Open the order under Active orders and tap the items on the menu: that's how you add items to an order already sent. The new ones are put on hold, show up in Review new items and only go to the kitchen when you tap Send to kitchen. What was already sent doesn't change.
What adding items to a sent order means
Adding items to an order already sent means you keep adding to the same tab after it has gone to the kitchen. The order stays open: the menu is still on screen and each tap creates a new line, which is put on hold, apart from what was already sent out. Nothing changes in what the kitchen is already preparing.
While they're on hold, these items don't appear on the kitchen display and don't print. They sit in a separate block, with their own count and total, so you can check them before sending. When you tap Send to kitchen, they go out together as an addition: same order, same number, same table, same bill.
Why add to the same tab instead of opening a new order
- One bill per table. The portion that came later goes on the same tab, with the same order number. When it's time to close, there are no two orders to add up in your head and no risk of charging one and forgetting the other.
- The kitchen gets only what's missing. The addition carries only the new items, so nobody has to compare the old ticket with the new one to find out what changed. Where a printer is on, the ticket prints with an additional items header.
- You can fix mistakes before sending. While they're on hold, you change the quantity, write a note or remove the line. Only what was already sent is locked — and that's what keeps a dish already on the grill from vanishing.
- The order gets moving again by itself. If everything at the table was already Ready or Served, sending the new items puts the order back to Preparing. The kitchen display shows again that there's work to do, without anyone having to tell them.
How to add new items, step by step
Seven steps, from tapping the table's card to the ticket for the new items in the kitchen.
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Open the order that's already running
On the waiter screen, every table with an order in progress appears under Active orders. Each card shows the table, the status (Ordered, Preparing, Ready), the number of items, the total and the order number. Tap the card to open it — it's the same order as before, not a new one.
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Tap the items on the menu
With the order open, the menu is still there, right below the list of what already went to the kitchen. Tap the plus button to add an item, and use the stepper to adjust the quantity. There's a search at the top and category chips to filter. An item with a size or flavor opens the Customize item screen, where you choose and tap Add to order.
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Need something off the menu? Use a custom item
At the end of the list there's Add custom item. You type the name, like a portion agreed on the spot, and you can enter a price in the field next to it — or leave it blank. It joins the same batch of new items and goes to the kitchen with the rest.
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Check what's on hold
As soon as you tap the first item, the Review new items bar appears at the bottom, with the count and the amount for only what hasn't been sent. Tap it to open the New items panel: you can change quantities, write notes and use Remove on each line. At the bottom of the panel is the New items total.
Tip: Only lines on hold can be changed. What already went to the kitchen appears above the menu, with no stepper and no remove — on purpose, so nobody touches what's already on the grill. -
Tap Send to kitchen
One tap sends everything at once. The items leave the hold block, join the list of sent items and appear on the kitchen display inside the same order. Where a printer is on, a ticket prints with only the new items, marked as additional items. If the order was already Ready or Served, it goes back to Preparing — because there's work in the kitchen again.
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Follow the new items with the rest
Sent items are listed with each one's status. When the kitchen marks one of them Ready, the Serve button appears on the line and you serve it without closing anything. The View order bar opens the full summary of the tab, with everything together and the total updated; anything still to send is marked as not sent yet.
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Made a mistake? Discard only the new ones
If the table changes its mind before you send them, use Discard new items. The system asks for confirmation and deletes only what was on hold: the original order stays intact, with the items that already went to the kitchen and their total.
Frequently asked questions
Does the kitchen see the items while they're on hold?+
No. On an order that was already sent, whatever you just tapped stays off the kitchen display and the printer until you tap Send to kitchen. Until then, only you can see it.
Can I remove an item that already went to the kitchen?+
Not from the waiter app. The stepper and remove only affect items on hold; for an item already sent, the app tells you it was already sent to the kitchen. Talk to the kitchen. If needed, the Cancel order button cancels the whole order, and it's available as long as the order isn't Served.
Do I need to open another order for the same table?+
No. The whole idea is to keep going on the same tab, with the same number and the same total. A second order at the same table only makes sense when people are paying separately — then it's worth giving each order a name, like John, so nothing gets mixed up at closing time.
Can I still add an item after closing the bill?+
No, and the Close bill button's own confirmation warns you about it first. While the bill is open you can keep adding, even with the order already Served. If you try on a finished or cancelled order, a notice appears and nothing is added.
Does another ticket print?+
Yes, in kitchens that have printing turned on. The ticket carries only the new items and comes with an additional items header at the top, so nobody has to compare slip against slip to find what changed. If you only use the display, you don't need any of this.
Does the order total update by itself?+
Yes. While the items are on hold, the block shows the new items total separately, so you can check what you're about to send. After sending, they're added to the total shown in View order and on the Close bill button.
Glossary
- New items
- The lines you just added to an order that was already sent. They wait on hold, still editable, and only reach the kitchen when you send them.
- Send to kitchen
- The button that sends everything on hold at once. On an order that was already sent, those items go as an addition to the same order.
- Custom item
- An item the waiter types in on the spot, picking its prep station by hand.
- Preparing
- The stage the guest sees on the table page while the kitchen works on the order.
- Close bill
- Closes the tab for payment. After that, the order becomes a read-only summary and takes no more items.
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