This is one of the most important concepts on FourTwenty, and it maps directly to the Brand > Location hierarchy.
Catalog = Brand Level
Your product catalog is your brand-wide product library. Think of it as your master list of everything you sell. It's shared across all locations. When you add a product to the catalog, it doesn't automatically appear on any location's menu.
Menu = Location Level
The menu is what's actually available at a specific location. You add catalog products to a location's menu, then customize pricing and stock for that location.
Why This Matters
- If you have one location, think of the catalog as your product master list and the menu as what's currently for sale
- If you have multiple locations, you define the product once in the catalog and each location picks which items to carry
- Prices can differ between locations — each menu item has its own pricing
- When a menu item field is left blank, it inherits from the catalog product (name, description, images)