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Menu management · 8 min read

AI menu builder and writing tools

Build your menu from a photo or PDF in minutes, recognise dishes from plain food photos, and polish your menu with AI descriptions, grammar fixes, and English–Arabic translation.

Who this is for

Owners and managers entering or maintaining menu content.

Before you start

  • A menu document (photo, scan, or PDF) or photos of your dishes

What the AI tools do

  • Menu import: extract a full menu — categories, items, descriptions, prices — from menu photos, scans, or PDFs.
  • Dish recognition: upload plain photos of plated dishes and the AI identifies each dish and creates an entry for it.
  • AI-written descriptions: generate a short, appetising description for any item.
  • Grammar fix: clean up spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation in your menu text without changing its meaning.
  • Translation: translate item names and descriptions between English and Arabic in one click.

Import a menu from a photo or PDF

  1. 1

    Open Menu in the admin sidebar and click the AI import button.

  2. 2

    Upload up to 8 files — JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, or PDF, each up to 10 MB. Phone photos of a printed menu work fine; clearer photos give better results.

  3. 3

    Wait while the AI reads the pages, finds categories, and checks prices. This usually takes under a minute.

  4. 4

    Review the extracted menu. Every category and item is shown before anything is saved — fix names, prices, or remove items you do not want.

  5. 5

    Confirm the import. Items are created in your menu, ready for images and modifiers.

How it handles your existing categories

The importer knows the categories you already have. When an extracted item naturally belongs in one of them — matched by name, ignoring capitalisation — it is added to that existing category instead of creating a duplicate. A new category is only created when none of your existing ones fits.

The review screen marks each category as existing or new before you confirm, so you always know what the import will change.

What the AI will and will not do

  • It transcribes printed names and descriptions exactly as written, in their original language — it does not translate during import.
  • When the menu prints no description for an item, it writes a short one-sentence description in the same language as the item name, and flags it as AI-written so you know to review it.
  • It does not invent items that are not visible in the upload.
  • If the files contain no menu and no food at all, it tells you instead of guessing.

Descriptions, grammar, and translation in the item editor

The same AI assists with individual items. In the item editor you can generate a description from the item name, run a grammar fix over text you wrote yourself, or translate a name or description between English and Arabic. Each suggestion is shown for you to accept or edit — nothing is saved without your confirmation.

Usage allowance

AI features run under a generous monthly usage allowance per restaurant, which resets each month. Normal use — importing a menu, writing descriptions, translating your catalogue — fits comfortably within it. If you hit the allowance, the tools pause until the next month; your menu itself is never affected.

Frequently asked

  • Will importing overwrite my existing menu?
    No. The import only adds items. Items that match an existing category are added into it; everything else lands in new categories. Your existing items are never modified or deleted.
  • Can it read a handwritten or low-quality menu photo?
    Often, yes — but accuracy drops with blur and glare. If the result misses items, retake the photo flat-on in good light, or upload one page at a time.
  • Does it work with Arabic menus?
    Yes. Items are transcribed in their original language, Arabic included. You can then use the translation tool to fill in the English side, or vice versa.
  • Are AI-written descriptions published automatically?
    They are included in the import review marked as AI-written, and in the item editor they appear as suggestions. You always see and can edit the text before it goes live.

Still need help?

If a guide does not answer your question, our support team can walk through your account directly. We usually respond within one business day.