Getting Started

Welcome to the Hotchows AI Menu Creator — a professional drag-and-drop menu design tool for restaurants, cafés, bars, and food businesses of all sizes.

Creating your first project:

1.Go to the Designer page by clicking "AI Menu Creator" in the navigation bar or visiting hotchows.com/menu/designer.

2.You will see a blank canvas with a toolbar at the top and a sidebar on the left.

3.Give your project a name using the text field in the top toolbar.

4.Start designing by adding text, shapes, images, or by choosing a template from the Templates panel.

Saving your work:

•Click the Save button in the toolbar. Your project is saved to your browser's local storage automatically.

•You can also export your project as a JSON file for backup or to transfer between devices.

Loading a project:

•Click the Load button to see a list of your saved projects.

•Select a project to open it in the editor. Legacy single-page projects are automatically converted to the new multi-page format.

Canvas Editor

The canvas is your main workspace where you design your menu visually.

Navigation:

•Pan the canvas by scrolling or using the scroll bars.

•Zoom in and out using the zoom controls in the top toolbar (−, percentage display, +).

•The current zoom level is shown as a percentage.

Working with objects:

•Click any object on the canvas to select it. A selection box with handles appears.

•Drag an object to move it. Use corner handles to resize.

•Hold Shift while resizing to maintain proportions.

•Right-click or use the Properties panel on the right to change colors, fonts, borders, and more.

Canvas sizes:

Choose from 22+ preset sizes including A4 Portrait/Landscape, US Letter, Postcard, Poster, Square, Half-Page, Trifold Panel, Menu Board, Table Tent, and platform-specific social media sizes for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, WhatsApp, and Snapchat. Select a size from the dropdown in the toolbar.

Templates

Browse over 1,710 professionally designed templates across 22 categories to jumpstart your menu design.

Categories:

Classic Elegant, Modern Minimalist, Rustic Charm, Bold & Vibrant, Café & Bistro, Asian Cuisine, BBQ & Grill, Fine Dining, Fun & Playful, Italian Trattoria, Mexican Cantina, Sushi Bar, Indian Spice, French Patisserie, Vegan & Health, Seafood, Steakhouse, Brunch & Breakfast, Cocktail Bar, Food Truck, Kids Menu, and Social Media.

Using templates:

1.Open the Templates panel from the sidebar.

2.Search by keyword or filter by category using the filter pills.

3.Filter by canvas size using the size dropdown.

4.Click a template thumbnail to preview it, then click Apply to load it onto your canvas.

5.All template elements are fully editable — change colors, text, fonts, and layout as needed.

Note: Applying a template replaces the current page content. Save your work first if you want to preserve it.

Social Media Design

Create stunning social media content for 9+ platforms directly in the designer — perfect for promoting your restaurant, sharing daily specials, or announcing events.

Supported platforms:

Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, WhatsApp, and Snapchat.

Platform-specific canvas sizes:

Each platform has optimized canvas sizes that match their recommended dimensions:

•Instagram: Post (1080×1080), Story/Reel (1080×1920)

•Facebook: Post (1200×630), Cover (1640×856), Story (1080×1920)

•TikTok: Video cover (1080×1920)

•YouTube: Thumbnail (1280×720)

•Pinterest: Pin (1000×1500)

•LinkedIn: Post (1200×627), Banner (1584×396)

•X/Twitter: Post (1200×675), Header (1500×500)

•WhatsApp: Status (1080×1920)

•Snapchat: Story (1080×1920)

Social media templates:

Browse 40+ dedicated social media templates in the Templates panel. Filter by the "Social Media" category or search for a specific platform name (e.g., "Instagram", "Pinterest").

Content ideas:

The Social Templates tab in the sidebar includes 10 ready-made content ideas for restaurants: Daily Special, Happy Hour, New Dish Launch, Weekend Brunch, Chef's Pick, Seasonal Menu, Customer Review, Behind the Scenes, Holiday Special, and Catering Promo.

How to create a social media post:

1.Open the sidebar and go to the Social Templates tab.

2.Select your target platform (e.g., Instagram, Facebook).

3.Choose a template or start from a blank canvas with the correct size.

4.Customize colors, text, images, and branding.

5.Export as PNG or JPG, or use the Share button to post directly to your platform.

Menu Items

The Menu tab in the sidebar lets you add dishes, beverages, and other items to your menu.

Adding a menu item:

1.Open the Menu tab in the sidebar.

2.Enter the dish name and optionally a price and description.

3.Upload a dish photo (JPG, PNG, or WebP, max 5 MB) — a preview will appear.

4.Click "Add to Canvas" to place the item. It appears as editable text with the optional photo as a 90×90 thumbnail.

Dish photos:

•Photos are placed to the left of the text on the canvas.

•Text is automatically offset to the right when a photo is present.

•You can add an item with just a photo, just text, or both.

•Each new item is placed below existing content automatically.

Elements & Shapes

Add visual elements to enhance your menu design.

Shapes available:

Rectangle, Circle, Triangle, Star, Arrow, Diamond, Heart, and Thick Line.

Adding elements:

•Click a shape button in the sidebar tools to add it to the canvas.

•All shapes are fully customizable — change fill color, stroke color, stroke width, and size.

•Use the Properties panel to fine-tune positioning and appearance.

Images & logos:

•Upload your restaurant logo or any image from your computer.

•Images can be resized, rotated, and repositioned freely on the canvas.

QR codes:

•Generate a QR code for your published menu URL.

•Enter any URL in the QR code dialog (accessible from the toolbar).

•Download the QR code as a PNG or add it directly to your canvas.

Text Editing

All text on the canvas is interactive and editable.

Editing text:

•Double-click any text element to enter edit mode. A cursor appears and you can type directly.

•Click outside the text or press Escape to finish editing.

Formatting options:

•Fonts: Choose from 20 built-in fonts in the Properties panel font selector.

•Style: Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikethrough.

•Alignment: Left, Center, Right.

•Spacing: Adjust letter spacing and line height for fine control.

•Color: Change text fill and stroke colors.

•Size: Adjust font size using the size input or by resizing the text box handles.

Multi-Page Menus

Create menus with up to 20 pages — perfect for full restaurant menus, wine lists, or seasonal specials.

Page navigation:

•The page navigation bar appears at the bottom of the canvas area.

•Numbered buttons let you jump between pages. The current page is highlighted.

Managing pages:

•Add page: Click the + button to add a new blank page.

•Duplicate page: Click the Duplicate button to copy the current page.

•Delete page: Click the Delete button to remove the current page (at least one page must remain).

How pages are saved:

Projects are stored in a multi-page format: { pages: [...], version: 2 }. Each page is a complete Fabric.js canvas state. Legacy single-page projects are automatically detected and loaded correctly.

AI Copilot

The AI Copilot helps you write compelling menu descriptions and suggests food pairings — all powered by a local AI model running on the server.

How to use:

1.Open the AI Copilot panel from the sidebar.

2.Upload a photo of your dish — the filename is auto-parsed as the dish name (you can edit it).

3.Click "Generate with AI" to get results.

AI generates two outputs:

•Enhanced Description: A professionally written, appetizing description of the dish.

•Suggested Pairings: Wine, beverage, or side dish recommendations that complement the item.

Adding results to canvas:

•Each result card has an "+ Add to Canvas" button to place the text on your design.

•The description card also includes the uploaded photo alongside the text.

•A separate "Add Photo to Canvas" button lets you add just the photo.

Technical note: The AI runs locally using Ollama with llama3.2 models (text-only). No data is sent to external servers.

Undo & Redo

Every change you make on the canvas is tracked in a history stack with up to 50 states per page.

Undo: Press Ctrl+Z or click the ↩ button in the bottom tool palette to undo the last action.

Redo: Press Ctrl+Y (or Ctrl+Shift+Z) or click the ↪ button to redo.

Notes:

•History is per-page. Switching pages resets the undo/redo history for the new page.

•Actions tracked include adding, removing, and modifying objects on the canvas.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl + Z	Undo
Ctrl + Y	Redo
Ctrl + Shift + Z	Redo (alternative)
Ctrl + C	Copy selected object
Ctrl + V	Paste copied object
Ctrl + D	Duplicate selected object
Ctrl + G	Group selected objects
Ctrl + Shift + G	Ungroup selected group
Delete / Backspace	Delete selected object
Double-click text	Enter text editing mode
Escape	Exit text editing / deselect

Export & Publishing

Share your menu in multiple formats.

PDF Export:

•Click the Export dropdown in the toolbar and select PDF.

•All pages are included in a single, print-ready PDF document.

•Ideal for professional printing at 300 DPI.

PNG Export:

•Export the current page as a high-resolution PNG image.

•Useful for social media posts, digital signage, or website embedding.

JPG Export:

•Export the current page as a JPG image.

•Smaller file size than PNG — ideal for email attachments and web use.

JSON Save:

•Save your entire project (all pages) as a JSON file.

•Use this for backups or to transfer your project to another device.

QR Code Generation:

•Generate a QR code that links to your published menu page.

•The QR code encodes the URL: https://hotchows.com/menu/view/{your-menu-slug}

•Download as PNG or place directly on your canvas.

Online Publishing:

•Publish your menu to get a shareable public URL.

•Anyone with the link can view your menu online — no account required to view.

Sharing to Social Media

Share your designs directly to social media platforms using the Share button in the toolbar.

How to share:

1.Click the "Share" button (🔗) in the top toolbar.

2.A dialog opens with multiple sharing options.

Download options:

•Download as PNG — saves your current page as a high-resolution PNG file.

•Download as JPG — saves your current page as a JPG file (smaller size).

•Copy to Clipboard — copies the design image to your clipboard for quick pasting.

Share via... (mobile):

•On mobile devices, the "Share via..." button uses your device's native sharing feature (Web Share API).

•Share to any installed app — WhatsApp, Instagram, email, messaging apps, and more.

Social media platforms:

Share your design directly to 7 social media platforms with one click:

•Facebook — opens Facebook's share dialog with your design link.

•X/Twitter — opens X's compose tweet page.

•Pinterest — opens Pinterest's pin creator.

•LinkedIn — opens LinkedIn's share dialog.

•WhatsApp — opens WhatsApp with a share message.

•Telegram — opens Telegram's share dialog.

•Email — opens your default email client with the design attached.

How social sharing works:

When you click a platform button, your design is first downloaded to your device, then the platform's compose/upload page opens in a new tab. You upload the downloaded image and add your caption — you stay in full control of what gets posted. The Menu Creator never posts on your behalf.

Account & Authentication

The AI Menu Creator uses your Hotchows account from shops.hotchows.com.

Signing in:

1.Create an account or sign in at shops.hotchows.com using email, Google, or GitHub.

2.Once signed in, the Menu Creator automatically detects your session via a secure cross-domain cookie.

3.Your name appears in the header — you are ready to use all features.

Cross-domain authentication:

•When you sign in on shops.hotchows.com, a cookie is set on the .hotchows.com domain.

•The Menu Creator reads this cookie to identify you — no separate login needed.

•If automatic detection fails, a background check to shops.hotchows.com is used as a fallback.

Signing out:

•Click your name in the header, then click "Sign Out".

•This clears the cross-domain cookie and signs you out of the Menu Creator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the AI Menu Creator free?

Yes. The online version at hotchows.com/menu is completely free when you sign in with a Hotchows, Google, or GitHub account. A desktop offline version is available for $25 at shops.hotchows.com.

Do I need to install anything?

No. The Menu Creator runs entirely in your web browser. No downloads or plugins required for the online version.

What browsers are supported?

Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari (latest versions). We recommend Chrome for the best experience.

Can I print my menu?

Yes. Export as a PDF for professional print-ready output at 300 DPI, or as a PNG for digital display.

How many pages can my menu have?

Up to 20 pages per project.

Is my data private?

Yes. Your menu designs are saved in your browser's local storage. The AI runs locally on the server — your data is never sent to third-party AI services.

Can I use my own images?

Absolutely. Upload any JPG, PNG, or WebP image (up to 5 MB) for dish photos, logos, and backgrounds.

How do QR codes work?

Each published menu gets a unique URL. You can generate a QR code for that URL and print it on table tents, flyers, or your physical menu so customers can access the digital version.

Can I create social media posts?

Yes. The designer includes 40+ social media templates and canvas sizes optimized for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, WhatsApp, and Snapchat. Use the Share button to download and share to any platform.

Can the Menu Creator post to my social media automatically?

No. The Menu Creator downloads your design and opens the platform's compose page — you upload the image and write your caption. You are always in full control of what gets posted.

How many templates are available?

Over 1,710 templates across 22 categories, including 40+ dedicated social media templates.

Ready to create your menu?

Open Designer

AI Menu Creator — User Guide