# Menu lists and modifiers

Group recipes into menu lists, such as Drinks or Food, and compare each list's food cost % with a target. Modifiers cost the add-ons you sell, like an extra shot.

For: Admins, Managers · On: Web · [Help Center](https://www.mays.app/help) › [Inventory](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory) · Last updated October 17, 2026 · Mays Team

Group recipes into menu lists, such as *Drinks* or *Food*, and compare each list's food cost % with a target. Modifiers cost the add-ons you sell, like an extra shot.

**Where:** **Inventory → Menu Lists** and **Inventory → Modifiers** on the web, for the location picked in the sidebar. Admins, and managers at their own locations.

**Before you start:** build your recipes. See [Recipes and plate costing](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/recipes-and-costing).

## Menu lists

The **Menu Lists** page shows each list's number of **Recipes** and **Modifiers**, its **Target %** and its **Actual %**. Actual % is green when it's at or under the target and red when it's over.

![The Menu Lists page for South: Drinks with 2 recipes and 2 modifiers, a 25% target and 20.9% actual; Food with 1 recipe, a 30% target and 22.4% actual, each with edit and delete icons](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/help__menu-lists-and-modifiers__01-menu-lists.1fb4e22993.png)

**Actual %** is the list's blended cost: the cost of everything in it, added up, divided by their serving prices added up. It uses this location's prices and is worked out each time you open the page. In the example, the two lattes and two modifiers in *Drinks* cost $2.88 together and sell for $13.75: 20.9%.

### Create a menu list

1. Click **New menu list**.
2. Enter a **Name**, and if you like a **Description** and a **Target cost %**.
3. Click **Create menu list**. The list opens so you can fill it.
4. Under **Recipes**, pick a recipe in **+ Add recipe…**. Add modifiers the same way under **Modifiers**. Each one is added straight away; **×** takes it out again.
5. Click **Done**. If you changed the name, description or target, click **Save changes** first.

![Editing the Drinks menu list: a 25% target cost and 20.9% actual cost; Recipes Oat milk latte 16 oz ($1.32, 23%) and Vanilla latte 16 oz ($1.16, 18.6%); Modifiers Add vanilla ($0.15, 20%) and Extra espresso shot ($0.25, 25%); the + Add recipe… and + Add modifier… boxes and the Delete, Done and Save changes buttons](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/help__menu-lists-and-modifiers__02-menu-list-form.205258ecc7.png)

You can also pick a recipe's list on the recipe itself, in its **Menu list** box. A recipe or modifier is in one list at a time: adding it to another list moves it. A location's recipe can only go in that location's lists or a corporate one.

### Who can change which lists

- A list created by an admin is shared with every location and marked *corporate*. Only admins can change it; managers see *view only*.
- A list created by a manager belongs to their location.

## Modifiers

Modifiers are the add-ons and swaps you sell on top of an item: an extra shot, a pump of vanilla, oat milk instead of dairy. They're built like recipes, on their own page.

1. Go to **Inventory → Modifiers** and click **New modifier**.
2. Enter its name (the box is labelled **Recipe name**) and the **Serving price $** you charge for it. Use 0 for a free swap.
3. Add its ingredients with **+ Add item…**, and set each one's **Qty**, **Unit** and **Yield %**.
4. Click **Save modifier**.

The page shows each modifier's **Ingredients**, **Cost**, **Price** and **Cost %**. Costs are worked out the same way as for recipes.

![The Modifiers page for South, under the line "Menu add-ons (e.g. extra protein, fruit). Costed like recipes.": Add vanilla costs $0.15 and sells for $0.75, 20%; Extra espresso shot costs $0.25 and sells for $1.00, 25%](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/help__menu-lists-and-modifiers__03-modifiers.53142f3c91.png)

**When they're sold:** map your POS modifiers to them on the **Modifiers** tab of **Inventory → POS**. Each night, a mapped modifier's ingredients come out of stock once for every item it was added to: two lattes with an extra shot use two shots. See [POS mapping and automatic depletion](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/pos-mapping-and-depletion).

## Good to know

- **A free swap still has a cost.** A modifier with a $0 price adds its cost but nothing to the price, so it raises its menu list's Actual %.
- **Modifiers only add ingredients.** They can't take out what the item's own recipe uses, so *oat milk instead of dairy* takes out the oat milk and the recipe still takes out its milk.
- **Deleting a menu list** asks *Delete "Drinks"? Members will be unassigned.* The recipes and modifiers in it aren't deleted; they just leave the list. It can't be undone.
- **Deleting a modifier** works like deleting a recipe: it stays in the list, dimmed, can't be switched back on, and keeps its POS mapping. See [Recipes and plate costing](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/recipes-and-costing).
- **Menu lists don't change stock or orders.** They're for comparing costs.

## Related articles

- Inventory: [Recipes and plate costing](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/recipes-and-costing) — A recipe lists what goes into one menu item. Mays prices each ingredient from your vendor prices and shows the plate's cost, cost % and margin.
- Inventory: [POS mapping and automatic depletion](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/pos-mapping-and-depletion) — Map each item you sell in Square or Union to a recipe, and every night Mays takes that recipe's ingredients out of stock for what you sold.
- Inventory: [Inventory items](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/inventory-items) — Items are what you count, order and cost, like a carton of oat milk or a pound of espresso. Each has a count unit, other units such as a case, and vendor prices.
- Inventory: [Inventory reports](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/inventory-reports) — Three reports for a location: theoretical COGS against your sales, what your stock is worth and how many days it lasts, and actual vs theoretical usage.
- Inventory: [Theoretical vs actual usage](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/theoretical-vs-actual-usage) — Compare what your sales say you used with what you actually used. The Theoretical page shows each ingredient's deliveries, waste, transfers and recipe use.
- Inventory: [Inventory at a glance](https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/inventory-overview) — Inventory tracks what you stock, what it costs and what you use, from items and vendors to counts, orders, invoices and waste. It's part of the Pro plan.

## Still need help?

Send us a support request and a real person on the Mays team will get back to you.

[Contact support](https://www.mays.app/contact?topic=support) · [Call +1 (561) 286-3939](tel:+15612863939)

Canonical: https://www.mays.app/help/inventory/menu-lists-and-modifiers