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sidebar_label: 'Overview'
sidebar_position: 1
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# Menus

A **menu** defines the set of categories and products that a store offers for a given order type — eat in, takeaway, delivery, and so on. Rather than configuring a single flat list of products per store, Future Ordering separates the _definition_ of what is available from the _compiled result_ the customer sees.

:::info
This section describes menus and products on a conceptual level. See [Importing menus](importing-master-data/importing-menus/overview.md) for a complete menu import format reference.
:::

## Core entities

Five entities make up the menu data model:

- **[Menu definition](menu-content.md)** — a definition of what content, paired with what pricing, to compile into a finished menu
- **[Content group](menu-content.md)** — specifies a set of categories and products
- **[Price group](price-groups.md)** — specifies the currency and price of items; also controls VAT
- **[Category](categories.md)** — groups products for easier browsing; supports up to two levels of nesting
- **[Items](items.md)** — either a **Product** (a sellable item) or a **Container** (a configurable slot inside a product)

When a menu is imported, these entities together are compiled into a **menu instance**: the fully resolved list of categories and priced products that the platform presents to a guest.

## Product types

Products can be configured to deliver different customer experiences: a simple snack, a sized coffee, a configurable burger, or a multi-part combo meal. These patterns are described in [Product types](product-types/overview.md).