How do I manage live orders during service?

The Orders page is your live queue. New orders arrive in real time with a sound chime — no refreshing. Keep it open on a tablet or counter screen during service, and allow browser notifications and sound when prompted so a busy kitchen never misses an order.

The order lifecycle

Orders move through five columns: Placed → Accepted → Preparing → Ready → Served. Move a whole order forward with one tap, or move individual items when dishes finish at different times. Moved something by mistake? You can move it back.

Partial serving

You don't have to hold a whole order for one slow dish. Serve the items that are ready — the diner's phone shows exactly which items are served and which are still on the way, so nobody wonders where their food went.

Cancelling items

If a dish can't be made, cancel it from the order — the whole line or just some units (say 1 of 3), with a reason like "Sold out". The diner sees a polite note on their order page. If the item was paid, a refund review is queued for you automatically: see How do I handle cancellations and refunds?

Orders that contain items flagged against a diner's declared dietary preferences show an alert banner, so the kitchen can double-check before cooking.

Overdue orders

Orders that wait too long in a column turn amber, then red, with one extra chime when they cross into red — enough to catch the team's eye without becoming noise.

If the screen looks stale

The queue reconnects and catches up automatically after a network blip. If anything ever looks off, refresh the page — the queue always reflects the true state of orders.