How to mark an item as served in the waiter app

What the Serve button really does

Marking an item as served means tapping Serve on that item's line, inside the order open in the waiter app. The button only exists once the prep station has marked it done and the item is Ready: while it's Waiting or Preparing, the line shows only the status tag. That's on purpose — nobody can mark off a dish the kitchen hasn't even finished.

Each item moves on its own. An order with a starter, a main and a drink can have the drink Served and the rest still Preparing, and the tab stays open all the same. When the last item turns Served, the whole order switches to Served automatically — and it stays open, so you can add more later. Closing the bill is a different button, Close bill.

Why mark items off one by one

• The Ready alert clears from your screen. As long as there's a Ready item not yet served, the Ready to serve bar stays pinned at the top of the app, with a shortcut to each table. Serving is what clears that bar — and in practice it's the list of what's getting cold on the pass.
• The guest follows along on their own phone. On the page that opens from the table QR code, each item has its own tag: what you served shows as Served, what's left stays Preparing. Fewer people asking whether the dish is on its way.
• Nothing gets lost at a busy table. With dishes coming from different stations, the order list becomes your checklist: whatever isn't Served yet is what you still have to bring, even if the table ordered three times.
• The order wraps itself up. You don't have to remember to change the order's status by hand. Serve the last item and it turns Served right away — on your list, on the owner's Dashboard and on the guest's screen.
• It works from any phone. It all runs in the browser, with no app to install from any store. If another waiter served the table before you, your screen updates by itself and the button disappears.

How to mark an item as served in 6 steps

Six steps, from the alert bar at the top to a freed table. It all happens inside the order, on the phone you already have in your pocket.

1. Open the table's order

   In the waiter app, tap the table under Active orders. When there's an item waiting to go out, the Ready to serve: bar appears at the top of the screen with the name of each table — tapping the name opens the right order directly, without going through the list.

2. Find the item with the Serve button

   On a phone, tap the View order bar at the bottom: the summary opens with every item already sent. A Ready item shows the green Serve button next to it; an item still at the station shows only the Preparing or Waiting tag. On a large screen, the same list is already visible just above the menu.

3. Tap Serve with the plate on the table

   One tap and the item moves to Served; the button disappears from that line. Tap it at the table, not in the kitchen: what counts is the moment the plate reaches the table, because that's what clears it from your list of things still to bring.

   Tip: Brought three plates at once? Mark all three as served before you leave the table — the alert bar keeps nagging you as long as there's a Ready item left.

4. Or serve everything at once

   When the whole tray goes out, the green Serve order button handles it in one go. It sits in the actions block at the bottom of the order and only appears when there's at least one Ready item. It marks every Ready item in that order as Served — anything still Preparing stays as it is, waiting for the station.

5. Check what the guest now sees

   Once the last item is served, the page that opens from the table QR code changes by itself: the order gets the Served tag, the message becomes All served — enjoy your meal! and the order's progress trail reaches its last step. That's also when the How was it? prompt appears, so the guest can rate the visit.

6. Keep the tab going or close the bill

   A Served order stays open. If the table orders something else, you enter it and tap Send to kitchen: the order goes back to Preparing and the cycle starts over. When it's really over, that's when you use Close bill and then Free table.

Frequently asked questions

Glossary

Waiter app

The ordering page each waiter opens through the restaurant's own link, right in the phone's browser.

Ready

An item's status after the prep station marks it done; the waiter is alerted right away.

Preparing

The stage the guest sees on the table page while the kitchen works on the order.

Served

The order's status once every item has been served; the bill can still stay open.

Tab

The open bill of a table, where items add up until it's closed.

Table

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

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