How real time works between waiter, kitchen and table

What real time in qmen.us is

Real time in qmen.us is a connection that stays open between the browser and the server while the screen is open. Each screen joins a group of its own: the table page joins that table's group, the display joins that kitchen's group, the waiter app joins that waiter's group and the Dashboard joins the restaurant's group. When something changes, the server sends a short notice only to the groups affected.

The notice doesn't carry the whole order — it just says something changed. Whoever receives it fetches the current state and swaps the content in place, without flickering and without losing the scroll position. That's why the table page says it updates on its own, and the display on the wall can stay on all day without anyone pressing F5. Since everything runs in the browser, there's no store app to install on a TV, tablet or phone.

Why this changes service

• No more back and forth to the kitchen. The item entered on the waiter's phone shows up at the prep station instantly, and the station marking it done lights up the Ready to serve bar on the phone of whoever is serving that table. Nobody needs to shout out tickets or go check whether it's out.
• The guest stops asking how much longer. The table page shows the order's stage — Ordered, Preparing, Ready, Served — and each item's tag, without anyone reloading anything. Fewer interruptions for the waiter, fewer anxious guests.
• Each screen gets only what concerns it. The notice goes to the affected group, so the grill doesn't light up because of a dessert and the waiter in another section isn't pinged for no reason. The owner's Dashboard is the only one that sees the whole restaurant.
• A dropped signal doesn't break service. Screens reconnect on their own, waiting a little longer each time, and reload the state when the internet comes back. If scripts don't run, the table page and the display still reload themselves every few seconds.

How a round happens, from Draft to Served

Six moments of an ordinary round, from the first item entered until everything is back up after a dropped signal.

1. The waiter builds the Draft and the kitchen gets a peek

   When the waiter opens an order at a table and starts adding items, each item already changes something for someone. While the order is a Draft, the card appears on the display of that item's prep station with a dashed outline and the line Waiting for the waiter to send…. It's a preview: the kitchen can get organized, but there's no button to mark it done yet. The guest's table page shows Putting your order together.

2. Send to kitchen changes three screens at once

   At the tap of Send to kitchen, the order stops being a Draft and becomes Ordered. Then notices go out at the same time: one to each kitchen that received an item (the dashed outline disappears and the card goes live), one to the guest's table page, which jumps to the Preparing stage with The kitchen is preparing it, and one to the owner's Dashboard. An item added later follows the same path, without reopening the order.

3. The kitchen taps READY? and the floor finds out

   At the prep station, each line has its own READY? — or the card has a single ORDER READY?, if the restaurant turned off the Complete item by item switch. The tap notifies that order's waiter, the guest's table page and the Dashboard. On the waiter's phone the Ready to serve: bar lights up with a shortcut to the table; if it's new, the device vibrates and beeps. On the table page, the item becomes Ready.

   Tip: With the item-by-item switch on, the table page shows partial progress while the rest is still cooking: the Ready stage shows, for example, 2 items ready, without waiting for the whole order.

4. The waiter taps Serve and closes the loop

   When bringing it to the table, the waiter taps Serve on the item's line. That item becomes Served and leaves the ready bar. When every item in the order has been served, the whole order becomes Served and the guest's table page shows All served — enjoy your meal!, still open to take more orders. The owner's Dashboard follows every step.

5. The table calls and the alert rings on just one phone

   If the restaurant leaves it on, the table page shows Call waiter to whoever is physically in the restaurant. The tap doesn't become a notice for everyone: the server picks the active waiter with the fewest open orders and sends the alert to them alone. Their phone flashes Table 7 is calling!, with vibration, until someone taps OK or 20 seconds pass.

6. When the internet wobbles, the screens recover

   The connection can drop — the dining room router, weak 4G, a wall screen that went to sleep. Each screen tries to reconnect on its own and waits a little longer with each attempt, up to 30 seconds between one and the next; when it comes back, it loads the current state. The owner's Dashboard also has two safety nets: it updates as soon as you return to the tab and does a check every minute.

Frequently asked questions

Glossary

Group

The set of screens following the same subject: a table, a kitchen, a waiter or the restaurant's Dashboard. A change notice goes only to the affected group.

Draft

An order's first status, while the waiter is still putting the list together and nothing has gone to the kitchen yet.

Ready to serve

The bar that lights up in the waiter app when the kitchen marks something done. It has a shortcut per table and, if it's new, the device vibrates and gives a short beep.

Complete item by item

The Settings switch that decides whether the kitchen marks each line done separately or only the whole order.

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.

Related resources