Menu Item Modifiers & Nested Modifiers

Overview

Modifiers allow eaters to make their order even more customizable while ordering from your menu— they provide diners with a wide range of options and combinations. 

Modifier Group VS Nested Modifier

Modifier groups and nested modifiers are created by adding existing menu items to form a common group. The purpose of the group is to add additional options to another menu item for the eater to choose from to customize their order.

Nested modifiers can be used to create a hierarchical structure of different choices for one menu item. 

Modifier + Nested Modifier Example

For your menu item Cheeseburger, you want to display the option for Add Ons (contains Fries) for eaters to add their Cheeseburger order— Add Ons is the modifier group. 

When an eater selects Add Ons > Fries, they will need to select from Fry Type (contains sweet potato fries or cheese fries)— the Fry Type is the nested modifier.

Viewing Modifiers in the Menus App

Use the Modifier Group & Item page to view, edit, and create new modifiers. This page can also be used as an easy way to view all your modifier items at once to organize them efficiently.

Where does my modifier appear?
Items in both a category and a modifier group appear on both tabs. Items that are only in modifier groups (no category) appear only on Modifier items. Items with no category and no modifier group appear only on Menu items. Variant line items are excluded from both (edited on the parent item).

Creating a New Modifier Group

Be sure all menu items are created as a single menu item before creating the modifier and nested modifier groups.

Creating a New Modifier Group

The first level of choices that can be added to a main menu item is a modifier group. A Modifier Group must be created before creating a correlating Nested Modifier group.

 

Step	Process	Image
1	From the Otter Dashboard, click Apps > Menus.
2	Select the menu you’d like to edit.  Go to the Modifier Groups tab and click [+ Add modifier group].
3	Section 1: Modifier Group Details On the item details page, fill in the modifier group information in the according fields. Add the Name Add a Description Select Required or Optional Under Set Modifier Limit Type, select the number of times that a modifier can be selected on an item
4	Section 2: Modifier Group Selections Choose one of eight Modifier group type cards: Size Add-on Removal Preference Condiments Packaging Upsell Custom
5	Set Total selections (Minimum / Maximum). Example: “Customers must select at least 1, up to 3 options."
6	Add Modifier Items: Option 1: Type a new name directly to create a new modifier inline. Option 2: Use Search to add to pick an existing catalog SKU
7	Select Assigned locations to edit the item for.
8	Click [Save] to save edits.
9	Click [Publish] to publish menu updates. Select all locations and delivery channels you'd like to apply changes, then click [Publish menu].

Creating a New Modifier Item

Once you have created a modifier group for your modifier items to be grouped in, you will need to create modifier items to go into the modifier group. Think of a modifier item as the options to pick from when you open the modifier group. Modifier items can also be created, edited, re-ordered, and marked unavailable in the Otter Dashboard Menu Management tool.

• Step	Process	Image
  1	Log into the Otter Dashboard using manager.tryotter.com. Click on the top left Apps dropdown. Click into the Menus app.
  2	Select on the menu for the correct brand/location.
  3	Below the menu name, click on the Modifier Items tab to load all the menu items.
  4	Select the + Add Modifier Item button at the top right.
  5	On the item details page, fill in the item information in the according fields. Enter the Modifier Item Name.
  6	Enter the Pricing Information: Enter a Default Price. Set up Advanced Pricing if applicable.
  7	Scroll down to the Add to Modifier Groups section. Go to the Select Modifier Groups dropdown list. Select the Modifier Group to add the Modifier Item into.
  8	Scroll down to the Assigned Locations section. Check for the assigned location to make sure the menu item is being created on the correct restaurant location. To edit the locations assigned to the menu item, select the Edit Details button.
  9	Scroll down to the Offered On section Check for each channel the menu item will be offered on. To edit or remove the channels the menu item will be offered on, toggle the channels off or on as needed.
  10	Once all of the required fields have been completed, select Save button in the upper-right hand corner.
  11	You can review or edit the newly saved modifier by going back to the Modifier Items tab and hovering over the Appears In column to see which Modifier Group that Modifier Item belongs to.
  12	Click the Publish button in the upper-right hand corner. Select all locations you wish to publish your menu to. Select Publish Menu.

Creating a Nested Modifier Item

A nested modifier is a modifier that exists inside of a modifier group. Nested modifiers enable restaurants to have many options for customers to chose from when going through the order flow without having to scroll through too many modifier options.

To create a nested modifier group, you will follow the same steps as creating a modifier group. The difference is that instead of creating an option for the main menu item (like a Burger), you’re creating another layer of options for the existing modifier group (like Sides). 

Nested Modifier Group Example:

• Step	Process	Image
  1	Log into the Otter Dashboard using manager.tryotter.com. Click on the top left Apps dropdown. Click into the Menus app.
  2	Select on the menu for the correct brand/location.
  3	Below the menu name, click on the Modifier Items tab to load all the menu items.
  4	Select the Modifier Item that you are adding the nested modifier into. (The modifier group and modifier item should already be created at this step.)
  5	Scroll down to the Add to Modifier Groups section. Click Edit Modifier Group.
  6	Select the Modifier Group that you want to add the nested modifier into. Click the Confirm button.
  7	Scroll down to the Assigned Locations section. Check for the assigned location to make sure the menu item is being created on the correct restaurant location. To edit the locations assigned to the menu item, select the Edit Details button.
  8	Scroll down to the Offered On section Check for each channel the menu item will be offered on. To edit or remove the channels the menu item will be offered on, toggle the channels off or on as needed.
  9	Scroll back to the top and click the Save button.
  10	If you want to check if the nested modifier saved correctly, go back to the Modifier Group that you saved it in, and look at the preview to ensure that the nested modifier is working properly within the Modifier Group.
  11	Click the Publish button in the upper-right hand corner. Select all locations you wish to publish your menu to. Select Publish Menu.

Default Modifiers

Currently, Default Modifiers are only available for the Picnic ordering platform, Otter POS, and Direct Orders (Online Ordering with Otter and Kiosks).

When an item within a modifier group is checked as a Default modifier— when the cashier or eater selects the main menu item with that modifier, that item within the modifier group will be automatically selected. 

To set Default modifiers, while creating or editing a modifier groups, just check the item listed within the modifier group under Default modifier column.

Limited Support Alert

If there are any items within the modifier group that may cause an issue with Default modifier settings, it will be flagged with a warning icon. 

Negative Modifiers

Negative modifiers allow the user to remove ingredients or choose options that when selected, adjust the price of the main menu item accordingly. This helps ensure more accurate pricing and an easier ordering experience for eaters. 

For the Smash Cheeseburger Combo ($11.95), you must select a Drink option— since the modifier choice of Water is priced at -$1.00, if the eater chooses Water, the price of the Smash Cheeseburger Combo is deducted by $1.00.

 

Adding a Modifier to a Menu Item

You can add a modifier group to a menu item while creating a new or editing an existing menu item. Keep in mind, you can add more that one modifier group to a menu item. 

For this menu item below, Cheeseburger, there are two modifiers added: Add Ons option and Cheese selection.

 

Step	Process	Image
1	From the Otter Dashboard, click Apps > Menus.
2	Select the menu you’d like to edit. Select a menu item to edit or click [+Add item] to create a new item.
3	Scroll to Customize item section.
4	Select the modifier group to add to the menu item.
5	Select Assigned locations to edit the item for.
6	Click [Save] to save edits.
7	Click [Publish] to publish menu updates. Select all locations and delivery channels you'd like to apply changes, then click [Publish menu].

 

Troubleshooting

• Nested modifiers are not currently supported on all platforms. If you see this error message while editing your menu, this means one of the delivery platforms you’re connected to does not support nested modifiers.

  

  In this case, you will not be able to publish your menu with a nested modifier structure. You will need to have flat menu— meaning each a menu item can only have 1 layer of modifiers.

  Example:

  You want eaters to be able to choose a Side when ordering a Burger. Your Sides, however, come in different sizes— instead of using a nested modifier option (Sides Sides Size), you’d need to create 1 modifier group of “Sides” and list every item & size option, like this:

  Small fries

  Medium fries

  Small curly fries

  Medium curly fries

  Small cheese fries

  Medium cheese fries

FAQs

• Different platforms/channels may support a different level of Nested Modifiers. Here is a list of currently supported levels: 

  Nested Modifier Levels	Platform/Channels
  0	BentoBox ChowNow Ritual Glovo Caviar Phone
  1	Skip the Dishes Google Food Services Zuppler
  2	Deliveroo
  3	JustEat
  5	Allset
  6	UberEats DoorDash GrubHub Direct Orders Direct Orders- Kitchens Otter POS
  7	Owner.com

• Yes— To bulk update a modifier group use the filters on the Menu Overview page > Items tab to choose items to edit. 
  
  You can use the Modifier groups filter (along with other available filters) to select items, then choose from options on the bulk action bar at the bottom of the page.

  

   

Updated May 26, 2026 18:36