iaMenu Manual - Complete Guide to the Digital Menu with AI for Restaurants

3 minutes

Welcome to the complete manual of iaMenu, the first platform for digital menus with real integrated artificial intelligence. In the next 22 sections, you will learn how to create, manage, and optimize your restaurant's menu using AI tools that automate translations, detect allergens, generate professional images, and much more. Estimated total time: about 2 hours (you can go directly to the section you need).

What is iaMenu

iaMenu is a web application designed for restaurants, hotels, chains, and any hospitality business that needs a professional digital menu. Unlike other tools on the market, iaMenu integrates 7 pillars of artificial intelligence that truly work, not just marketing — and it also operates your day-to-day: reservations, QR orders at the table, loyalty, and reviews.

With iaMenu you can:

• Create your complete menu with categories, subcategories, and visually organized products
• Prepare AI-assisted translations from a catalogue of 29 supported languages, with 2, 4 or 8 active languages depending on plan
• Review AI-assisted allergen suggestions across the 14 EU allergen categories
• Generate professional images of your dishes with GPT Image, without the need for a photographer
• Export customizable PDF menu snapshots ready to print
• Create and customize QR codes and printable posters
• Manage your team with 4 roles and 14 granular permissions (owner, manager, chef, staff) — and waiters only with PIN
• Receive online reservations with no commissions, with automatic reminders (Reservations)
• Take QR orders at the table with kitchen kanban and waiter mode (Orders)
• Do real marketing: CRM for diners, stamp cards, coupons, and campaigns (Marketing)
• Get Google reviews legally with your review QR code (Reviews)
• Manage everything via WhatsApp by talking to Gaston, your AI assistant (Gaston via WhatsApp)

iaMenu works in any modern browser, both on desktop and mobile. You don't need to install anything.

The 7 Pillars of Artificial Intelligence

What sets iaMenu apart from any other digital menu tool are its 7 pillars of AI, all integrated and functioning in production:

1. Gaston - Conversational AI Assistant

Gaston is iaMenu's artificial intelligence assistant. You can talk to him naturally, and he performs real actions on your menu. He is not a generic chatbot: he has over 100 integrated functions that include creating products, generating images, translating, detecting allergens, reordering categories, and much more.

Real example: Type "Create a margherita pizza at 12 euros in the Pizzas category," and Gaston creates the product, detects allergens (gluten, lactose), generates a professional image, and translates the name into the active languages. All in a single instruction.

Learn more in the section Gaston - Your AI Assistant.

2. Automatic Translation into 29 Languages

IAMenu supports 29 languages using GPT-4o-mini, with 2 active languages on Starter, 4 on Professional, and 8 on Premium. Smart Swap lets you create content in a supported working language and prepares versions for the other active languages. Review dish names, ingredients, and allergen wording before publishing.

When you activate a new language, the automatic backfill system processes existing content in the background. Review the generated content when it finishes.

More details in the section Automatic Translations with AI.

3. Allergen Detection with Super Chef

European food-information rules identify 14 allergen categories that require particular attention. IAMenu's Super Chef system analyzes menu content to suggest possible allergens for review. The restaurant must verify suggestions against recipes, preparation methods and supplier information.

You can review and edit the AI suggestions at any time. If you manually mark an allergen, the system respects it and does not overwrite it.

Check the section Allergens and Labels for more information.

4. Professional Images with GPT Image

Generating professional food photographs is expensive and time-consuming. iaMenu integrates GPT Image to automatically create images of your dishes. The result goes through an optimization pipeline with Sharp that generates 3 sizes (thumbnail, medium, and large) in WebP format for maximum loading speed.

Each product can have up to 5 images in its gallery. Categories and subcategories can have up to 3.

5. Descriptions with AI in 4 Styles

iaMenu generates automatic descriptions for your products with 4 styles (classic, modern, poetic, technical) and 4 lengths (short, medium, long, very long). There are 16 possible combinations that adapt to your restaurant's tone.

6. Color Palette with AI

Describe the atmosphere of your restaurant with words, and the AI generates a personalized color palette for your digital menu. You can choose from 4 predefined themes or create your own with the design tokens system.

Manual Structure: 22 Sections

This manual is organized into 17 sections covering everything from creating your account to regulatory compliance. You can follow them in order or jump directly to the one you need.

The manual contains 22 independent sections. You can follow them in order or open only the workflow you need.

Plans and Pricing

iaMenu offers 3 plans tailored to different business sizes:

New accounts can use a 14-day Professional trial with no credit card required.

Prerequisites

To use iaMenu, you only need:

• Modern web browser: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge (recent version)
• Email account or Google account to register
• Internet connection: iaMenu works 100% in the cloud, no installation required

No prior technical knowledge is needed. The manual is designed so that anyone can follow it step by step, from the restaurant owner to kitchen staff.

How to Use This Manual

Each section of the manual follows a consistent structure:

1. Introduction: What you will learn and why it is important
2. Steps with screenshots: Detailed instructions with images for desktop and mobile
3. Tips and warnings: Practical advice and common mistakes to avoid
4. Next step: Link to the next logical section

Screenshots are shown for desktop and mobile separately, as iaMenu has optimized interfaces for each device. You can switch between both views using the Desktop/Mobile tabs at each step.

Tips and Best Practices

Follow these recommendations before starting with iaMenu:

• Prepare photos of your dishes before starting. If you don't have photos, the AI generates professional images for you.
• Define the categories of your menu before creating it. A good structure saves time later.
• Activate the languages you need from the beginning. The system translates all existing content when you activate a new language.
• Start with the free trial plan. You have 14 days to try all the features of the Professional plan without commitment.
• Use Gaston to create products quickly. With a single instruction, he can prepare product data, allergen suggestions, an image, and translations for your review.
• Review the menu on mobile before sharing it, because QR menu visits commonly come from phones.

Common Troubleshooting

I can't access my account

Verify that the email is correct and that the password is case-sensitive. If you forgot your password, use the recovery option from the login page.

The menu appears empty after registering

After registration, iaMenu automatically creates a sample menu. If it doesn't appear, refresh the page. If the problem persists, contact support.

Translations are not generated

Check that you have more than one language activated. Translations are only generated when there are additional active languages in the business settings.

I don't know how much space I have left in my plan

Check the limits of your plan from the business settings panel. iaMenu shows your current usage of products, AI images, and translations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I try iaMenu without a credit card?

Yes. The 14-day trial plan is completely free and does not require a credit card. You can start creating your menu right now.

Does iaMenu work in all browsers?

Yes. iaMenu works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge in their recent versions. You do not need to install any additional software.

Can I cancel my subscription at any time?

Yes. You can cancel from the billing section at any time. Your account will remain active until the end of the paid period.

What happens to my menu if I change plans?

Your menu and all data remain intact. When downgrading, some premium features are deactivated, but content is not lost.

Does IAMenu guarantee allergen compliance?

No. IAMenu helps organize, review and publish allergen information, but the restaurant remains responsible for verifying the final data and following its local requirements.

Related Tutorials

Start with these guides to set up your digital menu:

• Login to access your account with Google or email
• Onboarding to set up your first restaurant step by step
• Create Categories to organize the sections of your menu
• Create Products to add dishes with prices and AI images
• Gaston - Your AI Assistant to automate the management of your menu with artificial intelligence

Ready to create your digital menu with artificial intelligence?

Create Free Account - 14-Day Trial

No credit card required for the 14-day Professional trial.

More information:

• All features of iaMenu
• View plans and pricing