Few things confuse a guest faster than ordering pancakes at 8pm because the breakfast section was still on the menu. Then a server has to explain, the guest feels caught out, and the mood dips before the meal has even started. A dynamic menu prevents all of that.
Using dayparting, you schedule sections to appear and disappear on their own, so guests only ever see what is actually available right now. Set it up once and your menu runs itself. Here is how.
What dayparting means
Dayparting simply means dividing your day into service periods — breakfast, lunch, dinner, late-night — and showing the matching menu during each. With a dynamic menu, you set the hours once and the system handles the switching automatically, complete with a live time badge so guests can see at a glance what is currently on.
Plan your service periods
A few minutes of planning makes the setup effortless:
1. List the menus you run and the hours each is available (for example Breakfast 7–11, Lunch 12–4, Dinner 5–10).
2. Decide what should always show — drinks and desserts often run all day.
3. Note any date-based menus, like a festive set menu that should only appear for a few weeks.
Build each section and schedule it
Create your sections as normal, then assign each a time window or date range. Breakfast appears at opening and hides the moment lunch begins; a seasonal menu appears on its start date and quietly retires on its end date. You do nothing at the switchover — it happens automatically, every single day, without anyone touching a setting.
Why guests prefer it
A dynamic menu is not just tidy for you; it is genuinely better for the people reading it:
• No disappointment from ordering something that is not being served.
• A shorter, more relevant menu at each visit, which is easier to browse on a phone.
• A sense that your restaurant is organised, current and on top of its game.
Why it helps you
Dynamic menus reduce the questions your staff field ("Is breakfast still on?"), cut ordering mistakes that waste food and time, and let you push higher-margin items during the right period — a premium brunch line at the weekend, say, or a dinner-only sharing board. They also make limited-time menus effortless: schedule a Valentine's or holiday menu in advance and forget about it until it appears and disappears on cue.
A few setup tips
Leave no gaps between periods so there is never a moment with nothing to show. Double-check the time zone matches your venue, especially if you set things up from home. And preview each period before service so you can confirm the right badge and the right items appear exactly when they should. Once you have seen it switch over correctly once, you can trust it to run on its own.
Real-world ways to use it
Dayparting is not only about three meal services. Once you see it as "show the right things at the right time," the uses multiply. A café surfaces pastries in the morning and switches to a small-plates and wine list in the evening. A bar hides its full food menu after the kitchen closes but keeps drinks and bar snacks live. A restaurant runs a weekday lunch deal that only appears Monday to Friday, and a brunch menu that shows up at weekends. A festive set menu can be scheduled weeks ahead to appear on the first of December and retire in the new year, with nobody having to remember to switch it. Each of these used to need staff attention or a printed insert; with scheduling, the menu simply does the right thing on its own.
Put your menu on autopilot — start your free trial and schedule your first breakfast, lunch and dinner rotation in minutes.