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Taking orders

The order screen is where most of your shift happens. It's organized into three areas: the menu (categories and items), the check (what's on the order), and the action bar (discounts, send to kitchen, payment).

This page covers the day-to-day flow. For payments specifically, see Payments.

Choose an order type​

Every order in OrderUp has an order type that determines how it routes through the kitchen and how it appears on receipts. Tap the order type chip at the top of the check to choose:

  • Dine-in — Eaten in the restaurant. Usually requires a table assignment in full-service mode.
  • Takeout — Customer is picking up at the counter.
  • Delivery — Going out to the customer.
  • Curbside — Customer is waiting in their car. The POS prompts for a vehicle description.

Your manager controls which order types are available — if you don't see one you expect, check Management → Settings → Hours & service.

Add items to the check​

Tap a category, then tap the item. Each tap adds one to the check.

  • Modifiers — Items with add-ons (size, milk choice, sides) open a modifier sheet automatically. Required modifiers must be answered before the item is added.
  • Allergens — Items flagged with allergens show a colored indicator. Tap and hold to read the full allergen list.
  • Special requests — For one-off changes that aren't preset modifiers (e.g., "no cilantro, light ice"), tap the item on the check and choose Special request. The note prints to the kitchen.
  • Open items — For something that's not on your menu, tap Open Item in the action bar. Enter a name and price, and the item is added to the check. Manager permission may be required.

Set the guest count​

For dine-in orders, set the guest count so reports can compute average cover. The guest-count field is at the top of the check.

You can set the guest count before the first item is added (while the POS is in browsing mode) or any time during the order. Either way, it sticks to the check and follows it through payment and reports.

Send to the kitchen​

When you've taken everything for a course, tap Send. New items fire to the printer or Kitchen Display, depending on how each item is routed in your menu.

Items already sent show a small "fired" badge on the check. New items added after a fire are sent on the next Send tap, so you can run multi-course tickets without re-firing everything.

Split a check​

Splitting checks lets you charge guests separately. From the check, tap Split. You'll see the Split Checks screen, which gives you four ways to divide the bill:

  • By seat — If you assigned items to seats, each seat becomes its own check.
  • Evenly — Split the total into N equal checks. Tax and tip are split too.
  • By item — Drag individual items between sub-checks. Useful when one guest had appetizers and the other had entrées.
  • Custom amounts — Charge specific dollar amounts to specific checks (e.g., "put $50 on this card and the rest on that one").

Once split, each sub-check is paid independently. You can recombine them up until any of them is settled — once the first payment lands on a sub-check, the split is locked.

Apply a discount or comp​

OrderUp distinguishes between two ways to reduce a check:

  • Discounts are predefined in Management (10% off, $5 off, employee meal). Tap the Discount action and pick from the list. Some discounts require a manager PIN approval.
  • Comps are full or partial item-level give-aways used for hospitality (a remade dish, a manager's favor). Tap an item on the check and choose Comp. Comps almost always require a manager PIN.

Both discounts and comps appear as separate lines on the receipt and on every report, so your manager can see exactly what was given away and by whom.

Void an item​

If an item shouldn't have been on the check at all (wrong order, customer changed their mind):

  1. Tap the item on the check.
  2. Choose Void.
  3. Pick a void reason from the list (configured in Management → Menu → Void reasons).
  4. Enter a manager PIN if your role requires approval.

Voids are recorded with the reason, the employee, and the approving manager. Voiding an item that already fired to the kitchen also sends a void ticket so the line knows to stop or remake.

Hold the order and switch tables​

For full-service restaurants, you can move between tables without losing work in progress. Tap Save or simply walk away — the order is saved automatically, and the POS returns to the table map. Pick another table to take a new order, or come back to this one to add a course.

A saved order that's already fully paid closes on its own — you don't need to reopen it just to close it out. If you're holding a ticket for later (a running tab, a course you haven't fired yet), it stays open and on the table map exactly as before; the auto-close only fires once every check on it is settled.

When to ask a manager​

Some actions require a manager's authorization. The POS will prompt for a manager PIN when:

  • A discount above your authorized limit is applied.
  • An item is comped.
  • A check is voided in full.
  • A refund is issued (see Payments).

If a check already has money on it (paid, partially paid, or an offline payment awaiting replay), the POS refuses to void or cancel the order outright — even with a manager PIN. Refund or void the payment first (see Payments), then write the ticket off.

If a manager isn't available, save the check and flag it. Don't share PINs.