Loading article content...
Settings & Configuration
Managing Tags
Creating tags, setting colors, and organizing content
6 min read
Creating tags, setting colors, and organizing content
Tags are labels that help you organize and categorize items in MenuM8. This guide explains how to create, manage, and use tags effectively across inputs, products, and costings.
Tags are flexible labels you create:
Why Use Tags:
Example Tags:
Input Tags:
- Dairy, Meat, Vegetables, Spices
- Organic, Local, Imported
- Refrigerated, Frozen, Dry Storage
- High-Use, Occasional, Seasonal
Product Tags:
- Appetizers, Entrees, Desserts, Beverages
- Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-Free
- Italian, Mexican, Asian, American
- Summer Menu, Winter Menu, Year-Round
- Signature, Popular, New
Costing Tags:
- Restaurant Menu, Catering, Events
- Wedding, Corporate, Private
- Active, Archived, Template
Flexible Organization: Tags let you organize MenuM8 exactly how you work. Create any categories that make sense for your business—no predefined structure required.
When Creating Item:
Example:
Editing: Chicken Breast (input)
Tags field: Type "High-Use"
Press Enter
"High-Use" tag created and assigned
Continue typing: "Refrigerated"
Press Enter
Both tags now assigned to Chicken Breast
Creating Tags:
Tag Naming:
Good Tag Names:
✅ Vegetarian
✅ High-Use
✅ Summer Menu
✅ Italian Cuisine
✅ Refrigerated Storage
Poor Tag Names:
❌ veg (unclear)
❌ VEGETARIAN vs vegetarian (inconsistent)
❌ Items-We-Use-A-Lot (too long)
❌ Misc (not meaningful)
❌ Temp-Storage-Location-Walk-In-Fridge (too specific/long)
Common Input Tag Types:
Category:
Dietary:
Storage:
Usage:
Source:
Example Input with Tags:
Input: Organic Heirloom Tomatoes
Tags: Produce, Organic, Local, Seasonal, Refrigerated, High-Use
Helps find:
- All organic items
- All local items
- Seasonal produce to rotate
- High-use items to stock well
- What needs refrigeration
Common Product Tag Types:
Menu Section:
Dietary:
Cuisine:
Seasonality:
Status:
Example Product with Tags:
Product: Margherita Pizza
Tags: Entrees, Italian, Vegetarian, Year-Round, Signature Dish, Popular
Helps:
- Build Italian section of menu
- Filter vegetarian options
- Identify signature items
- Plan year-round offerings
- Track popular dishes
Common Costing Tag Types:
Purpose:
Client Type:
Status:
Season/Time:
Example Costing with Tags:
Costing: Smith Wedding - June 15
Tags: Wedding, Catering, Active, Summer 2024, Completed
Helps:
- Find all wedding costings
- Filter summer events
- Show active vs archived
- Analyze wedding pricing
Process:
Example:
Input: Chicken Breast
Add tags: Meat, Refrigerated, High-Use, Protein
Save
Now Chicken Breast appears when filtering by:
- Meat
- Refrigerated items
- High-use ingredients
- Protein sources
Process:
Example:
Product: Caesar Salad
Add tags: Appetizers, Salads, Vegetarian, Year-Round, Popular
Save
Caesar Salad now shows in:
- Appetizer lists
- Vegetarian options
- Year-round menu planning
- Popular item analysis
Process:
Example:
Costing: Restaurant Menu - Spring 2024
Tags: Restaurant Menu, Active, Spring 2024, Current
Costing: Wedding Quote - Johnson
Tags: Wedding, Catering, Quote, June 2024, Pending Approval
In Lists (if available):
Example Workflow:
Task: Find all vegetarian appetizers
1. Go to Products list
2. Filter by tag: "Vegetarian"
3. Filter by tag: "Appetizers"
4. Results: Only vegetarian appetizers shown
- Caesar Salad
- Bruschetta
- Caprese Skewers
- Veggie Spring Rolls
- Hummus Platter
AND Logic (items must have ALL tags):
Filter: Vegetarian + Italian + Entrees
Results: Vegetarian Italian entrees
- Eggplant Parmesan
- Pasta Primavera
- Margherita Pizza
OR Logic (items have ANY tag):
Filter: Mexican OR Italian OR Asian
Results: All items from these cuisines
Implementation varies by MenuM8 version.
Tag-Based Search:
Update Tag Name (if feature available):
Example:
Old tag: "Veg"
Rename to: "Vegetarian"
All items tagged "Veg" now show "Vegetarian"
Without Bulk Rename:
Scenario: Duplicate or similar tags
Example:
Found duplicate tags:
- "Vegetarian" (20 items)
- "vegetarian" (8 items)
- "Veg" (5 items)
Solution:
1. Standardize on "Vegetarian"
2. Edit items with "vegetarian" → change to "Vegetarian"
3. Edit items with "Veg" → change to "Vegetarian"
4. Delete unused tags "vegetarian" and "Veg"
Delete Tag:
Example:
Tag: "Fall 2023 Menu" (seasonal)
Items using it: 12 products
End of season:
1. Edit all 12 products
2. Remove "Fall 2023 Menu" tag
3. Add "Archived" tag if needed
4. Delete "Fall 2023 Menu" tag from system
Regular Maintenance:
Tag Cleanup Checklist:
✅ Remove tags for old menus/seasons
✅ Merge duplicate tags (Veg → Vegetarian)
✅ Fix capitalization inconsistencies
✅ Delete single-use tags that aren't needed
✅ Consolidate overlapping categories
Use Prefixes for Grouping:
Category - Appetizers
Category - Entrees
Category - Desserts
Dietary - Vegetarian
Dietary - Vegan
Dietary - Gluten-Free
Storage - Refrigerated
Storage - Frozen
Storage - Dry
Season - Spring
Season - Summer
Season - Fall
Season - Winter
Benefit: Tags group together alphabetically, easier to find related tags.
Document Your System:
Input Tagging Standards:
- Category: Food group (Produce, Meat, Dairy, etc.)
- Storage: Where stored (Refrigerated, Frozen, Dry)
- Usage: How often used (High-Use, Low-Use, Seasonal)
- Source: Where from (Local, Imported, Organic)
Product Tagging Standards:
- Menu Section: Where on menu (Appetizers, Entrees, etc.)
- Dietary: Diet types (Vegetarian, Vegan, GF, etc.)
- Cuisine: Cuisine type (Italian, Mexican, Asian, etc.)
- Status: Menu status (Signature, New, Popular, Testing)
Team Training:
Too Many Tags:
❌ Chicken Breast tagged with:
Meat, Poultry, Chicken, Protein, High-Use, Refrigerated,
White Meat, Boneless, Skinless, Fresh, Daily-Delivery,
Premium, Main-Ingredient, Popular, Versatile
That's 15 tags! Too many, hard to manage.
Right Amount of Tags:
✅ Chicken Breast tagged with:
Meat, Refrigerated, High-Use, Protein
That's 4 tags. Sufficient, manageable, useful.
Guideline: 3-6 tags per item is typically sufficient.
Goal: Rotate menu seasonally
Tag System:
Products tagged:
- "Spring Menu" → Asparagus Risotto, Strawberry Salad, etc.
- "Summer Menu" → Grilled items, Fresh salads, Cold soups
- "Fall Menu" → Pumpkin dishes, Heartier items
- "Winter Menu" → Comfort foods, Warm soups, Stews
- "Year-Round" → Classics available always
Workflow:
Goal: Quick dietary options for customers
Tag System:
Products tagged with dietary tags:
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten-Free
- Dairy-Free
- Nut-Free
Workflow:
Customer: "I need gluten-free options"
1. Filter products by "Gluten-Free" tag
2. Results: All safe options
3. Build specialized menu or recommend items
4. Fast, confident service
Goal: Manage storage and purchasing
Tag System:
Inputs tagged:
- "High-Use" → Stock well, reorder frequently
- "Low-Use" → Order as needed, don't overstock
- "Seasonal" → Available certain times only
- "Refrigerated" → Storage requirements
- "Frozen" → Freezer items
Workflow:
Weekly Ordering:
1. Filter inputs by "High-Use"
2. Check stock levels
3. Reorder high-use items
4. Separate by storage tags for organization
Goal: Understand menu composition
Example:
Question: How many vegetarian entrees do we have?
1. Filter products: "Vegetarian" + "Entrees"
2. Result: 8 vegetarian entrees
3. Analysis: Good variety, meets demand
Question: What are our signature dishes?
1. Filter products: "Signature Dish"
2. Result: 6 items
3. Review: Promote these items, ensure quality
Smart Filtering:
Filter: Italian + Vegetarian + Appetizers
Result: Italian vegetarian appetizers
- Bruschetta
- Caprese Salad
- Arancini (if vegetarian version)
Use to build themed menus or sections.
Analysis (if available):
Report: Products by Tag
Shows:
- Vegetarian: 42 products (28%)
- Vegan: 18 products (12%)
- Gluten-Free: 35 products (23%)
Insight: Good variety for dietary needs.
Concept:
Tag products by profitability:
- High-Margin
- Medium-Margin
- Low-Margin
Analysis:
Filter "Low-Margin" → Review pricing, consider removal or price increase
Filter "High-Margin" → Promote, highlight, upsell
Problem: "Vegetarian" and "vegetarian" both exist
Solution:
Prevention: Document capitalization standards, train staff
Problem: Tag exists but not showing in dropdown
Cause: Typo, or tag not yet used
Solution:
Problem: Tag list is overwhelming
Solution:
Example Cleanup:
Before: 85 tags (many unused, duplicates, unclear)
After: 32 tags (clear, consistent, all in use)
Result: Much easier to manage and use
Start Small:
Common Starter Tags:
Inputs: Produce, Meat, Dairy, Dry Goods, Refrigerated, High-Use
Products: Appetizers, Entrees, Desserts, Vegetarian, Vegan, Popular
Costings: Restaurant, Catering, Active, Archived
Create Tag Guide:
MenuM8 Tagging Standards
Input Tags:
- Category: Food group (required)
- Storage: Storage type (required)
- Usage: Frequency (optional)
Product Tags:
- Menu Section: Where on menu (required)
- Dietary: Diet compliance (if applicable)
- Cuisine: Cuisine type (optional)
- Status: Current status (required)
Naming: Use Title Case, no abbreviations, singular form
Share with Team: Ensure everyone tags consistently.
Quarterly Tag Review:
Typically unlimited, but keep it manageable. Too many tags becomes hard to use. Aim for 20-50 tags total.
Yes! Assign as many tags as relevant. Typical: 3-6 tags per item.
Depends on version. Some allow bulk rename in Settings. Otherwise, edit each item individually.
Tag is removed from all items. Items remain, just without that tag. Cannot be undone.
Depends on version. Some support CSV import of items with tags. Check documentation.
Depends on implementation. Some systems share tags, others separate by item type. Check your version.
Contact Support:
Check Documentation:
Organize Your Way: Tags give you complete flexibility to organize MenuM8 to match your workflow. Start simple, stay consistent, and keep it clean!