A floor plan, not a table list
A numbered list of tables is enough for a small café, but a large floor needs a plan that draws the tables in their real positions, split into sections: inside, outside, upstairs. The plan shows at a glance which table is occupied and since when, which one holds an order waiting to be sent to the kitchen, and which one has a bill due.
Time on the table matters as much as state: a table open for ninety minutes with no new order needs a visit, and a table with a bill due for fifteen minutes needs its receipt. When the opening time is recorded automatically, that signal is available to the manager without asking anyone.
The open tab and its rounds
The table opens with one tab, and everything ordered afterwards is added to it as a new round. The round carries its number when printed, so the kitchen knows it is an addition and not a repeat, and the guest sees one combined bill at the end. The rule that prevents chaos: one table never holds more than one open tab, so if two separate parties share a table, two tables are opened in the system even if it is one table in the room.
Prices and tax are computed with the settings in force when the tab opened, so the first round’s price does not change because the menu changed before the third round.
The waiter on their phone
Walking to the till after every table wastes minutes and relies on memory. A waiter who takes the order on their phone at the table enters items, modifiers and notes while the guest is talking, then sends them. The question the restaurant must settle is whether the round goes to the kitchen the moment the waiter sends it or waits for the cashier to review it. Restaurants that trust their waiters choose direct sending; others make the round “wait for the till”, where it shows up with the incoming orders and the cashier sends it with one tap.
Either way the cashier keeps the money decisions: discounts, removing a sent item, cancelling and returns. The waiter may be allowed to take payment with specific methods, in which case what they collect is recorded on the cashier’s shift under the waiter’s name, and the cash they gather reaches the drawer at the end of the shift.
- Taking the order and later rounds at the table.
- Printing a pre-bill for the guest on request.
- Moving a table or joining two tables when allowed.
- Taking payment with specific methods when allowed, under their name and on the cashier’s drawer.
Moving tables, joining tables and moving items
Three moves repeat every evening. Moving: a party relocates from inside to outside, their tab goes with them and the kitchen knows its new destination. Joining: a large party sits across two tables, which are joined into one tab shown under both names on tickets and the receipt. Moving items: a guest splits their bill from friends, so their items move to another table or a new tab, with any line discount carried along rather than lost.
Each move must be recorded under whoever made it and must reach the kitchen when it changes what the cook sees, such as a void ticket for a round left empty after the move.
The pre-bill, then the bill
A guest who asks for the bill wants a sheet to review before paying. The pre-bill carries the items and the total and a clear line saying it is not a tax invoice; it does not open the cash drawer and does not close the tab. After payment the real receipt prints with its code and payment method, the tab closes, and the table returns to empty on the plan.
Paying in parts is normal on the floor: part by card and part in cash, or every guest paying their share. What matters is that the tab stays open until the amount is complete, and that every part is recorded with its method and value.
What to read in the reports
A good floor report answers three questions: how many tables were served in the shift and how long each took, what each waiter collected by payment method, and which items were voided after being sent and why. The third one in particular reveals a training problem or an unclear menu before it turns into recurring waste.
