À la carte

Why this matters for restaurants: À la carte is the dominant ordering model in casual and family dining because it lets customers self-pace, control their bill, and customize. The trade-off is operational: à la carte kitchens handle more ticket variation per cover than prix fixe kitchens, which affects ticket time and station load.

Digital menus suit à la carte particularly well because the menu can rotate seasonal items, mark sold-out dishes instantly, and surface dietary tags per item — features that printed menus update slowly and expensively. On Menujo, a typical à la carte restaurant publishes 40–80 items across 5–8 categories.