Restaurant step 8: take an order at the POS

This page follows one restaurant order through its whole life: the waiter or cashier takes the order at the POS, the kitchen cooks it, the guest gets the bill and pays. Practise it with a few test orders before opening day.

Before you start

• Steps 1–7 are done: menu, modifiers, tables, kitchen display and order types.
• The cash register for your branch is open (the POS asks you to open it the first time). See Cash register and closing.

The order flow at a glance

Stage	Who	Where	Status
Order taken	Waiter or cashier	POS or SmartPOS Business app	Order placed
Cooking	Kitchen	Kitchen display	Preparing → Ready
Served or handed over	Waiter, counter or rider	Orders board	Served / Delivered
Bill and payment	Cashier or waiter	POS › Open tabs	Completed

1. Start the order

POS V2

Open Sell › POS. Pick the location at the top, then open Order details under the customer box to choose the table, type of service, waiter and tab name.

/pos-v2/create

POS V2: categories across the top, menu items in a list or grid, and Send to kitchen above the payment buttons.

POS V1

Open Sell › POS. At the top of the cart, choose the type of service, the table (or click Floor to pick it from the floor plan), and fill Tab / guest name, Guests and Phone (optional).

/pos/create

POS V1: the table, tab name and guests sit at the top of the cart; Send to kitchen is in the bottom bar.

Guests don’t need to give a name

Leave the customer as Walk-In Customer and use the table, or type a short tab name like “Ali – blue shirt”. No customer record is created, and the name shows on the kitchen ticket, the bill and the receipt.

2. Add items and options

1. Tap a category, then tap an item, or search or scan it.
2. If the item has sizes, pick one. If it has modifiers, the options window opens: answer the required sets, add extras, and tap Add to order.
3. Change quantity on the cart line. To change options later, tap the options chips on the line.

/pos-v2/create

Required sets must be answered before Add to order works.

3. Send it to the kitchen

Tap Send to kitchen. The order is saved as an open tab (no payment yet), stock is taken, the table turns occupied on the floor plan and the ticket appears on the kitchen display. If no table or name is set on a walk-in, the POS asks you to name this tab first.

When the kitchen bumps the order to Ready, the waiter serves it and marks it Served on the Orders board (or the kitchen’s last status does it for you).

4. Print the bill and take payment

1. Click Open tabs in the POS header and find the table or tab name.
2. Click Bill to print the pre-bill for the guests.
3. Click Pay. The tab opens with the payment window and the amount due filled in.
4. Choose the payment method. For cash, use Count notes to tap the notes handed over; the change is shown on the right.
5. Click Complete sale. The receipt prints, the order moves to Completed and the table becomes free (or “needs cleaning”).

/pos-v2/create

The payment window: pick a method, count notes for cash, or use Split payment for several methods.

For splitting a bill across cards and cash, and for guests who pay later, see step 9.

Takeaway and counter service

For takeaway, pick the Takeaway type of service, add items, and take payment straight away with Cash, Card or Pay. If Kitchen is on, the paid order still goes to the kitchen display, and the customer can follow it on the order-status screen.

POS V2 on a phone. Waiters can also use the SmartPOS Business app.

Mistakes to avoid

• Don’t use Cash on a dine-in order before the guests have eaten. Use Send to kitchen and take payment from Open tabs at the end.
• Don’t use Credit Sale for open tables. Credit is for customers who pay another day; see Credit and part payments.
• Check the location at the top of the POS before the first order of the day; it decides which kitchen and stock are used.

Next step

Step 9: Open tabs and split payments

POS overview