Course Management
Proper course timing ensures food arrives at the table in the correct sequence without overwhelming the kitchen.
How Course Firing Works
When taking an order with multiple courses, the POS allows you to control when each course is sent to the kitchen.
Taking a Multi-Course Order
1. Open the table and add all items to the cart
2. Items are automatically grouped by course based on their category:
- Starters: Appetizers, Soups, Salads
- Mains: Entrees, Pasta, Grills
- Desserts: Sweets, Coffee
3. By default, only starters are "fired" (sent to kitchen) immediately
4. Mains and desserts remain "on hold" until you manually fire them
Firing Subsequent Courses
When the table is ready for their next course:
1. Open the table on the POS
2. Tap the "Fire Mains" button
3. The kitchen receives the main course tickets
4. Repeat for desserts when appropriate
All-at-Once Firing
For casual venues or takeaway orders, you can fire all courses simultaneously by tapping "Fire All" instead of the default course-by-course approach.
KDS Course Display
On the Kitchen Display System, tickets are color-coded by course:
- Blue: Starters (fire immediately)
- Orange: Mains (hold until fired)
- Purple: Desserts (hold until fired)
This visual system helps chefs prioritize and time their production correctly.
Automatic Course Splitting
Enable "Auto-Split Courses" in Admin > Settings > Kitchen to automatically separate food orders into starter and main tickets on the KDS. This is particularly useful for busy kitchens that need clear visual separation.
Course Timing Presets
For advanced control, set timing delays in Admin > Settings > Courses:
- Starter to Main: 15 minutes (default)
- Main to Dessert: 20 minutes (default)
The system will display a timer on the POS showing when the next course should be fired based on when the previous course was sent.
Manual Override
Staff can always override automatic timing by manually firing courses early or delaying them based on customer requests.