Understanding Order Types
What this feature does
Order types help you categorize how customers want to receive their orders — whether they're dining at your location, taking items to go, or need delivery. This classification tells your team exactly how to prepare and serve each order, ensuring customers get what they expect. Different order types can trigger different workflows, like reserving tables for dine-in orders or preparing packaging for takeout.
Who it is for
This feature helps:
Restaurant servers distinguishing between dine-in and takeout orders
Hotel staff managing room service versus front desk pickup requests
Retail store managers tracking in-store purchases versus delivery orders
Kitchen staff who need to know packaging requirements for each order
Business owners analyzing which order types are most popular
When to use it
You'll work with order types when:
Creating manual orders and selecting how the customer wants their items
Reviewing orders to understand which require table service versus quick pickup
Planning staffing needs based on whether most orders are dine-in or delivery
Analyzing your business performance by order type
Setting up your location's ordering options for the first time
Key concepts
Dine-In: Customers who will consume their order at your location — at a table in your restaurant, in their hotel room, or in a designated area. These orders typically need table or room numbers and often involve table service.
Takeout (Take Away): Customers who will pick up their order and take it elsewhere. These orders need careful packaging and timing so items are ready when the customer arrives to collect them.
Delivery: Orders that your team or a delivery service will bring to the customer's location. These require customer address information and often involve longer preparation times to account for travel.
Booking (Reservation): For hotels and event venues, this represents room bookings or space reservations rather than product orders. The system adapts its terminology based on your business type.
Custom Order Types: Beyond the standard options, you can create custom order types specific to your business — like "Curbside Pickup", "Catering", or "Express Service". These appear alongside the default types when creating orders.
Common questions
Does my business type affect which order types I see?
Yes. The dashboard automatically shows order types relevant to your industry. Hotels see options like "Room Service" and "Booking", restaurants see "Dine-In" and "Takeout", while retail stores see "In-Store" and "Delivery". The system adapts to speak your business language.
Can I create my own order types?
While the system provides standard order types that work for most businesses, custom order types can be added to match your specific operations. These custom types work exactly like the default ones and appear in all the same places when creating or filtering orders.
Why does order type matter if the customer is getting the same items?
Order type affects several behind-the-scenes processes. Dine-in orders might print to a different station than takeout orders. Delivery orders need address validation. Takeout orders need packaging materials. By categorizing orders correctly, your team knows exactly how to handle each one without asking questions.
What if a customer changes their mind about order type after placing?
Open the order details and you can update the order type before the order is completed. For example, if a dine-in customer decides they need to take their food to go, just change the type to takeout. This ensures your team prepares it correctly with proper packaging.
Do all order types show on customer-facing menus?
The order types customers see when placing orders depend on what you've enabled for your venue. You control which options are available, so customers only see relevant choices. For instance, you might disable delivery during certain hours or limit dine-in during renovation periods.