How to Publish a Bar or Restaurant Menu

Who is this for?

Bars, restaurants, tasting rooms, and speakeasies that want guests to browse pours on their phone (Safari, QR, or App Clip) without needing a WhiskeyMate account. Collectors who only want a public shelf can leave Bar / Restaurant mode off.

Why publish a menu?

• One link, always current — update bottles or pour prices in the app, then refresh the public menu.
• Table-ready QR — guests scan and open the menu instantly; on iPhone it can launch the WhiskeyMate App Clip when available.
• Pour prices guests can trust — Bar / Restaurant mode unlocks pour price fields on bottle entry and detail.
• Official at your venue — claim your Google Place so guests see your menu first (not a community tip).
• Faster setup — Capture menu photographs your printed board and drafts bottles + prices into the collection.

What you need

• WhiskeyMate Premium
• A collection that is (or will be) your venue pour list
• Bottles with quantity > 0 that you want guests to see

Where to find the controls

Open the collection → Sharing (or Profile → Manage Sharing). You’ll see Share publicly, then Bar / Restaurant mode.

Step-by-step

1. Share publicly — Turn this on to publish a guest link and QR. Anyone can open the collection without signing in.
2. Bar / Restaurant mode — Turn this on if the collection is a venue pour list. This unlocks pour price fields, Capture menu, and Claim your place. Leave it off for a collector shelf preview.
3. Add pour prices — Edit each bottle (or use Capture menu). Set pour price, optional currency/label, section, and featured pours.
4. Update public menu — Tap this after price or bottle changes so the guest link, QR, and App Clip show the latest snapshot. Turning Share publicly on the first time publishes; later edits need Update.
5. Share the link or print the QR — Copy the public URL or use the guest QR on tables / the bar rail.
6. Optional — Claim your place — Verify your Google Business listing so guests see Official at that venue. See How Bars Claim an Official Place Menu.

When to update

• After changing pour prices, adding or removing bottles, or editing sections
• After a Capture menu import
• Whenever you want the QR / App Clip to match what’s behind the stick

How guests open it

• Web: https://applinks.whiskeymate.net/public/collection/?id=<shareId>
• Short App Clip path: https://applinks.whiskeymate.net/c?id=<shareId>
• Place hub (after claim): https://applinks.whiskeymate.net/public/place/?id=<GooglePlaceId>

What Bar / Restaurant mode is not

• It does not auto-fill pour prices — you set them (or Capture menu drafts them).
• It does not replace community Place Menus. Guests can still see community tips under Place Menus unless you claim Official.
• If you only want a public collector shelf, use Share publicly and leave Bar / Restaurant mode off.

Tips

• Use menu sections (Bourbon, Rye, Scotch…) so the guest page is scannable.
• Mark featured pours for house favorites.
• Hide bottles with Show in public collection off, or set quantity to 0.
• Keep Share publicly on while you edit; tap Update public menu when ready for guests to see changes.

Need help?

Email info@whiskeymate.net — include your venue name and the public menu link if you have one.