Knowledge Base — Meni Product Guide

A complete guide to all platform features. Use in-page search (Ctrl+F) to quickly find an answer.

📌 Table of Contents#

Account and registration
Locations and venues
Menu: categories and items
Photos and AI
Multilingual support and translations
QR code and NFC
Orders and KDS
Payments and tips
Allergens and nutrients
Analytics and reports
Loyalty and CRM
Integrations
Multi-location and chains
Printed menu
Security and GDPR
Troubleshooting
Floor plan and table management
Stop list
Table reservations
Room service for hotels
Bill splitting
Menu scheduling
Multi-currency
Inventory and stock management
Offline mode
AI capabilities
Custom domain and SEO
POS
Staff and shifts
Own delivery and couriers
Finance

1. Account and registration#

Go to admin.cenaly.ru and click "Sign up". Registration is available via email or a Google account.

I forgot my password#

On the login page, click "Forgot password?" — you'll receive a reset link by email.

How do I change my email?#

In the admin panel → Settings → the Access tab → the "Danger zone" block → Change email. You'll need to confirm the new address. On the Russian contour (cenaly.ru) changing the address is not supported yet — the block is not shown there.

Can I have multiple accounts?#

One email = one account. But one account can manage an unlimited number of venues.

2. Locations and venues#

What is a location?#

A location is a single venue (restaurant, café, bar, hotel). Each location has its own menu, QR code, settings, and analytics.

How do I create a location?#

Admin panel → + Add location → fill in the name and address, upload a logo.

How many locations can I create?#

Unlimited. Centralized management is available for chains and franchises.

How do I set business hours?#

In location settings → Business hours — set hours for each day of the week, including breaks and days off.

How do I delete a location?#

Location settings → Danger zone → Delete location. This action is irreversible.

How do I add a category?#

In Menu, click + Add category, enter a name. Auto-translation will run automatically.

Inside a category, click + Add item → fill in the name, description, price, upload a photo.

How do I change the order of categories/items?#

Drag & drop categories and items into the desired order.

What are combo sets?#

A combo is an item assembled from several menu dishes (e.g. a business lunch: soup + main + drink) with its own price. When a combo is sold, inventory automatically deducts the ingredients of every dish inside the set according to their recipes.

Can I create subcategories?#

Yes. For example: Drinks → Hot drinks, Cold drinks, Alcoholic.

How do I add variants (sizes)?#

In the item editor → Variants → add sizes with different prices (Small, Medium, Large).

How do I add add-ons?#

In the item editor → Add-ons → specify additional ingredients with prices.

How do I temporarily hide an item?#

Toggle the switch next to the item — it will become invisible to guests but remain in the system.

How do I bulk update prices?#

In Menu, use bulk editing — change prices for multiple items at once.

4. Photos and AI#

What photo formats are supported?#

JPEG, PNG, WebP. Recommended size: from 800×600px.

Are photos optimized automatically?#

Yes. The system automatically crops, improves brightness/contrast, and converts to an optimal format.

What if I don't have a dish photo?#

AI can generate an image based on the dish name and description. Click 🤖 Generate photo in the item editor.

How do I adjust cropping?#

Click the photo → use crop and pan tools to fine-tune how it's displayed.

5. Multilingual support and translations#

How many languages are supported?#

27 languages: English, Russian, Georgian, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Turkish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Malay, Filipino, Ukrainian, Hebrew, Persian, Swahili, Amharic, Nepali.

How does auto-translation work?#

Enter text in the primary language — AI automatically translates into all selected languages. You can edit any translation manually.

How do I switch the primary language?#

Settings → the Languages tab → choose the primary language and additional ones. This is the account-wide language pool, shared by all venues; an individual venue can narrow its menu languages in its own card.

How is the guest's language determined?#

By the phone browser language. If that language is enabled, the menu is shown in it. Otherwise, it's shown in the primary language. The guest can switch manually.

Is RTL supported (Arabic, Hebrew)?#

Yes. For right-to-left languages, the interface is mirrored automatically.

6. QR code and NFC#

How do I generate a QR code?#

In the admin panel → QR code section → customize the design → download.

Can I add a logo to the QR code?#

Yes. Upload a logo — it will be placed in the center of the QR code.

No. The QR code points to a permanent link — menu changes appear automatically.

What is NFC?#

NFC is a contactless technology. A guest taps their phone on an NFC stand and instantly sees the menu (without scanning a QR code).

Where should I place QR codes?#

On tables, at the entrance, at the counter, on business cards, on delivery packaging, on social media.

7. Orders and KDS#

What order types are supported?#

Dine-in (from the table), delivery, takeaway, WhatsApp, Telegram.

How do I set up table orders?#

Online-ordering conditions live on the venue, not in account settings: Locations → the venue card → the WEB tab (or the single My Website → Online ordering hub, /embed/order). That is where dine-in is enabled; then lay out the room in Floor plan and assign QR codes to tables in the QR codes section.

What is KDS?#

Kitchen Display System — a kitchen screen with the order queue. Works on any tablet or Smart TV via a browser. In the admin panel it's the Kitchen (KDS) section: item statuses, stations, all-day summary, recall and timers — see the KDS guide.

How is the POS screen different from Orders?#

Orders is the shared feed of all orders and their statuses. POS is the screen for punching in a new order as a waiter: menu tiles, table binding via QR, sending to the kitchen — see the POS guide.

How does a guest call a waiter?#

The "Call a waiter" button in the digital menu (with a reason: water, the bill, help with the menu) → a bell in the Orders section and the "Calls" tab of the Hall panel, with sound and an "Acknowledged" button.

Can the kitchen serve dishes in waves?#

Yes — turn on coursing in the KDS settings: lines are grouped into "HOLD · Course N" blocks and the waiter releases a course with the Fire button. See KDS.

Can tickets print to different printers per station?#

Yes: each KDS station gets its own printer (plus a backup) — Kitchen and front-of-house printing.

Can a guest order "for a time"?#

Yes, and with pre-order slots enabled they pick a slot from a grid (15/30/60 minutes) that respects capacity and lead time — see Orders.

8. Payments and tips#

What payment methods are supported?#

Pay on delivery and cash — always. Online payment by the guest goes through a provider the venue connects itself; eight providers are live: Stripe, Bank of Georgia (BOG), TBC Bank, PayPal, Square, Airwallex, iyzico and PayTabs. Apple Pay and Google Pay are not connected separately — they come with the acquiring, if the provider supports them. Local systems (Kaspi Pay, LiqPay, Yandex Pay and others) are in the catalogue but still marked "planned": the card is visible, connecting is not available yet.

How do I connect online payments (Stripe, for example)?#

Payments are connected per venue, not per account: Locations → the venue card → the "Payments" tab → pick a provider and enter your own keys. The same form is available from the My Website → Online ordering hub (/embed/order). There is no "Settings → Payments" section in the panel.

Can I accept tips online?#

Yes. Tips are configured in the venue card: that is where you enable them and set the options. There are three presets, and by default they depend on the country: US and Canada — 18/20/25%, Georgia, Australia and New Zealand — 5/10/15%, Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore — no tips at all, the rest of the world — 10/15/20%. Your own values can be set manually.

Are online payments secure?#

Meni does not store card data: the guest pays on the provider's own secure page, and the money goes straight to the venue's account — the platform never holds funds. The certification level (for example PCI DSS Level 1 at Stripe) is the one of the provider you connected.

9. Allergens and nutrients#

Is it mandatory to list allergens?#

In the EU — yes (14 allergens under Regulation 1169/2011). In other countries — it depends on local legislation.

How do I add allergens to an item?#

In the item editor → Allergens section → select the allergens present.

Yes. The digital menu includes a filter — the guest excludes allergens and sees only safe dishes.

10. Analytics and reports#

What reports are available?#

Sales, average check, ABC analysis, staff KPIs, profitability, P&L, item popularity.

Can I export data?#

Yes, to Excel (XLSX), CSV, and PDF.

How often is analytics updated?#

In real time. Data is available immediately after an order is completed.

11. Loyalty and CRM#

How does the loyalty program work?#

The guest earns points for each order (% of the amount), accumulates them, and redeems them on future orders.

Marketing → Promo codes → + Create → specify the code, discount, limit, validity period.

Can I send campaigns?#

Yes — email, push notifications, Telegram, SMS. Triggered campaigns (automatic based on events) are available.

12. Integrations#

Which POS systems is Meni compatible with?#

The honest answer: there are no direct integrations with iiko, r_keeper, 1C or MoySklad yet. Their cards in the extension store are "Coming soon" requests: you leave an application, there is no connection behind them. What actually works:

Poster POS — a one-off migration: the Migrate wizard imports a Poster export (menu, products, stock). That is a migration, not continuous sync.
Saby (SBIS) Documents — the only live connector in the Russian systems registry: exchange of documents and customers.
SumUp — not a POS system but a payment terminal, connected through the hardware bridge.
Square — connected as an online-payment provider (and separately as a Square Terminal reader).

If your system is not there, the REST API and file import/export remain.

Is there an API?#

Yes, a REST API for managing menus, orders, customers, and analytics.

Is there a Telegram integration?#

Yes. The menu works as a Telegram Mini App. More details: Telegram Mini App.

13. Multi-location and chains#

Can I manage multiple venues?#

Yes. Create multiple locations in one account with centralized management.

Can I have different prices in different locations?#

Yes. Each location can have its own prices, even in different currencies.

In the admin panel → Marketing → 🖨️ Print (or the print button in the "Menu" and "Locations" sections) → customize the design → "Save PDF". Next to it are the "Print" and "Share" buttons and a PNG export of the current page.

Yes. The builder has a category picker ("What to print"), a "price list" mode and a "Hide prices" option.

Can I use AI for the background?#

Yes. AI will generate a unique background from your description.

Open the flyer designer (the button on the dish card or Marketing → 🖨️ Print): 45 layouts — from a leaflet and a table tent to a sticker, a poster and cards for marketplaces and social media. The result can be printed, saved as PDF, downloaded as PNG or sent as a public link; small formats are printed several copies per A4 sheet.

More details: Printed menu — guide · Dish flyer designer

Where is data stored?#

In the cloud of your brand, encrypted. The platform has two contours: AWS (EU/US regions) for international domains and Yandex Cloud for Russian ones (cenaly.ru). Data never leaves the contour of its own jurisdiction; that is why some features are deliberately switched off in the Russian contour (changing the email, AI document filling).

Yes. We process personal data in accordance with GDPR. See details in the Privacy Policy.

How do I delete a customer's data?#

At the customer's request (GDPR right to erasure) — contact support or use the API.

16. Troubleshooting#

QR code won't scan#

Make sure the QR code is printed large enough (minimum 3×3 cm)
Check contrast (dark code on a light background)
Make sure the phone camera works

Check the internet connection
Try opening the menu link directly in the browser
Clear the browser cache

Photo won't upload#

Check the format (JPEG, PNG, WebP)
Maximum file size: 10 MB
Try reducing the resolution

Translation is incorrect#

Open the item → go to the required language → edit the translation manually

Order doesn't come through#

Check that orders are enabled in settings
Check that the floor plan is configured (for dine-in)
Check the internet connection on the staff device

17. Floor plan and table management#

How do I create a floor plan?#

Open the Floor Plan section in the admin panel
Create halls (main hall, terrace, VIP) and set their dimensions
Add elements from the palette: tables (round, square, long), walls, doors, bar, entrance; for hotels — rooms and beds
For each table set a label, seat count, shape and rotation

Full guide: Floor Plan.

How do I bind a QR code to a table?#

Select a table on the map and scan with the camera the QR code sitting on that table. Re-scanning at another table moves the binding. After binding, orders from that QR show on the right table.

Can I assign waiters to tables?#

Yes — the Waiters mode on the Floor Plan page: pick an employee and mark their tables. Orders from those tables are automatically bound to the waiter.

How does the table QR code work?#

Each table is assigned a QR code. The guest scans it — the system automatically detects the table number and links the order.

Where are the waitlist and the hall heat map?#

Not on this page but in the Hall panel, opened from the till. That is where you find the guest queue, invitations by phone call or Telegram, the "who to seat at the freed table" suggestion, the "Now" tab and today's per-table revenue heat map.

A table is empty in the heat map — does that mean zero revenue?#

No, it means "no data": no QR code is bound to that table, and orders are linked to a table precisely through it.

18. Stop list#

What is a stop list?#

Items temporarily unavailable to order (ingredients ran out).

How do I add an item to the stop list?#

Quick way: in the admin panel, toggle "Stop" next to the item
Automatically: when inventory reaches zero
The item is shown in the menu as "Temporarily unavailable" (or hidden)
Staff notification when an item is added to/removed from the stop list

19. Table reservations#

How do I enable reservations?#

The reservations toggle lives on the venue: Locations → the venue card → the WEB tab (the same switch is in the widget settings modal of the My Website hub). It enables both the "Book a table" button in our storefront and the booking widget. The booking widget for an external website is a paid extension ($9/month), configured in the My Website section (/embed).

What can a guest reserve?#

Date and time
Number of guests
Zone (terrace, VIP, etc.)
Special requests (high chair, birthday)

How do I manage reservations?#

Requests appear on the Floor Plan page in the admin panel
Confirm or decline a booking, assign it to a table
Create a booking manually (e.g. after a phone call)
Guests book right from the QR menu or the venue website and see their request status

More: Floor plan & reservations.

20. Room service for hotels#

How does it work?#

QR code in the room → the guest opens the menu
Chooses dishes → enters the room number
The order goes to the kitchen linked to the room
Cost → charged to the room bill or paid online

Setup#

Integration with the hotel PMS (optional)
Night menu (limited selection by hours)
Room-service markup (% or fixed amount)

21. Bill splitting#

What splitting options are available?#

Evenly: the amount is split by the number of guests
By items: each guest marks their dishes

Each part is closed with its own payment method; the order counts as paid once all parts are closed. Details — POS.

Can the guest split the bill themselves?#

No. A guest can pay the table's bill in full — the "Bill" button at a QR table (pay-at-table, see Orders). Splitting is done by a waiter at the till.

Why?#

Automatic menu switching by time of day:

Breakfast: 07:00 – 11:00
Lunch: 11:00 – 16:00
Dinner: 16:00 – 23:00
Night: 23:00 – 07:00

How do I set it up?#

Menu → Schedule
Create time slots
Assign categories or items to slots
Outside the schedule, items are hidden automatically

23. Multi-currency#

How does it work?#

The venue's primary currency is set in settings
The guest sees prices in their currency (determined by IP or selection)
Rates update automatically once a day from openexchangerates.org (base currency — USD)
Payment is processed in the venue currency; the guest sees the equivalent

Supported currencies#

GEL, USD, EUR, TRY, GBP, AMD, AZN, UAH, RUB, KZT and others (50+ currencies)

24. Inventory and stock management#

The Inventory section in the admin panel has three tabs: Stock, Documents, Suppliers. Full guide: Inventory.

Recipe cards#

For each dish, set the composition (ingredients + quantity) in the dish card
When an order is completed, ingredients are deducted automatically; combo sets unfold to the recipes of included dishes
AI suggestions help link products to the dishes that use them

Semi-finished products (preps)#

A product can have its own recipe (sauce, dough, broth)
The "Produce" button adds the prep to stock and deducts its components

Receipts and suppliers#

Receipt: manual entry or by invoice photo — AI recognizes line items, quantities and prices and matches them to your products
Suppliers: a counterparty database with requisites; every receipt is linked to a supplier
Purchases automatically feed Finance (food cost, gross profit)

Alerts#

A product is highlighted when it drops below the minimum stock level
Movement history lives in the Documents tab
A "+N % vs median" badge on a receiving line when a product came in dearer than usual — Loss control

Where did the difference between stocktakes go?#

The "Variance" tab splits consumption into three parts: sales from recipes, explained (write-offs, production, transfers) and unexplained. The third line is the loss — see Inventory.

Will the system tell me how much to prep and order?#

Yes, the "Forecast" tab: the weekday sales median → a prep plan with deadlines → a supplier order draft → a "runs out around 19:00" risk. No AI, just statistics — Demand forecast.

25. Offline mode#

Does Meni work without internet?#

Digital menu: cached as a PWA, works with weak internet
Admin panel: orders are saved locally and synced when restored
KDS: continues showing active orders

How do I enable it?#

Offline mode is enabled by default. The guest can "Add to Home Screen" and open the menu like an app.

26. AI capabilities#

Dish photo generation#

AI creates photorealistic images from descriptions
Ideal for new items without a photoshoot
Choose from multiple options
Manual prompt adjustment for precise results

Automatic descriptions#

AI generates appetizing descriptions based on the name and ingredients
In all selected languages at once

Smart translation#

Context-aware translation with culinary terminology
Preserves the tone and style of the description

Upload a photo of a paper menu → AI recognizes items
Automatic creation of categories and items
Review and correction of the result

27. Custom domain and SEO#

How do I connect my own domain?#

Locations → the location → the "Site" tab → the "Custom Domain" block → enter a subdomain (e.g. menu.yourdomain.com)
The system shows a Host and a Value — add a CNAME record with these values at your DNS provider
SSL certificate is issued automatically
Activation within 5–15 minutes

For the full step-by-step guide, DNS-provider examples and troubleshooting, see Custom Domain.

SEO optimization#

Meni automatically generates:

Meta tags, Open Graph, Schema.org (Restaurant, Menu)
Sitemap.xml and robots.txt
Structured data for Google Rich Results

28. POS#

What is it?#

The POS screen in the admin panel is the waiter's workstation: order entry from menu tiles, table binding via QR code, sending to the kitchen. Guide: POS.

Who can use the POS?#

The owner, managers and waiters. An order created by a waiter is automatically bound to them.

Do I need hardware?#

No — the POS runs in a browser on a tablet, phone or computer. Printers, cash drawer, scanner, scales, card terminal and camera connect through Cenaly Hardware Bridge.

What else can the till do besides taking orders?#

Pre-checks, splitting the bill, corporate-account payment, the loyalty panel, an upsell prompter ("suggest with this"), weight-priced items with bridge scales, and the Hall panel behind the 🗺 button — see POS.

Can a gift card be accepted at the till?#

No. A card is redeemed at online checkout or used as store credit on a refund — see Loyalty program.

Who sees that a cashier is issuing a lot of voids and discounts?#

Such operations are logged against the cashier, and rules raise an alert to the owner — Loss control.

29. Staff and shifts#

How do I give an employee admin access?#

The Staff section → "Add employee": email (login), name, role, password. Guide: Staff & shifts.

What roles exist?#

There are five tiers: Manager (menu, orders, POS, inventory, locations, devices), Waiter (orders and POS), Cook (orders and KDS), Courier (delivery screen) and Specialist (the appointment book — for salons and services). The owner keeps full access.

On top of the tiers there is a job-title constructor: 21 ready-made presets (cashier, sales assistant, host, bartender, accountant, purchaser, stock keeper, HR, receptionist and more), each editable, plus three access levels per section — 👁 view, ✏️ edit data, ⚙️ configure the section. More details: Staff & shifts.

How do shifts work?#

On the staff page: the manager plans shifts (plan), the employee clocks in/out (fact, time recorded server-side). The plan-vs-fact summary shows late arrivals and overtime; hours feed into Finance.

30. Own delivery and couriers#

How do I run delivery with my own staff?#

Create employees with the Courier role — they get the Courier screen: an order queue (preparing → ready for pickup → out for delivery → delivered), a map with the route to the customer, "Take order" and "Delivered" buttons. Guide: Own delivery.

What statuses does a delivery order go through?#

New → Preparing → Ready for pickup → Out for delivery → Delivered. The guest sees the status in real time.

How does the courier take payment?#

The order card shows: cash on delivery (with the amount), card on delivery, or "paid online".

31. Finance#

What does the Finance section show?#

Management dashboards: revenue, average check, cancellations, sales channels (dine-in/delivery/pickup/Wolt/Glovo), payment methods, purchases and food cost, gross profit, staff worked hours. Periods of 7/30/90 days and 12 months with previous-period comparison. Guide: Finance.

Where does the data come from?#

Automatically from orders, inventory documents and staff shifts — no exports needed.

How do I account for aggregator commission?#

Set the percentage and per-order fee in the "Channel commissions" card in the location's integrations — the "Sales" tab gains a "gross → net by channel" table, and in Menu engineering a dish's margin is recomputed per channel. See Finance.

Where can I see how much we lost to channel downtime?#

The "Delivery channels" tab: online / paused / offline status, downtime hours, estimated lost revenue and cancellations by reason.

Which dish should I reprice, and which should I drop?#

The "Menu engineering" tab in menu statistics: the Kasavana & Smith matrix with a ready recommendation per dish — Menu engineering.

Support contacts#

Email: support@cenaly.ru
Telegram: @meni_support
Response time: up to 24 hours (usually 1–2 hours during business hours)

📖 Product Reference