How to Create & Use "Virtual Menu Records" in the GRUBBRR Console

Last updated: October 15, 2026

Virtual Menu Records let clients offer a menu item or combo that the their POS can't (or doesn't) already represent as a single record. In these situations, we build the record in the Console from real POS items, modifiers, modifier groups, or combos, plus optional hidden adjustments. Customers see a normal item or combo on the Kiosk, and the POS receives only the underlying real records when the order is submitted.

For example, Client A does not offer combo. We can create a meal by offering a Burger ($5), Side ($3), and Drink ($2) for a total $10, and a "hidden" item priced at -$2 to reach the $8 meal price. A Virtual Menu Record presents this as one meal on the Kiosk and adds the -$2 adjustment to the order automatically.

We can also use Virtual Menu Records to create variants of a combo that already exists in the POS. A spicy version of a Wings Combo, for instance, can have its own name, image, and a $1.00 upcharge while reusing the real combo's component groups.

Virtual Menu Records are a Beta feature targeted for version 15.8.5. They can be configured at the location level in the Console and at the company level in ECM.

Limitations

In this first phase, customers can pick only one option from each Virtual Group. A real combo can only serve as the base of a combo variant, and a single record can't mix scratch-built component groups with a real combo base. Virtual Menu Records don't apply to Scan and Go and don't have separate reporting in Insights.

What Goes Into a Virtual Record?

Every Virtual Menu Record starts with real records, which are the items, modifiers, modifier groups, and combos that already exist in the client's POS. Real records set the price of the order and are the only lines the POS receives at checkout.

The Console has four ways to arrange those real records into what customers see on the Kiosk:

  • Virtual Groups add a choice step that doesn't exist in the POS, such as "Choose your side," and fill it with real items or modifiers.

  • Virtual Combo Component Groups create combo slots like Main, Side, and Drink when the POS has no working combo.

  • Hidden Components add a real item or adjustment to the order automatically, such as a -$2.00 meal discount. Customers never select them, and they only appear on checkout and receipts when "Show on checkout/receipt" is turned on.

  • Local overrides let us disable specific modifiers or change min/max on a real modifier group or inherited combo group. These changes apply to this record only.

Creating a new Virtual Record

To create a Virtual Menu Record, sign into https://console.grubbrr.com and navigate to the location you want to update.

  1. Open Menu Settings and click "Custom: Create Virtual Menu Record" (Beta)

  2. Choose the record type. Note: this can not be changed after the menu is created!

    1. Item

    2. Combo from scratch

    3. Combo from a real combo.

  3. In General Settings, enter a Name and a Display Name. The Kiosk shows the Display Name on the menu tile, so always fill it in.

  4. Add a description and image, then set channels, schedule, and a parent category as needed

  5. In Advanced Settings, turn on Hide Price if the client wants it

The build section below General Settings changes its label based on the type you chose, such as "Manage Component Groups" for combos. Select the appropriate steps below based on the type of record you are creating.

Build an Item

Item records follow the standard item and modifier flow on the Kiosk. A Mr. Hero sandwich meal might use a Real Modifier Group for "Bun Type," a Virtual Group for "Choose your side" with two real side items, and a -$2.00 Hidden Component for the meal adjustment.

  1. In the build section, click "Add Child" [CONFIRM: button label]

  2. Select the node type: Virtual Group, Real Modifier Group, or Hidden Component

  3. Complete the second step for the type you chose:

    1. Real Modifier Group: search for and select the POS modifier group, then disable any modifiers this record shouldn't offer and adjust min/max if needed. These changes only apply to this record.

    2. Virtual Group: enter a name and the Min/Max Aggregate and Min/Max Unique Selection values. A Min Aggregate of 1 makes the choice required.

    3. Hidden Component: search for and select the POS item or adjustment, then set the "Show on checkout/receipt" toggle

  4. To add choices to a Virtual Group, click "Add Option" on that group and follow the same two steps. Options can be Real Items, Real Modifiers, nested Virtual Groups, or Hidden Components, and each Real Item or Real Modifier option has its own Min Qty and Max Qty.

  5. To let customers customize a Real Item option, add a Real Modifier Group or Virtual Group under that item

  6. Check the running price total and the Kiosk and POS preview views, then click "Save"

Build a combo from scratch

Use this type when the POS has no working combo for what the client wants to sell. The full combo meal from our example would have three component groups (Burger, Side, and Drink) plus a -$2.00 Hidden Component at the top level.

  1. In the build section, click "Add Child" and select "Virtual Component Group"

  2. Enter a name and min/max values for the group, then turn on "Set as main component" for the combo's main item slot (for example, Burger)

  3. Add options to the group: Real Items, Real Modifier Groups, Virtual Groups, or Hidden Components. A single Real Modifier can't go directly in a component group, so place it inside a Virtual Group instead.

  4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for the remaining component groups, such as Side and Drink

  5. Add any top-level Hidden Components, such as the meal adjustment

  6. Check the running price total and the Kiosk and POS preview views, then click "Save"

The Console won't let you add a second component group until one is marked as the main component. This also makes the record eligible for Make it a Combo upsells, so adding the main item to the cart can prompt customers to upgrade their order.

Build a combo from a real combo

Use this type to create a variant of a combo that already exists in the POS. For example, a Spicy Wings Combo could use the $8.99 Wings Combo as its base and add a $1.00 upcharge, for a Kiosk price of $9.99.

  1. Search for and select the real combo to use as the base

  2. Review the component groups inherited from that combo. To disable modifiers or change min/max for this record only, click "Override" on the group.

  3. Click "Add Hidden Component" to add any upcharge, discount, or adjustment for this variant

    1. These must already exist as menu items in the POS

  4. Check the running price total and the Kiosk and POS preview views, then click "Save"

The record stays linked to the real combo, so price or component group changes in the POS carry over automatically. Several variants can use the same real combo as their base.

Add the record to the menu

A Virtual Menu Record appears on the Kiosk once it's placed in a category. You can set its parent category while editing the record, or add it through the category's Manage Items list the same way you'd add an item or combo.

In Menu Manager, Virtual Menu Records are clearly marked so operators can tell them apart from POS items. On the Kiosk, customers see a normal item or combo with no visual distinction.

Prices are recalculated from live POS data on every sync, so the record never needs a manual price update. The starting price is the cheapest option in each required group plus any Hidden Components. A combo built from a real combo starts at that combo's live price plus any Hidden Components.

If a POS item used in the record is 86'd, the Kiosk makes the record or that option unavailable. When troubleshooting an order, keep in mind that the POS only shows the real items, modifiers, combos, and Hidden Components. GEM order events still include the Virtual Menu Record's GRUBBRR ID, so you can trace those lines back to the record.