---
title: "Creating and Using Option Lists"
url: "https://help.aurapos.com/en/article/creating-and-using-option-lists"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2026-03-25T08:53:29.186Z"
---

# Creating and Using Option Lists

In the Menu Builder, using Option Lists allows you to create a set of choices that appear automatically when a specific menu item is selected.

For example, when a cashier rings up a pizza, CounterPOS can prompt them to offer extra cheese as an upsell. This is to make sure staff never miss available choices on an item or an opportunity to increase the value of an order.

[YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/embed/oqVNPMO12os)

## Creating an Option List

Option Lists are managed under the **Enhancers** section, within the **Option Lists** tab.

![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/d30cfea0-ddab-4d98-a960-a739f14aa13b)

1.  Click the **Plus (+)** icon to create a new list.
2.  Enter a descriptive name (for example: **"Pizza Cheese Upsell"**).
3.  Click **Create Option List**.

![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/38e8eadd-68b5-4a08-b0f5-91e17deaf480)

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## Configuring the Option List

After creating the list, you must define which items will appear as choices. Open the **kebab menu** (three vertical dots) and select **Edit**.

![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/89a2127c-5c84-4da9-88b0-f7c611e4dadd)

This will open the **Edit Option list** panel on the **Contents** tab.

### Contents

Here you can choose the specific **items** or **categories** you want to include.

-   If you want to limit the choice to only a few items, select the individual items.
-   If you want to offer all items in a category, select an entire category - **NOTE:** You can further filter which items appear from that category in the list under the **Filters** tab, so if you want to have the option list dynamically show items from this category according to their variants, you can configure that as a filter.

Select **Save** to confirm your choices.  
![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/3750c518-da99-40fb-802f-e6fd3fa6cfcb)

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### Selections

The **Selections** tab controls how many choices can be made from the list. This includes setting **minimum and maximum selections.**

![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/8d951643-5589-4416-b1c8-eb1d0c927846)

-   A **minimum** selection forces the operator to make this many selections before they can save the menu item. A setting of 0 means they are not forced to make a selection and can save the item without any selections.
-   A **maximum** selection puts a cap on the number of selections an operator can make. They can add any number under this amount and still save the item. A setting of 0 means they can add as many selections as they like.

An optional **“No” button** can also be enabled that an operator can tap when a customer declines the options. By default, this appears as **“No thanks”**, but you can change it here.

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### Triggers

The **Triggers** tab defines when and how the items in option list appears.

![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/516a720f-ad57-481b-bc75-80c2d6d61318)

-   Option lists can be restricted to prevent them from being **triggered from another option list**, whichmeans that in cases where items added to an option list also themselves have option lists, you can stop them from presenting those choices. This might be called for if you have a special where you want to limit what choices are available on that special.
-   The option list can also be set to trigger for specific variants. This is particularly useful when the list is applied to an entire category but should only apply to certain variants of that category. For example, an option list could be configured to appear only when a **Large** pizza is selected because of a special offer where a free softdrink is given away with Large pizzas only.

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### Filters

The **Filters** tab provides more granular control over *which* options are displayed.

![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/9c017e0f-0722-49ac-901d-0cdcb35c76c1)

-   **Only show item where variant matches parent item** lets you filter out all items in the option list except those that have the same variant tag as the item that was chosen by the operator. For example, if a **Large pizza** is selected, the option list will only display **Large cheese upsell options**, even if the selected category contains multiple sizes. If a medium is chosen, it'll only show medium options, and so on.
-   Alternatively, the list can be restricted to **only show items with a specific Variant**, which means that regardless of what parent item is selected, it will only show options of a particular variation that you set here.

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## Price Overrides

The **Price Override** tab allows the price of items within the option list to be adjusted independently of their base price.

![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/5250a5e2-3aa1-4195-ab94-a039c76c1b35)

This is commonly used in promotions. For example, a meal deal might include a **free soft drink**, in which case the drink’s price within the option list would be overridden to zero.

If no override is applied, items will retain their **standard pricing**.

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## Add vs Replace Behaviour

Option Lists can be configured to either **add items to the invoice** or **replace the parent item**, depending on the use case.

![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/bbe5c82b-41cd-4906-8288-0f88d447433c)

-   In most scenarios, selected options are **added** to the order, such as extra toppings or sauces.
-   In other cases, the option list may **replace** the original item. For example, selecting a patty type could replace a generic “Burger” item with a specific **“Beef Burger”** or **“Chicken Burger”** item.

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## Assigning Option Lists

Once configured, the option list must be assigned to a **menu item** or an entire **Category**. This is done by dragging and dropping the option list onto the desired target.

![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/0f03a486-ac85-435d-ac6b-a9f62a93941d)

-   When applied to a category, the option list is automatically inherited by **all items within that category**, ensuring consistent behaviour across similar products.
-   If the option list needs to be removed, it can be cleared by selecting the **“X”** on the option label.