Tablet at the table: guests order without waiting

What a table tablet is

A table tablet is the qmen.us ordering screen tied to a single table. Each table gets its own link; opened on a tablet, it shows the restaurant's name, the table's name and a See the menu and order button. From there guests browse the menu as a photo grid, build their order and send it. The order goes straight to the kitchen, prints in every kitchen with printing on, and lands on that table's bill, signed by Service.

It isn't the same as ordering through the table QR code: there each guest uses their own phone; here the device belongs to the restaurant and stays on the table for the whole meal. That's why the tablet works even with QR self-ordering off, and its link carries a key that opens that one table only.

Why leave a tablet on each table

• Orders don't wait for the waiter to walk by. The table orders the second round the moment it decides, and the ticket is already in the kitchen.
• Photos sell. The menu shows as a grid with each item's photo, the way a guest would pick by looking at the dish.
• The waiter comes only when needed. The tablet has Call the waiter and Ask for the bill, with no location check: the alert reaches one waiter's phone instantly.
• The next party starts clean. When the waiter frees the table, the tablet goes back to its start screen on its own, with no order or language left from the last party.

How to put tablets on your tables in 6 steps

Six steps: two in Settings, one on each tablet and three that happen in the dining room.

1. Turn on tablets in Settings

   Open Settings and scroll to Tablets on the tables. Flip the Turn on tablets on the tables switch and tap Save at the end of the form. When the page reloads, the section lists your tables, each with its own link.

2. Open each table's link on its tablet

   In the list, tap QR code next to a table and point the camera of the tablet that will stay on it. If you're setting up from the tablet itself, tap Open. The screen shows the restaurant's name, the table's name and the See the menu and order button. Repeat table by table.

   Tip: Keep the tablet in landscape, plugged in, and use Guided Access (iPad) or app pinning (Android) so guests can't leave the screen. The screen stays awake by itself while the page is open.

3. The guest builds the order

   The guest taps See the menu and order, picks items from the grid (size, flavors and options open in a window) and taps Checkout. On the review screen they can fill in Who is it for?, which is optional, and tap Send to the kitchen. The order shows up on the kitchen display and prints, like any other.

4. They follow the table and call the waiter

   The Table orders button lists each round with its status (Preparing, Ready, Served) and the Total so far. Call the waiter and Ask for the bill are there too. For those two to show, Let guests call the waiter from the table must be on and you need at least one active waiter.

5. The waiter gets the call

   The alert goes to the waiter with the fewest orders in progress. The waiter app shows Table 5 is calling! or, when the table wants to pay, Table 5 asks for the bill!. Payment works as always: the waiter closes the bill at the table.

6. Free the table and the tablet starts over

   When the waiter taps Free table, the tablet notices within seconds and goes back to its start screen, clean, in the restaurant's language. If the party just stops touching it, it returns to the start screen after a few minutes without losing their language, and asks before clearing an order that was built but not sent.

Frequently asked questions

Glossary

Table

Each spot in the dining room registered in the system, with its own QR code for opening orders.

Free table

The owner's action that hands the table over to the next guests; it leaves the occupied count and the order drops off the live list.

Call waiter

A button on the table screen that alerts a waiter in real time. It only shows when the address is set up, and only for guests within 300 meters of the restaurant.

Close bill

Closes the tab for payment. After that, the order becomes a read-only summary and takes no more items.

Settings

The screen where the owner edits the restaurant's details: name, logo, photo, description, phone numbers, address and opening hours. You get there from the gear icon on the Dashboard.

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