Ordering Settings
Settings → Ordering controls how customers can order from you. These are the switches you'll reach for most often during actual service.
Accept online orders
The master switch. Turn it off and your ordering page stays up but stops taking orders, showing your closed message instead.
Use it when you're slammed and need to stop the flow, or for an unplanned closure. Reach for this before deleting menu items — it's reversible in one tap.
Set a reminder to turn it back on. A restaurant closed online since last Tuesday is a genuinely common and expensive mistake.
Closed message
What customers see when ordering is off or you're outside your hours.
Be specific and useful. "Closed" tells them nothing; "Kitchen's slammed — back online at 7pm, or call us at 555-0143" keeps the order.
Default prep time
How long you need to make a typical order. This drives the pickup times customers are offered.
Be honest. Too short and you're behind from your first order and every subsequent customer waits. Too long and people order elsewhere. Time a few real orders during a busy period rather than guessing, and set it to what a busy shift looks like — not your best case.
Revisit this seasonally. Prep time from your quiet opening month is wrong by summer.
Advance order window
How far ahead customers can schedule. A window of a few days suits most restaurants; caterers want longer.
Scheduled orders appear under Upcoming in Managing Orders and fire to the kitchen at the right time.
Kitchen cutoff before close
Stops new orders a set number of minutes before you close, so nobody orders at the last second and staff stay late. See Store Hours.
Payment requirements
Two independent switches under Settings → Payments:
Require payment for online orders. On, customers pay when ordering. Off, they can choose to pay at pickup.
Requiring payment nearly eliminates no-shows. Allowing pay-at-pickup lowers the barrier for cash customers. Most restaurants should require payment for online orders — an unpaid no-show is food in the bin.
Require payment for phone orders. Same question for phone orders.
Unpaid orders are collected at the counter — find them under the Unpaid chip on the register.
Show phone number
Whether your phone number appears on your ordering page. On unless you genuinely don't want calls.
Dine-in
Enable dine-in adds tables and checks. See Tables & Dine-In. This is enabled by ForkLine — contact support if you need it.
Where to go next
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