Order types, menus and service charges

This article joins three things that are configured in different places but work together: order types (dine-in vs takeaway), menus, and service charges. If you've ever wanted a service charge on dine-in orders but not on takeaway, this is the article that explains how.

The one rule to remember

A service charge lives on a menu, not on an order type. There is no "apply this charge to dine-in only" switch. A charge is attached to a menu, and it covers every order taken from that menu — whatever the order type.

So the way to make a charge apply to one order type only is to control which menu serves that order type. You do that by using separate menus.

How the device decides which menu and order type is in play

Two settings drive this, and they live in two different places:

• Order types come from the device's mode. A mode has capabilities including Dine in (seat an order at a table) and Takeaway (takeaway and collection orders). A mode with both capabilities lets staff take both kinds of order on that device. See Modes.

• Menus are arranged in Items → Menus, and each menu can carry its own service charge in its Settings → Service charge. See Build a menu and Service charges.

• When a menu is on can also be set per menu, in its Settings → When this menu shows — for example a second menu for chosen evenings. See When a menu shows. Tills and card machines follow those hours after their next app update.

The important consequence: if a device mode enables both Dine in and Takeaway and they both pull from the same menu, that menu's charge covers both. A single shared menu's charge extends to every order type it serves.

The recommended pattern: two menus

To charge service on one order type only, build two menus:

• A Dine-in menu with the service charge applied.
• A Takeaway menu with no charge.

The same products can sit in both menus — adding a product to a menu places the one you already built, it doesn't duplicate it. So you maintain one catalogue and just arrange it into two menus that differ only in their charge setting. (A menu can also carry its own price for a product if you want takeaway pricing to differ, but that's optional.)

Worked example, end to end

Goal: 10% service on eat-in, nothing on takeaway.

1. 1

   Create the charge

   Store settings → Service charges → New charge. Make a Percentage charge named "Service", set to 10.

2. 2

   Build the dine-in menu

   Items → Menus → New menu, name it "Dine-in", add your products. Then open its Settings → Service charge and pick "Service". Picking it applies it straight away — there is nothing to save.

3. 3

   Build the takeaway menu

   Items → Menus → New menu, name it "Takeaway", add the same products. Leave its Settings → Service charge set to none.

4. 4

   Set the mode capabilities

   Store settings → Modes. Open the mode your device runs and confirm it has the Dine in capability (for tables) and the Takeaway capability (for takeaway). See Modes.

5. 5

   Check your setup in the portal

   Open each menu's Settings → Service charge and confirm the dine-in menu shows "Service" and the takeaway menu shows none. There is nothing to check on the device yet — the till doesn't add the charge to a bill (see the note at the top).

Common questions

Do I have to press Save after picking a charge? No. The service-charge picker on a menu's Settings page applies the moment you choose — that page's Save button in the top bar belongs to the Available at locations card, which only appears if you run more than one site. It stays greyed out until you actually tick or untick a site.

If I enable both Dine in and Takeaway on one device, do they share a menu? Unless you've split them into separate menus, yes — they draw from the same menu, so a charge on that menu hits both order types. Split into two menus to treat them differently.

Can I keep one product list and still have two menus? Yes. A product lives in your catalogue once; each menu just references it. Editing the product (price, VAT, photo) under Items → Products updates it everywhere it appears.

Does the customer see the charge? Not today. Service charges are configuration only for now: nothing is added to the bill and nothing is printed on the receipt. When charges do go live at the point of sale, an applied charge will show as its own line on the bill and on the receipt for orders from that menu.

Can a menu be on only at certain times? Yes — a menu's Settings page opens with a When this menu shows card. Set its days and times there; see When a menu shows. It doesn't change how service charges work.

Related

• Service charges — create and apply a charge.
• Build a menu — arrange products into menus.
• Modes — set the Dine in and Takeaway capabilities.
• When a menu shows — give a menu its own days and times.