Modifiers and add-ons: how “no onions” reaches the kitchen

What is the difference between a modifier and an add-on?

A modifier changes how an existing menu item is prepared or presented. Examples include “no onions”, “well done”, “small” or “Arabic bread”. An add-on adds another item or component, such as extra garlic sauce, cheese or a soft drink.

In Nexara, both are managed through products and modifier groups. The guest chooses from the group attached to the item, rather than typing every choice into a blank note. That gives the restaurant a defined option, price and name on the kitchen ticket.

Use groups for decisions that affect price, preparation or stock. Keep free-text notes for unusual requests that need a person to review.

How do required and optional groups work?

A required group prevents an incomplete order. If a meal must include one side, create a group such as “Choose your side” and require one selection. The customer cannot finish the item without choosing it.

An optional group allows the customer to skip the choice. “Extras” might contain extra garlic, jalapeños or cheese. If the guest selects nothing, the item remains valid and the kitchen receives no unnecessary line.

• Use required groups for choices every order needs, such as size or a mandatory side.
• Use optional groups for extras that change the item only when selected.
• Use a zero-price option for an included choice, such as regular sauce.
• Use a paid option when the selection changes the selling price.
• Keep the group name clear in Arabic and English so staff and guests see the same decision.

Check the number of selections as well. A group can represent one choice, such as one side, or several choices, such as two toppings. The rule should match the menu promise. If the menu says “choose two toppings”, the group should not allow one or four.

Where do modifiers work across channels?

Nexara uses one catalogue for its ordering channels. Products, categories, modifiers, modifier groups, prices and branch availability are managed in the menu area. The same menu can serve the branded website, installable app, table QR ordering, call-center orders and supported aggregator intake.

Website and app customers select the groups while ordering. QR dine-in customers choose from the table menu. A call-center agent can place the order using the same product and option structure. Talabat and Careem orders enter the same live queue when the integration and partner activation are configured.

Update the menu once, then review channel visibility and branch availability. Nexara supports menu channels and per-branch availability, so an option can be available in one branch and unavailable in another.

Read one menu for every channel for the wider menu principle, or see how to build your menu once before adding a large modifier catalogue.

How do prices appear on the order and ticket?

Each paid option carries its own price. The customer sees the price while building the order, and the selected option stays attached to the item in the order details. A free option remains visible as a choice without adding a charge.

The numbers below are an illustrative example, not a client's actual figures. A shawarma may have “Extra garlic” at 0.25 JOD and “Extra chicken” at 1.00 JOD. Your branch sets the real prices in Jordanian dinar.

Before publishing, test the item as a customer would. Confirm that the option is selectable, the price changes correctly, the Arabic name is readable and the branch can prepare it.

How does the kitchen ticket show the request?

The ticket carries the product, its selected modifiers and the customer instruction in the order details. Arabic item and modifier names print on Arabic templates, and English can appear on the same ticket. The cook sees the request beside the item.

Priority changes the order tickets print in, not whether they print. A kitchen printer can receive kitchen categories while another handles a different location. For example, the kitchen printer can print burgers and shawarma while the bar printer prints drinks.

• Put the main item first.
• Print selected preparation changes directly under that item.
• Keep paid extras visibly separate from free instructions.
• Use short Arabic names that staff can read at service speed.
• Place urgent preparation notes where the assigned printer template makes them visible.

Tickets queue and print once, never twice, never lost. If a printer stops responding, the ticket stays on the order board and waits in the print queue. Staff can re-route that printer's categories from the dashboard, or use automatic failover to a configured backup printer.

Nexara has no kitchen display screens. Tickets print instead. For the printer path itself, see how Nexara's kitchen printing engine works. Nexara drives standard ESC/POS thermal printers over network or USB.

How should you set up modifiers before service?

1. List the decisions customers make for each item: size, side, sauce, removal and paid extras.
2. Create a modifier group for each decision that staff need to read separately.
3. Set each group as required or optional.
4. Add Arabic and English names for every option.
5. Enter the price for paid options and leave included choices at zero.
6. Set the allowed selection count for single or multiple choices.
7. Assign the group to the correct products and check branch availability.
8. Place a test order from each active channel.
9. Read the printed ticket at the kitchen printer before opening service.

Start with the items that create the most corrections. A burger with five optional extras needs a small number of clear groups that match the way the kitchen prepares the order.

After the test order, compare three points: the customer-facing name, the amount charged and the wording on the printed ticket. Correct the menu group or template before copying the setup to another branch.

Use the Nexara features page to review the menu, order board and printing capabilities. For background on the founder, read Issa Al-Dalu's founder page or visit his LinkedIn profile.