Table Ordering Master Toggle & Service Pause
Control whether customers can submit orders from their phones during service hours or pause during rushes.
How It Works
Master Switch Control: Located at the top of the Table Manager screen, this setting controls the backend ordering gateway for all tables simultaneously.
Customer Experience When Active (ON): Guests scan the table QR code, browse food items, customize portion sizes, add special cooking instructions, and tap "Place Order" to fire the ticket.
Customer Experience When Paused (OFF): Guests can still browse dishes, view high-resolution photos, inspect prices, and filter by dietary tags, but the cart and checkout buttons are replaced by a polite notice: "Ordering is currently paused. Please call your server to place an order."
Staff Operational Independence: Pausing customer table ordering NEVER affects staff operations. Waiters can still take tableside orders using handheld devices, and managers can still enter walk-in orders on the POS terminal.
What You Need to Do (Step-by-Step)
- 1. Open Table Manager Console
Navigate to Dashboard -> Tables / QR Code in the left navigation sidebar.
- 2. Locate Master Table Ordering Switch
Find the "Table Ordering" toggle located in the top control bar above your table cards.
- 3. Switch ON for Service Hours
Toggle the switch to the ON position at the start of your shift. The status badge turns green.
- 4. Pause During Kitchen Overload or Closing
If ticket volume exceeds kitchen capacity, or when the kitchen closes at night, toggle the switch to OFF.
Key Screen Controls & Options
Action: Instantly enables or disables guest order placement across all physical table standees.
Action: Informs diners that the menu is currently in browsing mode and instructs them to call staff.
- Guests already browsing see the checkout button vanish and the pause banner appear.
- Tickets already sent to the kitchen continue preparation normally without interruption.
- Staff POS stations remain 100% operational.
- Toggling ordering OFF does NOT cancel or delete active tickets already submitted to the kitchen or waiter floor.
- Toggling ordering OFF does NOT prevent waitstaff from settling active table bills or collecting payments.
- Table Ordering must be toggled ON for guest smartphone checkouts to function.
⚡ Common Floor Scenarios & Edge Cases
What to do: The customer can finish browsing, but tapping "Place Order" displays: "Ordering is currently paused. Please call your server." The guest will not be charged.
What to do: Toggle Table Ordering OFF to stop guest QR spam. Staff can continue taking counter and phone orders manually via the POS terminal.
📋 Real-World Shift Walkthrough
At 8:15 PM, 14 tickets arrive in 5 minutes and ticket prep times reach 30 minutes. Manager Carlos opens Table Manager on his phone and switches Table Ordering OFF for 15 minutes. Customers can still study the menu, but no new digital tickets arrive. Once the kitchen clears 8 tickets, Carlos flips the toggle back ON and normal ordering resumes seamlessly.