If you hide a parent and a child still appears (or vice versa), confirm the change was published, confirm the parent's Online orders: Toast checkbox is correctly set, and allow a few minutes for the change to sync. For deeper troubleshooting of inheritance behavior, see Manage Your Menu Visibility Settings. 

 

How Do I Hide an Item From My POS, Not Just Online Ordering?

Also asked as:

    • How do I hide items on the menu so it does not show up on the POS or online ordering?
    • How can I make things visible online and not on the POS?

This article covers Online Ordering visibility only. To control where a menu, group, or item appears across all channels — POS, Kiosk, Toast Online Ordering, and Online Ordering Partners — see Manage Your Menu Visibility Settings. The same Visible To drop-down in Advanced Properties lets you clear or select In-store orders: POS and In-store orders: Kiosk, Order & Pay, and Menu & Pay alongside the online ordering channels.

 

What Is the Difference Between Hiding an Item and Marking It Out of Stock?

Also asked as:

    • Is it better to archive menu items or adjust channel visibility if I want to take an item temporarily off the menu?
    • Hide out of stock items online.

Hiding an item with channel visibility removes it from the channel entirely — guests do not see it. Marking an item as out of stock (also called 86'ing) keeps the item visible but shows it as unavailable to order. Use channel visibility when you want the item to disappear; use the 86 / out-of-stock workflow when you want guests to see the item but know it is temporarily unavailable. See 86 an Item on the POS or Toast Web for the out-of-stock workflow.

 

Why Is the Visible To Column Missing in Advanced Properties?

Also asked as:

    • I cannot find here the word visibility anywhere.

The Visible To column is not on by default in every Advanced properties view. In the upper-right corner of the Advanced properties page, open the Show/Hide drop-down and select Visible To. The column appears in the table, and you can edit channel visibility from there.

 

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