Payments

How the table total is calculated

A table's bill isn't a number someone types in at the end: it's the sum of the lines on the tab, one by one. Here we show where every cent comes from — size, flavor, add-on, weight — and what stays out of that sum.

Updated Oct. 28, 2026 5 min read For: owners and waiters
Quick answer

Add it up line by line: the table total is the value of every item on the tab that hasn't been cancelled. Each line is worth the unit price times the quantity (or the price per unit of measure times the weight entered), with size, flavor and add-ons already built into that price.

What goes on the tab

The table total is the value of that order's tab, recalculated every time someone opens the screen. We go item by item, work out what each line is worth and add them up; cancelled lines are skipped. Even items the waiter just jotted down and hasn't sent to the kitchen yet are included.

There's no total field to fill in and no discount to type: the number always comes from the lines. If the restaurant has turned on the service charge or the waiter tip, they show on their own lines below the items and are added to the Bill total. That's why it looks the same everywhere — in the View order bar in the waiter app, in Order total on the Dashboard, in Current bill on the table page and inside the Close bill button — R$ 42,00.

Why the bill adds itself up

  • Nobody does math in their head in front of the guest. The waiter opens the summary, reads the total and charges. The amount is the same on their phone, on the owner's Dashboard and on the table page, because all three add up the same lines.
  • Size, flavor and add-ons are already inside the line. A Large Calabresa with stuffed crust comes out with its price ready the moment it's entered, no price chart on the wall.
  • What wasn't sold doesn't become a charge. Cancelled lines stay out of the sum, and a new item the waiter removes before sending disappears from the tab without touching the amount.
  • The bill is yours, and so is the money. qmen.us calculates and shows the total, but doesn't process payments: PIX (Brazil's instant payment system) is settled directly between guest and restaurant, with no commission per order.

How to check the table total in 8 steps

There are eight steps, from the summary on the waiter's phone to the table freed for the next guests.

  1. Open the order summary

    In the waiter app, the bottom of the order has the View order bar, with the item count on one side and the total on the other. Tap it and the summary slides up: one line per item, the price of each and, at the bottom, Order total. If there are new items waiting, Review new items appears first, with the amount for just what hasn't gone to the kitchen yet.

  2. Read the value of each line

    The line starts with the quantity (2×) and the item name, and ends with its value — quantity times the unit price. Below the name comes the chosen configuration, in the format Large · Calabresa · Filling: Brigadeiro, plus any note the waiter typed.

  3. Check the size and flavor

    The unit price comes from crossing the item, Size and Flavor: the Large Calabresa has its own price, the Large Margherita may have another. On a two-flavor pizza, the Price with several flavors field decides — Highest price charges the most expensive flavor in the combination and Average of the flavors takes the average. Choosing more flavors never makes it more expensive on its own.

  4. Add the add-ons on top

    Each option checked in an Option group has its own extra price, and the extra goes on top of the size and flavor price. Bacon at R$ 4,00 on two sandwiches becomes R$ 8,00 on the line. An option with zero extra price, like meat doneness, is just a note for the kitchen and doesn't change the amount.

  5. Understand items sold by weight

    An item with a Variable price has no quantity, it has a measure. The waiter enters how much it weighed and the line shows 0,48 kg instead of 2×. The value is the price per measure times what was weighed: at R$ 79,90 per kilo, 0,48 kg comes to R$ 38,35. Each weighing becomes its own line.

    Tip: A Custom item comes in at the price the waiter types in the little R$ box when taking the order. Left it blank? The line is worth R$ 0,00 and doesn't change the total.
  6. See what stays out of the sum

    A cancelled line doesn't count toward the bill or the revenue. A new item the waiter removed before Send to kitchen never even makes it onto the tab, and Discard new items wipes everything that was waiting in one go. A fully cancelled order shows in the table's history with a dash in place of the amount.

  7. Close the bill using the amount on screen

    When the table asks for the bill, the button already has the amount written on it: Close bill — R$ 42,00. We ask whether you really want to close it, because after that the tab takes no new items and becomes a read-only summary, with Bill closed at the top. The same button exists on the order inside the Dashboard.

  8. Record the payment and free the table

    Closing the bill says nothing about money. What records it is Mark as paid, after you've settled PIX, card or cash directly with the guest. And Free table puts the spot back into the count of free tables. The three buttons are independent.

Frequently asked questions

Does changing a price on the menu change a bill that's already open?+

It depends on the line. Configured items (with size, flavor or add-ons), items sold by weight and Custom items lock in their price the moment they're entered. A plain item, with no configuration at all, reads the current price from the menu — which is why it's best to avoid changing prices while a table is open.

Does a cancelled item stay on the bill?+

No. The sum skips any cancelled line, and it stays out of the revenue. If the item hasn't even gone to the kitchen yet, the waiter removes it from the order with the quantity button and the line disappears from the tab.

Does a half-and-half pizza cost the sum of both flavors?+

No. The item decides between Highest price, which charges the most expensive flavor, and Average of the flavors. Choosing two or three flavors doesn't multiply the price; what changes the amount is the size and the add-ons checked.

Can the bill be split between people at the table?+

Yes, by opening one order per person at the same table and filling in the order name. Each bill has its own total, its own Close bill and its own Mark as paid, so whoever leaves early settles their share. When the restaurant takes PIX on the table bill, each person can also pay their own part from the table page: an equal share, by choosing how many people there are, or a different amount. The bill is paid once the parts add up to the total.

Does qmen.us charge any fee on top of this total?+

No. It's free for the restaurant and there's no commission per order — we're not a marketplace like iFood and we don't process money. qmen.us runs in the browser, calculates the bill and shows it to whoever needs it; settling up is between you and the guest.

Can the bill include a service charge or a tip?+

Yes, if the restaurant turns them on in Settings; both start switched off. The table bill then shows Items, Service charge, Tip and Bill total, and the Close bill button already carries the full amount. The details are in <a href="/resources/payments/service-charge-and-tips/">service charge and tips</a>.

Glossary

Tab
The open bill of a table, where items add up until it's closed.
Close bill
Closes the tab for payment. After that, the order becomes a read-only summary and takes no more items.
Custom item
An item the waiter types in on the spot, picking its prep station by hand.
Variable price
A way of pricing by measure (kg, 100 g, portion) where the waiter enters the amount when taking the order.
Option group
A reusable list of extra-cost choices, like Crust or Add-ons, that you attach to several items.

Related resources

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