How-to · Restaurants · Toast · Oct 16, 2026
Use Toast IQ to draft a menu or price change, and have the GM approve every one
Toast IQ can draft menu and price changes inside Toast POS. Drafts that go live without a named GM still create guest and kitchen surprises. This page shows how to pick one menu section, draft with Toast IQ, and approve every change before it publishes.
Who this is for
Restaurant GMs or owners on Toast POS who want Toast IQ to draft menu or price changes with a named approver. The job here is one approved change at a time. For Square Managerbot menu sync after owner approval — a different job — see Square Managerbot menu sync.
How to do it
This is a how-to, not a ranking of restaurant POS platforms. Per the Toast AI review, Toast IQ includes an assistant and IQ agents that can help with menu work. The review's ground rule: a named GM approves every menu or price change before it goes live.
1. Pick one menu section
What it is: Choose one section (for example lunch sandwiches or draft beer) with clear owners and no guest-facing allergen ambiguity.
- List items and current prices for that section only.
- Name the GM who approves every change.
- Skip whole-menu rewrites for this routine.
- Note kitchen and allergen owners who must review before publish.
They pick lunch sandwiches only. Dinner steak prices stay out of scope until sandwich changes settle for a week.
Write the section name, item list, and GM name on one sheet before you open Toast IQ.
2. Draft the change with Toast IQ
What it is: Ask Toast IQ to draft the menu or price update for that section; keep it off live channels until approved.
- Draft the item names, prices, and short descriptions.
- Keep allergen and ingredient lines for the chef to check.
- Do not push to online ordering or kiosks yet.
- Save the draft where the GM can compare old vs new.
Toast IQ drafts a two-dollar lunch sandwich increase and clearer descriptions. Allergen lines stay blank for the chef.
Read the draft next to yesterday's printed menu before you ask for approval.
3. GM reviews and approves before go-live
What it is: The GM approves or edits every line, then publishes only the approved set.
- GM compares draft to food cost and guest feedback.
- Chef signs allergen and ingredient lines.
- Publish only approved items.
- Watch the first service for wrong prices on tickets.
- Pause the change if tickets and the board disagree.
Three sandwiches go live at the new price. One description stays draft after the chef corrects an allergen. GM initials the sheet.
Keep a change log: item, old price, new price, approved by, date.
Pricing context (October 2026)
This how-to isn't a price sheet. Per the Toast AI review, Toast lists a Starter Kit at $0 and Point of Sale software from $69 per month on the pages we and the review checked; hardware and many modules are separate or custom. Dated October 2026.
Checked Oct 16, 2026 on the vendor’s own pricing page: Toast’s public pricing materials (cross-checked with our Toast AI review) list a Starter Kit at $0 and Point of Sale software from $69 per month; hardware and many modules are separate or custom. Confirm Toast IQ entitlement on your quote.
Uncertainty: The only prices this site sells here are the optional $9 AI toolkit spreadsheet and $19 AI toolkit audit.
When this helps (honest take)
Useful when you already run Toast, menu changes are frequent, and one GM owns publish.
Not useful when nobody owns allergens, or you need Square channel sync instead — see the Square Managerbot how-to.
Related options (educational)
| Need | Where to look | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Toast AI features | Toast AI | Primary path |
| Toast vs Square | Toast vs Square | Side-by-side |
| Square Managerbot menu sync | Square Managerbot sync | A different job |
| Restaurant stack map | Stack map: restaurant ops | Where Toast fits |
FAQ
How is this different from Square Managerbot sync?
A different job: this page is Toast IQ drafts with GM approval. Square Managerbot sync is about owner-approved channel updates on Square.
Should Toast IQ publish without the GM?
Not in this routine. Every menu or price change waits for the named GM.
Where do Toast prices live?
See the pricing section and the Toast AI review; confirm hardware and modules on your quote. Our Oct 16, 2026 check of the vendor’s own pricing page is summarized in the pricing section above.
How is this different from Square Managerbot sync?
A different job: this page is Toast IQ drafts with GM approval. For Square channel sync with owner approval, see the Square Managerbot how-to.
Optional next step
If you want a one-page toolkit map for the tools you already pay for, use the optional $9 AI toolkit spreadsheet. If you want a short review of seat waste and unused tools, use the optional $19 AI toolkit audit. Neither is required to follow this how-to.