Table Service at the Register
Use this page to seat guests at a table on the register, run their tab, send food to the kitchen and take payment.
Quick steps
To seat guests:
- Tap the Tables tab above the product grid. On a phone, tap Tables in the bar along the bottom.
- Tap a green table. Check the Cover Count (number of guests) and pick the Server if the list shows.
- Tap Seat Table. The table turns red and its tab opens.
To add items and send them to the kitchen:
- Tap the red table, then View Tab, then Add Item.
- Tap products as usual. Tap Done Adding when you're finished.
- If your kitchen uses tickets, tap Send on the tab to send the new items.
To take payment and clear the table:
- Open the tab and tap Close Tab (or Split to pay for some items now). Take payment as normal.
- When the table turns yellow, tap it and tap Mark Available.
Common questions
Guests left before ordering. Open the tab and tap Cancel Tab, then confirm. The table goes straight back to Available.
Seat Table is greyed out. The table has a reservation starting within 30 minutes. Seat the walk-in at another table.
The table stayed red after the bill was paid. Only part of the tab was paid. Open the tab to see what's still owing.
What's the difference between Clear Table and Mark Available? Mark Available is for a yellow table whose bill is paid. Clear Table frees a red table but leaves any unpaid tab open — take payment first.
More detail: opening the Tables screen
When table management is on, the register has a Tables screen that shows your floor plans live. Staff tap a table to seat guests, and each seated table gets its own tab: a running bill that stays open until the guests pay.
Opening the Tables Screen
- On a computer or tablet: tap the Tables tab above the product grid. Tap Products to go back.
- On a phone: tap Tables in the bar along the bottom of the screen. Tap the X to close it.
Across the top are buttons for each active floor plan (for example Main Dining Room and Patio). Tap one to switch rooms. Beside them are counts of free and occupied tables (plus reserved and dirty when there are any) and a refresh button.
The screen updates by itself on every register. When one server seats Table 6, everyone else sees it turn red.
What the Tables Show
| Colour | Status | What's on the table |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Available | The number of seats, and the time of its next reservation (a blue badge) if it has one. |
| Blue | Reserved | A free table with a reservation starting within the next 30 minutes. |
| Red | Occupied | The number of guests and how many minutes they've been seated. |
| Yellow | Dirty | The bill is paid and the table needs clearing. |
When the kitchen marks a table's order Ready on the Kitchen Display, the table flashes a green READY badge, and a message such as Table 5 — Order Ready! pops up on registers that have the Tables screen open.
More detail: seating guests
Seating Guests
- Tap a green table.
- Check the Cover Count (number of guests). It starts at the table's seat count.
- Pick a Server, or leave it on Current user (default) to assign the table to yourself.
- Tap Seat Table.
The table turns red and a tab opens for it, named after the table (for example "Table 5", or its label such as "Window Booth").
If the table has a reservation starting within 30 minutes, you'll see a warning such as Reserved in 20 min — walk-in seating disabled for Smith, and Seat Table is greyed out. Seat the walk-in at another table, or tap Seat Reservation (Smith) when that party arrives. See Reservations.
More detail: running the table's tab
Running the Table's Tab
Tap a red table, then View Tab. The tab shows the table, server and number of covers, every item ordered, and the Total.
Adding items
- Tap Add Item. The register switches to the product grid, and the cart pane shows the tab's name with a Done Adding button.
- Tap products as usual. Each one goes straight onto the tab and the Running Total updates.
- Tap Done Adding when you're finished. The register goes back to ringing normal sales.
Modifiers and special instructions go onto the tab with the item. See Modifier Lists.
Sending to the kitchen
If your store uses the kitchen ticket workflow, the tab shows a Send button with the number of items waiting, for example Send (3). Tap it to send the new kitchen items to the kitchen display and print a kitchen ticket for them. Items already sent show a Sent tag and are never sent twice. See Kitchen Display System.
Removing an item
Tap the bin icon next to an item and confirm with Void. The item moves to a Voided list on the tab and comes off the total. Removing items needs permission to void sales.
Taking payment
- Close Tab loads the whole tab into the cart. Take payment as normal.
- Split lets you pay for some items now (for example, one guest's meal) and leave the rest on the tab. Tap the items, then Pay Selected.
The tab, Split and paying work exactly as they do for any open tab. See Open Tabs for the details.
When the last item on the tab is paid, the tab closes and the table turns yellow (Dirty).
More detail: clearing the table
Clearing the Table
Tap the yellow table and tap Mark Available. It turns green, ready for the next guests.
Guests left before ordering
Open the tab (tap the table, then View Tab). A tab with no items shows a Cancel Tab button. Tap it and confirm. The tab is removed and the table goes straight back to Available.
Clear Table on an occupied table
Tapping a red table also shows Clear Table, which frees the table right away.
If the tab still has items, Clear Table frees the table but the tab stays open and unpaid. It still appears under Tabs in the cart pane (when open tabs are on for your store), where you can take payment. To finish a table normally, take payment first, then use Mark Available.
More detail: tabs without tables
Tabs Without Tables
Bar customers who aren't at a table can still run a tab. Tap Tabs in the cart pane, then New Tab or Save cart as tab. See Open Tabs. The Tabs button appears when open tabs are switched on for your store.
The Tabs list shows every open tab, including table tabs, with its table number, server, item count, total and how long since the last item was added.
More detail: troubleshooting and best practices
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| No Tables tab on the register | Table management isn't switched on for your store. Contact support. |
| No tables configured. Add tables in the admin panel. | The floor plan has no tables yet. See Tables & Floor Plans. |
| A floor plan is missing from the buttons along the top | It's marked inactive. Tick Active in its settings. |
| Seat Table is greyed out | The table has a reservation starting within 30 minutes. |
| No Send button on the tab | The kitchen ticket workflow is off, or every kitchen item has already been sent. Only kitchen items are sent, so a tab of drinks that aren't kitchen items has nothing to send. |
| The table stayed red after the bill was paid | Only part of the tab was paid. Open the tab to see what's still owing. |
Best Practices
- Assign the right server when seating, so the table and its kitchen tickets show who's looking after it.
- Send as you go. Send drinks and starters first, then add mains and send again. Only the new items go to the kitchen.
- Mark tables available promptly after bussing, so hosts can see what's really free.
- Use Cancel Tab, not Clear Table, when guests leave without ordering.
What's Next?
- Reservations: book tables and seat reservations when guests arrive.
- Tables & Floor Plans: change your layout.
- Hold & Recall Orders: holds, Pay Later and open tabs.