Treat both as team passwords, not Google accounts: the waiter password unlocks the app for whoever takes orders and the display password unlocks a kitchen's screen. The owner creates both in the Dashboard, with at least 4 characters, and it's typed once on each device.
What these two team passwords are
The waiter password is a team password you create inside the restaurant — it isn't an account, there's no sign-up, no required email and no recovery link. Each waiter you add gets their own, and it unlocks only their link: the waiter app, where they open the table, build the tab and send it to the kitchen. In the Dashboard this field is called Restaurant password, on each person's card.
The display password is the other end: one password per kitchen, which unlocks the screen where orders appear and move from Preparing to READY. If your restaurant has the grill and the bar as separate stations, that's two passwords, one for each display. The two are independent — each opens only its own screen, and neither gives access to the owner's Dashboard, which is still a Google sign-in.
Why they're separate passwords, not accounts
- Nobody on the floor needs to create an account. A new waiter starts the same day: you set the password, send the link and they sign in from their phone's browser. There's no app in a store to download and no email invite to wait for.
- Each password opens only its own screen. The waiter password doesn't open the kitchen display, and the display password doesn't let anyone place an order. The station tablet stays signed in to a single station, and each waiter's phone to their own login.
- Repeated tries lock on their own. qmen.us counts wrong passwords per device and per login: after 10 wrong tries in a row on that device, the screen stops checking and replies that there were too many attempts. There's also a cap per login across all devices, so nobody can keep guessing passwords from outside.
- The password stays visible to you. On the waiter's card and the kitchen's card there's an eye icon that shows the current password, so you can pass it on to the team without resetting anything. That's on purpose: it's a password for a shared device, not a bank account secret.
- Removing access takes one tap. Remove the waiter and their link stops opening; deactivate the kitchen and its display stops with it. Orders that already went through stay in the restaurant's history.
How to set the waiter and display passwords in 6 steps
Six steps: three on the Waiters page and three on the Kitchens page.
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Open the Waiters page in the Dashboard
In the restaurant Dashboard, go to Waiters (qmen.us/restaurante/garcons/). Each person you've added has a card, and in the middle of it is the padlock block: Password set when there's one, No password — Google only when there isn't yet. The button on the right changes too: Set the first time, Change after that.
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Save that waiter's password
The button opens the Restaurant password window, with the name of the person you're editing and a single field. Type it and tap Save password. It needs at least 4 characters — anything shorter shows The password needs at least 4 characters. and nothing is saved. The password only works for that waiter's link.
Tip: If the person signs in with Google, the password is optional: add their email in the Email (Google sign-in) field and leave the password field empty. You can set one later, any time. -
Hand over the link and have them sign in once
On the same card, under Restaurant app access, is their address — something like qmen.us/your-restaurant/w/joao/ — with the copy button next to it. The sign-in screen shows the waiter's name, the Password field and the Sign in button; Sign in with Google only appears above it if you added an email. After that the phone stays signed in, and at the top of the app there's sign out to sign that device out.
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Open the Kitchens page and take care of the other password
In Kitchens (qmen.us/restaurante/cozinhas/), each station has its own card with the Display password block and the same pair of buttons, Set or Change. Here there's no choice: every kitchen needs a password, it's asked for when you create the station, and it also requires at least 4 characters.
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Type the password once on the tablet or TV
Copy the Display link from the card (qmen.us/your-restaurant/k/1/) and open it on the station's device. The screen asks for the Display password and has a keyboard button next to the field: it opens a large keyboard right on the screen, with a Done key to close it — it's for a tablet or monitor with no physical keyboard. Once you tap Sign in, that device stays signed in for 30 days, without dropping out in the middle of service.
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Check or change the passwords when needed
On both cards, the dots next to the padlock hide the current password: the eye icon shows the value so you can pass it on to the team. A very old password shows as protected — in that case just tap Change and save a new one. Anyone already signed in isn't disconnected by the change; to really remove access, use Remove on the waiter's card or turn off the Kitchen active switch.
Frequently asked questions
Is the waiter password the same for the whole team?+
No. Each waiter has their own, set on their card under Waiters. The Dashboard calls this field Restaurant password, but it only works for that waiter's link — changing one person's doesn't touch the others'.
Does the team need a Google account to sign in?+
No. The Sign in with Google button only appears on the waiter's screen when the owner added an email to their card; without an email, it's just the password. The kitchen display has no Google option: it signs in with the display password, and that's it.
What happens if someone gets the password wrong several times?+
It locks. After 10 wrong tries in a row on the same device, the screen starts replying "Too many attempts. Wait a few minutes and try again." and stops checking the password. The count runs over a 5-minute window and clears on its own; one correct try resets everything instantly.
Does changing the password disconnect anyone already signed in?+
No. Anyone who already typed the password on that device stays in; the new password applies to the next sign-in. To really cut off access, use Remove on the waiter's card or turn off the kitchen active switch — that kitchen's screen stops opening right away.
I forgot the password. Can I see what it is?+
Yes. On the waiter's card and the kitchen's card there's the eye icon next to the dots: one tap shows the password so you can pass it on. If it says the password is protected instead, it's an old password — tap Change and save a new one.
Can the display open without anyone typing a password?+
Yes, if you turn it on. On the kitchen card, under Set up, there's the Open the display without a password option: a device that carries the token opens the screen directly. It's off by default, and by turning it on you accept that the token then also gives read access to the display.
Glossary
- Restaurant password
- A short password the owner sets so a waiter can sign in to the app without a Google account.
- Display password
- A short password, at least 4 characters, that unlocks a kitchen's screen on that device. Each kitchen has its own.
- Kitchen display
- The wall screen that shows that prep station's queue live, protected by a password.
- Display link
- The address of that prep station's screen, like qmen.us/your-restaurant/k/1/, which you copy from the kitchen's card.
- Waiter app
- The ordering page each waiter opens through the restaurant's own link, right in the phone's browser.
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