How to Structure Modifiers (extra cheese, sauces, spice level)
Modifiers can increase revenue or destroy your line speed — it depends on structure. When modifiers are inconsistent (sometimes free, sometimes paid, sometimes hidden in notes), you get confusing tickets, longer prep time, wrong builds, and upset guests. A strong modifier system makes ordering smoother, keeps the kitchen predictable, and turns add-ons into reliable profit instead of operational chaos.
This guide is part of the main pillar page Restaurant Ordering & Operations Workflow, where you’ll find the full system and links to every workflow topic.
Modifiers are not just “extra cheese.” They are a decision system that affects:
ticket readability
station load
portioning consistency
inventory control
customer satisfaction
upsell revenue
When modifiers are poorly structured, the kitchen gets hit with:
long free-text notes
repeated questions from FOH
inconsistent builds
“I thought it included sauce” complaints
delivery refunds (because notes don’t print correctly everywhere)
Your goal is not to remove modifiers — it’s to make them predictable, limited, and consistent.
A clean system uses four modifier types. Most restaurants try to do 20 types — and that’s why it breaks.
Examples:
doneness (rare/medium/well)
size (small/regular/large)
base (rice/fries/salad)
Rule: Required choices should never be optional, and should never be hidden in notes.
Examples:
extra cheese
add chicken
extra sauce cup
Rule: add-ons must be priced consistently and named consistently.
Examples:
swap fries → salad
swap beef → chicken
Rule: swaps should be limited to what the kitchen can handle without new prep steps.
Examples:
spice level (mild/medium/hot)
sauce intensity (light/normal/extra)
cutlery (yes/no)
Rule: preference modifiers must be short and standardized so tickets stay readable.
If you only implement these four types, you’ll remove most modifier chaos.
Most messy menus group modifiers like this:
“Cheese”
“Sauces”
“Extras”
“More options”
“Special requests”
That forces guests to hunt, and it forces the kitchen to interpret.
Use groups that match how the kitchen thinks:
Choose your base (Required)
Choose your spice level (Preference)
Add-ons (Upsell)
Swaps (Controlled change)
Sauces (Either Required or Optional — but pick one rule)
This makes tickets predictable because every item prints choices in the same order.
The fastest way to cause complaints is mixing required choices and paid add-ons in the same group.
“Choose your sauce” inside a paid “Add sauces” group.
Customer thinks sauce is included → chooses nothing → receives dry food → complains.
Included sauce (choose 1) → Required
Extra sauce cups → Optional paid add-on
This one change reduces:
missing sauce complaints
FOH questions
delivery refunds
kitchen confusion
More options does not equal better experience. It often equals:
slower ordering
more mistakes
longer tickets
station overload
higher refund risk
Required choices: 2–6 options max
Spice level: 3 options max (Mild / Medium / Hot)
Sauces: 5–8 options max
Add-ons: 6–12 max (beyond that, it becomes a supermarket)
If you need variety, use presets:
“Classic / Spicy / Garlic / BBQ”Instead of “Choose 10 toppings.”
This connects directly with calmer operations:How to Reduce Kitchen Stress With a Smarter Menu
Inconsistent naming destroys ticket clarity.
“Extra cheese”
“Add cheese”
“Cheese +”
“Cheddar”
“More cheese”
Kitchen doesn’t know if it’s the same thing or different.
Use one pattern across the whole menu:
“Add: Cheese”
“Add: Bacon”
“Add: Sauce Cup”
Use consistent portion definition internally:
one scoop, one slice, one cup
(Even if customers don’t see the portion, the kitchen must.)
Modifiers feel “scammy” when pricing is random.
Add-ons priced by category
cheese add-ons = same price across items
sauce cups = same price across items
protein add-ons = tiered (chicken < beef < shrimp)
Swaps are either free or clearly priced
“Swap fries → salad (+X)”
or “Swap sides (no extra charge)”Pick one rule and apply it consistently.
Guests hate “death by 10 tiny add-ons.” If your menu encourages that, it will reduce trust — especially in delivery.
Modifiers that are fine dine-in can break delivery.
Delivery risks:
notes don’t always print the same way
riders can’t clarify
sauce/spice mistakes become refunds
Delivery: fewer modifier groups, fewer options, more presets
Takeaway: limited options, clear packaging notes
Dine-in: can allow slightly more customization
This connects to:Dine-in vs Takeaway vs Delivery: Menu Strategy for Each
Free-text notes are the enemy of consistency.
If guests frequently write:
“no onion”
“extra spicy”
“sauce on side”
“no cutlery”…then those should become buttons.
Look at your last 200 orders and identify the top repeated notes. Create modifier groups:
“Remove ingredients” (limited, only what’s possible)
“Sauce packing” (on side / mixed in)
“Cutlery” (yes/no)
This improves:
ticket readability
training
speed
accuracy
Required: Choose doneness (if relevant)
Required: Choose side (Fries / Salad / Wedges)
Preference: Spice level (Mild / Medium / Hot)
Optional add-ons: Add cheese, bacon, extra patty
Optional sauces: Choose extra sauce cups
Required: Choose sauce type (if it changes the dish)
Preference: Cheese level (Normal / Extra)
Optional add-ons: Add chicken / shrimp
Preference: Spice level
Required: Choose base (Rice / Salad)
Required: Choose sauce (1 included)
Optional add-ons: extra protein, avocado, extra sauce cup
