# A location's usual menu

October 14, 2026 · API

When a live menu read fails or comes back unreadable, `POST /v1/menus` and the MCP `menu` tool now answer with the restaurant's usual menu across its locations, instead of a general knowledge answer. See [POST /v1/menus](https://developer.layout.link/reference/api#post-v1-menus).

## What changed

- **The new `scope` field.** A usual menu carries `scope: "chain"`. A menu without `scope` is still this location's own.
- **Never priced.** A usual menu always has `pricesUnavailable: true` and `confidence: "partial"`, because prices vary by location.
- **Own menu first.** A location's own recent menu always comes first, and rate limit refusals are unchanged. Since 2026-10-23 the usual menu also answers a location Layout has not read yet, before any live read. See [Usual menus answer first](https://developer.layout.link/changelog/usual-menus-answer-first).

## What to do

If you show menus, treat `scope: "chain"` as what this location probably carries, not its exact menu, and show no prices for it.

## Breaking changes

None. `scope` is new and optional, and no field was removed.