Guests at the table

Call the waiter from your phone without raising a hand

Waving at a waiter across a packed dining room is always a test of patience: either nobody sees you, or too many people come at once. The page a guest opens from the table QR code has a quieter way to handle it, with a button that alerts one waiter, instantly.

Updated Sept. 21, 2026 4 min read For: owners and waiters
Quick answer

Tap Call waiter at the bottom of the table page, the one that opens from the table QR code: that's how you call the waiter from your phone. The browser confirms you're at the restaurant and the alert instantly reaches the waiter with the fewest orders on their hands.

What calling from the table page is

Calling the waiter from your phone here doesn't involve any app: it's a button at the bottom of the table page, the same one the guest opens by scanning the table QR code, with no sign-in and nothing to install. Under the line Need something? Just call. sits the Call waiter button.

The feature is optional and discreet: the button only shows for people who are actually at the restaurant. Before showing it, the guest's browser asks for location permission and compares where they are with the address you set on the map. If the distance is more than 300 meters, or if they deny permission, the button simply doesn't appear. This check happens on the phone itself: the guest's coordinates are never sent to qmen.us.

Why it's worth turning on in your dining room

  • Guests stop waving. One tap on the phone does the job, and they go back to their conversation instead of scanning the room for someone.
  • The call goes to one person. Instead of sounding the alarm for the whole team, qmen.us picks the waiter with the fewest orders in progress at that moment.
  • The alert arrives instantly. The waiter app screen gets the call in real time, with the phone vibrating and the table name front and center.
  • Only people in the restaurant can call. Because the button depends on location, someone who opened the link from home or bookmarked the address can't ring your dining room's bell.

How to call the waiter from your phone in 7 steps

Seven steps: three on your side, in Settings, and four that happen by themselves on the guest's phone.

  1. Check the switch in Settings

    Open Settings in the restaurant menu and look in the General block for the Let guests call the waiter from the table switch. It comes turned on, and the app reminds you underneath that the button only shows for guests who are at the restaurant, once the address is set. Changed something? Tap Save at the end of the form.

  2. Mark your address on the map

    On the same screen, scroll down to Location and start typing in the Address field: pick one of the suggestions and the marker drops onto the map just below. Drag the marker (or click the map) to fine-tune the exact spot and tap Save. Without that saved spot there's no way to check who's in the dining room, and the button won't show for anyone.

    Tip: Put the marker at the dining room door, not in the middle of the block. The 300-meter radius is measured from it, and that's what separates your table from the neighbor's sidewalk.
  3. Have at least one active waiter

    A call needs someone to receive it. Under Waiters, keep at least one real waiter active: the virtual waiter, the one that signs the orders guests place themselves, is left out of the rotation, because it can't walk over to the table. With no active waiter, the guest taps and gets Couldn't call right now.

  4. The guest scans the table QR code

    On the dining room side, the path is the usual one: the guest points the camera at the Table QR code and lands on the Your orders page, with the table name at the top and the order's progress just below. No sign-in, no app to download — it's just their own phone's browser.

  5. They allow location access

    When the page opens, the browser asks whether it can use the location. If they allow it and are within 300 meters of the spot you marked, the footer appears with the line Need something? Just call. If they deny it, or are far away, nothing appears: no error on screen, no nagging.

  6. They tap Call waiter

    One tap on the button and qmen.us picks who answers: among the active waiters, the one with the fewest orders in progress. The guest's screen shows We've let Ana know — someone will be right with you, with the name of the person alerted, and the button locks for a few seconds so nobody calls ten times in a row.

  7. The waiter gets the alert instantly

    On the chosen waiter's phone, the waiter app screen lights up an alert banner with the table name — Table 4 is calling! — and an OK button to dismiss it. If the device can vibrate, it vibrates too. The banner goes away on its own after twenty seconds.

Frequently asked questions

How does qmen.us know the guest is at the restaurant?+

From their phone's location. The browser asks for permission, works out the distance to the spot you marked on the map and shows the button only if it's 300 meters or less. The math is done on the device itself: the guest's position never leaves it and is never stored by qmen.us.

The button doesn't show on the table page. What could it be?+

There are four suspects, in this order: the Let guests call the waiter from the table switch is off in Settings; the restaurant's address has no spot marked on the map yet; the guest denied location permission in the browser; or they're more than 300 meters from the door. Once the cause is fixed, just reload the page.

Which waiter gets the call?+

Just one: among the restaurant's active waiters, the one with the fewest orders in progress at the moment of the tap. Ties are broken by name, and the virtual waiter is never counted. If there's no active waiter, the guest sees Couldn't call right now.

Does the waiter need the page open to get it?+

Yes. The alert comes through the real-time connection of the waiter app screen, which runs in the browser — it's not a phone notification or a store app. With the screen open in their pocket, the phone vibrates and the alert stays visible for twenty seconds.

Can I use this without guests ordering from their phones?+

Yes. Calling the waiter and self-ordering are separate things: the call button works even when your staff takes every order through the waiter app.

Does this cost anything?+

No. qmen.us is free for the restaurant and charges no commission per order, because it's not a marketplace and doesn't process money: PIX, card or cash is arranged directly between the customer and the restaurant.

Glossary

Table QR code
The code printed on the table that guests scan with their phone, no sign-in needed.
Table
Each spot in the dining room registered in the system, with its own QR code for opening orders.
Waiter app
The ordering page each waiter opens through the restaurant's own link, right in the phone's browser.
Waiter
The person who takes orders on a phone at the waiter URL, using the staff password.

Related resources

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