In stock, out of stock, or hidden
What each availability state does, so a diner sees exactly what you intend.
A menu item's Stock Status has three settings, and they behave differently on the diner's menu.
The three states
- In stock: the item shows on the menu and can be ordered. This is the normal state.
- Out of stock: the item still shows on the menu, but is marked Sold out and cannot be ordered. Use this when you have run out for now and want diners to see it is usually available.
- Hidden: the item is taken off the diner menu entirely. Use this when you do not want diners to see it at all right now.
Out of stock vs hidden
The difference is whether diners see it. Out of stock keeps the item visible (as sold out) so diners know it exists; hidden removes it from view. Neither deletes the item, and neither affects past orders.
Categories hide too
A whole category can be hidden the same way: a hidden category drops off the live menu but stays in your dashboard, so you can bring it back any time without rebuilding it.
Deleting is different again
Deleting an item is a soft delete: it disappears from the menu but its past order history stays accurate. If you only want to pause an item for now, use out of stock or hidden rather than deleting.