Your soup sells out, tomorrow's hours change, and a new side needs to go on the menu. Those are useful jobs for an assistant, but only if you know which conversation can actually update the restaurant.
OmNom has a public getting-started helper and a signed-in restaurant assistant. The public helper explains setup. The signed-in assistant can make certain changes for the restaurant you have selected. Before asking either one for help, check which context you are in.
Start by checking the restaurant and the chat
If you are reading the website or working through getting-started guidance, treat that conversation as help with the process. It cannot mark your restaurant's items unavailable or change its hours just because you type a request.
For supported restaurant changes, sign in and select the correct restaurant. This matters especially if you manage more than one location: the same item name may exist at two restaurants with different stock or hours.
A useful request names the item or date, explains the change, and gives an end time when needed. Avoid broad instructions such as "fix the menu" or "close us for a while." The signed-in assistant asks for clarification or confirmation for broad or ambiguous changes. Read that question before agreeing.
Mark a sold-out item unavailable for a specific time
The signed-in assistant can mark an item unavailable until a specified time. An example request is:
"Mark broccoli soup unavailable until closing today."
Use the exact item name if similar dishes are on the menu. Say when availability should resume instead of leaving the duration unclear. For an ordinary menu-control workflow and checks after the change, see how to handle sold-out items.
After the assistant reports completion, review the affected item in the menu controls and check the customer-facing menu. That is a practical verification step, especially during a busy service. Do not treat a question, a suggestion or a failed response as confirmation that the item changed.
Add a menu item, then review the details
The restaurant assistant can add a menu item. Attached images can help with creating items, but the assistant does not currently have a whole-menu replacement tool.
For a new dish, prepare its name, price and description, plus any choices customers need to make. Review the resulting item in the menu screens before relying on it for orders. Check prices and options against what the kitchen actually offers, rather than assuming an image or short message captured every detail.
If you need to replace or reorganize the whole menu, use the menu screens to review and edit it. For a menu imported during setup, use the imported-menu review checklist. A request to add an item and a request to replace an entire menu are different jobs.
Use an exact date for a full-day closure
The signed-in assistant can create a full-day closure for a specific date. For example:
"Close the restaurant all day on November 26, 2026."
Treat that as an example, not a recommended holiday schedule. Choose the date your restaurant actually needs, then check the saved hours.
Custom holiday opening and closing times belong in the hours screen. If you plan to open for lunch but close early, do not ask for a full-day closure as a shortcut. OmNom supports normal hours, custom hours or closed all day for a specific date; the date's override takes precedence over the normal schedule. See the special-date hours guide for the difference.
Keep protected setup in the secure forms
An assistant can explain payment setup or a waiting reason. That does not let it approve verification or complete protected steps for you. The authorized owner or representative completes the required legal, identity and bank information in the secure setup.
Do not paste sign-in codes, passwords, bank details or identity documents into chat. If a field is confusing, ask what the field means without sharing its sensitive contents.
For routine changes, the useful habit is simple: select the restaurant, ask for one clear action, answer any clarification, and verify the saved result. If the assistant cannot complete the task, use the relevant app screen or contact OmNom support. The current FAQ is the starting point for what the restaurant assistant supports.