CSV Format

Specifications for importing menu items via CSV.

Basic Format

File Requirements

Format: CSV (Comma-Separated Values)
Encoding: UTF-8 (recommended)
Max Size: 10MB
Header Row: Required

Column Separator

Use commas to separate values:


item_name,description,price
Burger,Delicious beef burger,12.99

Columns

Required Columns

Column	Description
`item_name` or `name`	Item name (required)

Optional Columns

Column	Description	Example
`description`	Item description	”Grilled to perfection”
`price`	Price in dollars	12.99
`menu`	Menu name	”Dinner Menu”
`section`	Section name	”Entrees”
`ingredients`	Comma-separated list	”beef, lettuce, tomato”
`allergens`	Comma-separated list	”wheat, dairy”

Column Name Variations

These variations are accepted:

Standard	Also Accepted
`item_name`	`name`, `item`
`description`	`desc`
`price`	`cost`
`section`	`category`

Data Formats

Item Name

Max Length: 100 characters
Required: Yes
Format: Plain text


item_name
Signature Burger
House Salad

Description

Max Length: 500 characters
Required: No
Format: Plain text


description
"Our famous half-pound burger with secret sauce"

Price

Format: Decimal number
Currency: Assumed USD
Symbol: Optional (removed on import)

Valid formats:

Invalid formats:


12,99      (comma as decimal)
12.99 USD  (text after number)
twelve     (not a number)

Max Length: 100 characters
Required: No
Use: Auto-create menus during import


menu
Lunch Menu
Dinner Menu

Section

Max Length: 100 characters
Required: No
Use: Organize items in menu sections


section
Appetizers
Main Courses
Desserts

Ingredients

Format: Comma-separated list
Max Length: 1000 characters
Use: Enables allergen suggestions


ingredients
"flour, butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla"

Allergens

Format: Comma-separated allergen names
Values: Must match supported allergens
Use: Pre-set allergen status


allergens
"wheat, dairy, eggs"

Special Characters

Quotes

Use double quotes for values containing commas or quotes:


item_name,description
"Mac & Cheese","Creamy, cheesy pasta"

To include a quote in a quoted value, double it:


"12"" Pizza","Our famous twelve-inch pizza"

Line Breaks

Values with line breaks must be quoted:


description
"First line
Second line"

Unicode

UTF-8 encoding supports:

Accented characters (café, niño)
Non-Latin alphabets
Emoji (not recommended)

Example Files

Minimal CSV


item_name
Burger
Salad
Pizza

Basic CSV


item_name,description,price
Burger,Half-pound beef patty,12.99
Salad,Fresh garden vegetables,9.99
Pizza,Hand-tossed pizza,15.99

Complete CSV


item_name,description,price,menu,section,ingredients,allergens
Classic Burger,"Half-pound beef patty with lettuce, tomato, onion",12.99,Dinner Menu,Entrees,"beef, lettuce, tomato, onion, bun","wheat"
Caesar Salad,"Romaine lettuce with caesar dressing and croutons",9.99,Dinner Menu,Salads,"romaine, parmesan, croutons, caesar dressing","wheat, dairy, eggs"
Margherita Pizza,"Fresh mozzarella, basil, tomato sauce",15.99,Dinner Menu,Pizza,"flour, mozzarella, tomato, basil","wheat, dairy"

Template

Download

Download the official template from the import modal in Menus > Items > Import.

Template Contents


item_name,description,price,menu,section,ingredients,allergens
Example Item,Description here,9.99,Menu Name,Section Name,"ingredient1, ingredient2","allergen1, allergen2"

Common Errors

”Name column not found”

Cause: No column named item_name or name.

Fix: Add header row with correct column name.

”Invalid price format”

Cause: Price contains invalid characters.

Fix: Use numbers only with decimal point.

”Row X skipped: Empty name”

Cause: Row has empty name field.

Fix: Ensure every row has a name.

Best Practices

Use the template - Start from official template
UTF-8 encoding - Avoid character issues
Quote complex values - When in doubt, use quotes
Test small first - Import few rows initially
Check preview - Review before final import