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Menu Sheet Format Guide

How to structure your Google Sheet or CSV file for syncing to StarviewMenu.

Required Columns

These three columns must be present in every sheet. Column names are case-insensitive.

Column	Rules
`SKU`	Unique ID for each item. Used to match rows on re-sync — never change a SKU once set.
`Item_Name`	Display name shown to customers. Max 100 characters.
`Category`	Menu section (e.g. Appetizers, Entrees, Drinks). Max 80 characters.

Optional Columns

Column	Notes
`Sub_Category`	Sub-section within a category. Max 80 characters.
`Variation`	Size or style (e.g. Small, Large, Spicy). Max 80 characters.
`Description`	Item description shown to customers. Max 500 characters.
`Price`	Display price (e.g. 9.99 or $9.99). Max 20 characters.
`Dietary_Flags`	Comma-separated tags (e.g. GF, V, Vegan). Max 200 characters.
`Visible`	Set to N, No, or 0 to hide an item without deleting it.
`Notes`	Internal notes — not shown to customers. Max 300 characters.

Prohibited Content

Your sheet will be rejected if any cell contains:

Formula characters — cells starting with =, +, -, or @. Remove the leading character.
HTML tags — any <tag> content. Use plain text only.
Control characters — invisible characters copied from other apps.
Oversized fields — values exceeding the character limits above.

How to Publish a Google Sheet as CSV

Open your Google Sheet.
Go to File → Share → Publish to web.
Under "Link", select your sheet tab and choose Comma-separated values (.csv).
Click Publish. Confirm if prompted.
Copy the URL that appears and paste it into the Sync page.

The URL updates automatically every time you save changes to your sheet. Just click "Sync Now" in your dashboard to pull in the latest version.

Re-syncing Safely

Re-uploading your full menu is always safe. Items matched by SKU are updated in place. New SKUs are added. Items in your database that are no longer in the sheet are hidden (not deleted) — you can review and delete them from your dashboard if needed.

Manual edits and re-syncing: If you've edited item names, prices, descriptions, or dietary flags directly in the dashboard, a re-sync will overwrite those fields with whatever is in the sheet. The dashboard shows a warning banner when unsaved manual edits exist — check it before syncing to avoid losing work.

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