Open the Menu, tap edit on the item's row and switch off Active: that's how you hide an item from the menu without deleting anything. After you Save, it disappears from the public page and the waiter app, but it stays on past orders. To bring it back, switch it on again.
What an inactive item is
Hiding an item from the menu, here, means switching off that item's Active switch — not deleting it. The item stays whole on your Menu screen, with photo, description, sizes, flavors and prices; it just isn't shown to anyone else. On the list, it gets a yellow tag that says inactive, so you don't think it's gone for good.
Who no longer sees it: the guest opening the public page, the guest scanning the table QR code, and the waiter in the waiter app. Who still sees it: you, on the Menu screen, and every order that already had that item — yesterday's tab keeps the right name and amount, because the item didn't go anywhere.
Why deactivating beats deleting
- Your history stays intact. Deactivating doesn't touch past orders: the name, quantity and amount of each line are still there, in the day's report and on the tab that was already closed. Deleting the item is different — then those lines lose their name and amount.
- It disappears everywhere at once. A single switch takes care of the public page, the menu the guest opens with the table QR code, and the waiter app list. No need to remember to switch it off on three different screens.
- It comes back with one tap. A seasonal item, a weekend dish, a drink that ran out: you switch it back on and everything returns ready, with no retyping prices, rebuilding the size grid or uploading the photo again.
- Empty categories stay out of sight. If every item in a category is inactive, it disappears from the guest's page — no empty section making your restaurant look disorganized. On your screen, it stays there waiting.
How to hide a menu item in 7 steps
Seven short steps: four to take it off the menu, one to check, one to bring it back, and one for when you just want to hide the price.
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Open the Menu and find the item
On the Dashboard, go to Menu. The screen lists your categories and, inside each one, the items with photo, name and price. Scroll to the item you want to take off the menu — it might be in the block of uncategorized items, at the bottom of the page.
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Tap edit on the item's row
On the right side of each row there's the edit button. It opens the item's form, the same one you used to create it: Name, Category, Description, Photo and the table of sizes and prices.
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Switch off Active
Scroll to the end of the form. The last thing before the buttons is the Active switch, which comes on for every new item. Switch it off. You don't need to touch anything else: name, photo, description and prices stay as they are.
Tip: Right next to it is the red Delete button. That's a different story: it deletes the item for good, and then the lines on past orders are left with no name and no amount. To just take it off the menu, the Active switch does the job. -
Save and check the inactive tag
Tap Save. You're back on the Menu screen and the item now has a yellow tag that says inactive next to its name. It stays in the same category and the same position; it just isn't shown to anyone else anymore.
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Check that it's gone from both places
Open your public page, that qmen.us address with your restaurant's code, and check: the item isn't there anymore. Do the same in the waiter app, in the category where it used to be. If your restaurant uses local printing, the print app also gets the menu without this item on its next update.
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Bring it back when it's back in stock
New stock arrived? Same path: Menu, edit, switch Active on and Save. Everything comes back as it was — photo, description, sizes, flavors and option groups. There's nothing to type again.
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Or keep it visible, just without a price
Want to keep the item on the menu, but with no price shown? In the sizes table, clear what's in the Price field and save with the Active switch on. On the public page it shows only the name, with no dotted line and no amount. Just remember it stays on the waiter's list and, if entered like that, goes on the tab at R$ 0,00.
Frequently asked questions
Does an inactive item disappear from orders already placed?+
No. Yesterday's tab keeps the name and amount of that line, and so does the day's history. Deactivating only changes what's shown from now on; nothing that already happened is deleted.
What's the difference between deactivating and deleting an item?+
Deactivating takes the item out of view and keeps everything stored. Deleting removes the item for good, and the lines on past orders that used it lose their name and amount. That's why, to take something off the menu, the Active switch is always the way to go.
Can I keep the item on the menu but without a price?+
Yes. Clear the amount in the Price field and save with the Active switch on: on the public page the item shows only the name, with no dotted line and no amount. Just remember it stays on the waiter's list and, if it's entered like that, goes on the tab at R$ 0,00.
What if I deactivate every item in a category?+
The whole category disappears from the public page, because only categories with at least one active item appear there. On your Menu screen it stays in place, with its items marked as inactive.
Can the waiter enter an inactive item?+
No, it doesn't even appear on the waiter app list. If they need to sell it anyway, the waiter uses a custom item: they type the name and price on the spot and choose the prep station that will make it.
Does qmen.us deactivate an item on its own when stock runs out?+
No, there's no stock control here. You decide, and the Active switch is exactly the quick way to do it the moment the kitchen says something has run out.
Glossary
- Item
- Each product you sell, with a name, description, photo and price; it's what the waiter adds to the tab.
- Category
- A section of the menu that groups similar items, like Starters or Drinks, and sets the order everyone sees.
- Public page
- The page at qmen.us/your-code where guests see your menu, phone numbers, address and opening hours.
- Waiter app
- The ordering page each waiter opens through the restaurant's own link, right in the phone's browser.
- Custom item
- An item the waiter types in on the spot, picking its prep station by hand.
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