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First, What Are Nested Modifiers?

If you’ve worked with Toast, you know that modifiers let customers customize their order — things like “Add Bacon” or “Side Salad.” Nested modifiers take that one step further. They’re a second layer of choice that follows the first modifier. Think of it this way: a modifier is the first question, and a nested modifier is the follow-up question. Here are some real-world examples:
  • Pizza customization: The customer picks “Left Side” (modifier), then picks “Pepperoni” (nested modifier) for that side.
  • Side dishes: The customer picks “Side Salad” (modifier), then picks “Ranch” (nested modifier) as dressing.
  • Hot dog toppings: The customer picks “Chicago Style” (modifier), then removes “No Cheese” (nested modifier) from the preset toppings.
Why does this matter for inventory? Without nested modifiers turned on in Garde, you only see the first-level modifier in your PMIX data. That means you’d see “Left Side” with no indication of what was actually on it. Not very useful for tracking what you’re going through.
Nested modifiers are a Toast-specific feature. If you’re using Square, Clover, or ChowBus as your POS, modifier handling works differently and this page won’t apply to you.
More information from Toast: Toast Central

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What Does This Look Like in Garde?

There are two ways to use nested modifiers, depending on your menu setup:
  1. If you need the main modifier on its own line (separate from the nested modifier), jump to the “Pick 2 or Combination Meals” section.
    • Example: A “Pick 2” deal where the customer selects a 1/2 sandwich (main modifier) and then picks the bread (nested modifier). You want to map the sandwich and the bread separately.
  2. If you want the main modifier combined with the nested modifier on one line, keep reading.
    • Example: A pizza where “Left Side” is the main modifier and “Pepperoni” is the nested modifier. You’d see one line called “Left Side - Pepperoni” on the PMIX Mapping page.
This integration only captures one level of nested modifiers. If your nested modifiers have their own nested modifiers, those won’t show up in Garde.

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In Toast

The image below shows what a menu structure looks like in Toast and how it flows into Garde. We only pull in one level of nesting.

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In Garde

We create a line on the PMIX mapping page for each main modifier + nested modifier combination.

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For Example:

“Left Side” is the main modifier. “Pepperoni” is the nested modifier. In this pizzeria example, customers can customize each half of a pizza. They select “Left Side” first, then pick a topping. The rows Garde creates would look something like:
  • Left Side - Pepperoni
  • Left Side - Green Pepper
  • Left Side - Mushroom
  • Right Side - Onion
A few things to know:
  • If no nested modifier is selected, you’ll just see the main modifier. For instance, if someone orders a Side Salad with no dressing, you’d see “Side Salad” on its own.
  • If a nested modifier is always selected for a modifier, we don’t create a standalone row for the main modifier. There won’t be a row labeled just “Left Side” because that on its own doesn’t map to any product.
  • If you need the main modifier to have its own row (separate from nested modifier rows), see the Pick 2 section below.

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Pick 2 or Combination Meal Settings

For Pick 2 or combo meals, nested modifiers work a bit differently. Example scenario: A customer picks a “Pick 2” deal — a 1/2 sandwich and a 1/2 soup. When they choose the sandwich, they also pick the bread and can further customize.
  • Menu item: Pick 2
  • Main modifier: 1/2 Chicken Mozzarella sandwich
  • Nested modifiers: Ciabatta bread, No red onion
With default nested modifier settings, this is what you’d see: This lets you map the nested modifiers (like the bread options), but doesn’t give you a way to map the sandwich itself. You need a separate line for just the sandwich: That way you can map both the sandwich and all its nested modifiers (like the bread).

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How to Enable Separate Main Modifier Lines

  1. In Garde, go to Setup > Point of Sale > Edit Configuration (for Toast).
  2. Check the box labeled “Allow separate mappings for submodifiers from their parent modifier?”
  3. Click Save.
Once saved, Garde will start creating separate rows for main modifier items. Before: After:

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How Do I Get Nested Modifiers Turned On?

This feature is enabled by default for all new customers from April 2024 onward. For customers who were already set up before that, it wasn’t auto-enabled (to avoid breaking existing mappings). If you’re not seeing nested modifiers in Garde and want them turned on, email contact@garde.app and let the team know which locations you’d like it enabled for. Mention if you also need the advanced Pick 2/combination meals setting. Things to keep in mind:
  • You need to have nested modifiers set up in Toast first. If they’re not configured there, Garde won’t see them. Toast Central has a guide for that.
  • We only capture one level of nested modifiers. Nested modifiers within nested modifiers won’t appear.
  • When this feature gets turned on, you’ll likely have new lines on your PMIX Mapping page that need to be mapped. Your percentage of total sales mapped may dip until you get those handled.