Taqueria and Mexican restaurant menu makerBirria on Saturday. Gone by one.
A taqueria menu is a grid: the same proteins as a taco, a burrito, a plate, and a quesadilla. Then the weekend adds birria and menudo, the al pastor runs out before close, and plenty of customers read the board in Spanish. Gaslamp keeps the board, the QR at the counter, and the to-go menu as one menu you change from your phone.
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What changes on a taqueria menu, and how often
A menu is designed once and edited forever. These are the edits this kind of place makes, and what each one takes in Gaslamp.
| The change | How often | In Gaslamp |
|---|---|---|
| A protein runs out | Most nights, near close | Mark the taco and the plate that use it sold out. Both show struck through on the QR menu about thirty seconds after you save. |
| Weekend specials go on | Every Saturday morning | Keep birria, menudo, and pozole in a Weekend section, hidden Monday to Friday. Show it when the pot is ready. |
| Aguas frescas change | By the week | Each agua is an item, with Small and Large as two labeled prices on one line. Hide the flavor you are not making this week. |
| Lent starts | Every spring | Build a Cuaresma section with fish and shrimp ahead of time, hidden. Show it on Ash Wednesday. |
| Tortilla or meat costs move | A few times a year | Update the prices from your phone and save; the QR menu is current about thirty seconds later. Reprint the board PDF when you are ready. |
12:50 p.m.
Birria gone at 12:50. Off the menu at 12:51.
Saturday, and the pot is scraped. Mark the birria tacos and the consomé sold out, tap Save & update live menu, and about thirty seconds later the line reading the counter code sees them struck through and orders something else. The Weekend section stays put; put the birria back on next Saturday morning.
The editor runs in your phone’s browser; there is no app to install. The menu rebuilds in about two seconds, and phones that scan the code see the change about thirty seconds after you save.
Your phone
The menu
How taquerias set up their menus in Gaslamp
Menus
- CounterTacos, burritos, plates, sides, drinks
- Catering (optional)Taco bar by the person or by the tray, on its own menu and code
Sections, for example
- Tacosone per protein, up to 12
- Burritos & quesadillasabout 6
- Platosplates with rice and beans, about 8
- Weekendbirria, menudo, pozole, hidden on weekdays
- Sidesrice, beans, chips and salsa, guacamole
- Aguas & drinkshorchata, jamaica, Jarritos, Mexican Coke
- Kids2 or 3
Up to twelve sections of twenty items each. Each protein appears once under Tacos and once under Platos, which is how most taqueria boards already read.
Start with Latin American
Warm color and painted-sign type, built for a long list of short names and small prices.
Start from the sample menu set in Latin American, then type your dishes and prices over it in the editor. After that, the job is keeping it right from your phone. See the free template for the full layout.
Where the QR code goes
Each menu gets one code, and it never changes. Print it once; every edit after that shows up behind it. Gaslamp makes the printable pieces for you.
From the floor: Get the window code up before the weekend. The birria crowd checks before they drive over, and a menu that dropped it at 12:51 saves them the trip.
- Counter cardat the register, by the salsa bar, for the second round of tacos
- Window signso people on the sidewalk can see whether the birria is on today
- Table tentfor the order of three more without losing the seat
Good to know before you start
- No language switch or translation. Gaslamp menus are English, but you can write both languages into one menu (“Lengua · beef tongue”), as many bilingual boards already do.
- Up to three labeled prices per item, so one taco and an order of three can share a line. A taco and a plate with rice and beans read better as two items in their own sections.
- No schedule. The Weekend section goes on with a tap Saturday morning and off on Monday; Gaslamp does not do it by the calendar.
Taqueria menu questions
- Can my menu be in English and Spanish?
- Not as two versions. Gaslamp has no translation or language switch. Write both in the item name or description, for example “Lengua · beef tongue”, and both print on the PDF and show on the hosted menu.
- How do I list tacos by protein and as plates?
- Each protein is an item under Tacos at the per-taco price, and again under Platos at the plate price with rice and beans. A single line can carry up to three labeled prices (One and Three, say), but most boards keep the plate as its own item because it comes with sides.
- How do I add weekend specials like birria or menudo?
- Keep them in a Weekend section you hide during the week. Saturday morning, show the section and save; the QR menu has it about thirty seconds later. Gaslamp does not switch sections on by day.
- Can customers order from the QR menu?
- No. The QR opens the menu to read. Orders still happen at the counter or the table, and Gaslamp does not connect to your POS or delivery apps.
- How much does it cost?
- Start with a 30-day free trial, no credit card needed. Then it is $19 a month, or $190 a year (2 months free). No setup fee. Cancel anytime. The trial includes one published live menu with QR codes. PDF downloads and additional menus start when you pick a plan.
Birria on at nine, off at 12:51, back next Saturday. One tap each way.
No card needed · then $19/mo or $190/yr · cancel anytime