Why utensils matter

Over 80% of ezCater orders go to restaurants that offer free utensils. Customers ordering catering for an office often don’t have plates, napkins, or silverware on hand, and they filter accordingly. Offering free utensils — and providing recyclable or sustainable options where possible — is one of the most cost-effective conversion improvements you can make to your menu.

How utensils work on ezCater

Every food item on ezCater must have a utensils configuration. There are two supported patterns:

Pattern	How it’s modeled	What the customer sees
Free utensils	A hidden modifier group on each food item, tagged as `UTENSILS`	A dedicated “tableware” section in the cart; selections appear automatically based on the items in the order
Paid utensils	Standalone utensils item(s) in a Miscellaneous category	A purchasable item the customer adds to the cart manually

The customer experience is the same either way: as items are added to the cart, tableware options appear in a dedicated section. The customer can select or deselect tableware as needed. With free utensils, the selections are included; with paid utensils, the customer adds and pays for them as separate line items.

Note: Utensils selections that customers make in the cart are visible to your team in Partner Portal, so your kitchen knows exactly what to pack with each order.

Which items need utensils

Every food item needs a utensils configuration. The configuration varies by item type:

Item type	Utensils group	Choices
Standard items (sandwiches, salads, entrées)	Utensils	Utensils, Plates, Napkins
Soups	Soup Utensils	Bowls, Napkins, Spoons
Non-individual drinks (carafes, gallons)	Cups & Ice	Cups, Ice
Coffee	Coffee Utensils	Cups, Stirrers, Sugar, Diet Sweeteners, Creamer

The one exception is individual drinks (a single bottled soda or canned drink, for example). Individual drinks don’t need a utensils configuration because they’re self-contained.

Free utensils: configuration

Free utensils are modeled as a modifier group on each food item. The group is hidden on the ezCater menu — customers don’t see it as a choice — but its contents appear in the cart’s dedicated tableware section.

To configure free utensils on an item

On the food item in Olo Menu Management, create a new modifier group. Name it based on the item type: “Utensils,” “Soup Utensils,” “Cups & Ice,” or “Coffee Utensils.”
Inside the group, create a utensils modifier and map it to the POS.
Add the appropriate choices for the item type (see the table above).
Tag the modifier group with the following metadata:
- Key: ChoiceTypeTags
- Value: UTENSILS
Save.

Repeat this for every food item that needs utensils — or, for efficiency, set the group up once and duplicate it across items.

WARNING: Free utensils are not modeled using Olo’s Single Use Category functionality. Use a per-item modifier group as described above. The Single Use Category pattern does not produce the right behavior on ezCater.

Paid utensils: configuration

Paid utensils are modeled as standalone items in a Miscellaneous category. Customers add them to their cart like any other menu item.

To configure paid utensils

In Olo Menu Management, create a “Miscellaneous” category (if one doesn’t already exist).
Create a utensils item inside that category, with a price.
Tag the item with:
- Key: ItemTypeTags, Value: UTENSILS
- Key: TaxCategory, Value: MISCELLANEOUS
Add an option group on the item for the specific utensil types being sold. Use the choice configuration that matches the utensil type (see below)
Save

Utensils item	Choices
Utensils	Utensils, Plates, Napkins
Soup Utensils	Bowls, Napkins, Spoons
Cups	Cups
Ice	Ice

Common mistakes

Skipping utensils on some food items. Every food item needs a utensils configuration (except individual drinks). Missing configurations cause inconsistent cart behavior.
Mixing free and paid patterns on the same menu. Pick one pattern per location and apply it consistently. Inconsistency confuses customers and complicates fulfillment.
Forgetting the UTENSILS tag. Without the tag, ezCater doesn’t recognize the modifier group or item as utensils, and the cart behavior breaks.
Using Olo’s Single Use Category pattern for free utensils. This pattern is not supported on ezCater. Use per-item modifier groups instead.
Adding utensils tagging to Meal Program–only items. Utensils are not required on items tagged RelishChannel = T (and not also MarketplaceChannel = T). See Meal Program Menu Set Up.