Orders
Live view of every order across all tables and channels. Track each order from placement through preparation, service, and billing. Review order history, manage cancellations, and print or re-print invoices from a single screen.
The Order Lifecycle in Unavakam
Every order in Unavakam passes through a defined set of statuses from the moment it's placed until the table is cleared and paid. Understanding this lifecycle is fundamental to using the Orders screen effectively, because the status of an order determines what actions you can take on it and where it appears on the KDS, Tables, and Orders screens.
Placed New
The order has been submitted by front-of-house staff (from the Quick Orders screen, the Tables screen, or the mobile app). It appears immediately in the Orders list and on the KDS. The kitchen has not yet acknowledged it. The timer on the KDS card starts counting from this moment.
Preparing Preparing
A kitchen staff member has tapped the order on the KDS to acknowledge it. The order has been picked up and is being cooked. The elapsed timer continues. On the Tables screen, the table's occupied indicator shows a preparing badge.
Ready Ready
The kitchen has moved the order to the "Ready" column on the KDS. The food is plated and waiting on the pass for collection. This status may optionally trigger a notification to floor staff, alerting them that food is ready to be collected and served.
Served Served
A floor staff member has confirmed that the food has been delivered to the table by completing the KDS card. The order is now fully served. The customer is eating. The table remains occupied.
Billed / Completed Done
The bill has been generated, the customer has paid, and the order is marked as complete. The table returns to Available status. This order is now counted in your Reports and GST Reports. A completed order cannot be modified.
Cancelled Cancelled
The order was cancelled before completion â either by staff action or because the customer left. Cancelled orders are excluded from revenue reports. The system records who cancelled the order and when for the audit trail.
Filtering and Searching Orders
The Orders screen shows all orders, but you rarely need to see all of them at once. The filter and search controls at the top let you narrow down to exactly the orders you need:
- Status filter: Filter to Active (all non-completed orders), Completed, Cancelled, or a specific status like Preparing or Ready. The Active filter is the most used during service â it shows everything that's still in flight.
- Order type filter: Filter to Dine-In, Takeaway, or Delivery. During a busy service, filtering to Takeaway lets you monitor those orders specifically, since they often have different time pressure (a customer waiting at the counter).
- Date range: By default, the Orders screen shows today's orders. Set a date range to review historical orders. Useful for re-printing a past invoice, investigating a complaint about a specific order, or checking last Saturday's order flow before this Saturday to plan staffing.
- Search: Enter an order number, table number, or item name to find a specific order instantly. If a customer calls to ask about their delivery order, you can search by order number and pull up the exact record in seconds.
Order Detail View
Clicking on any order in the list opens the Order Detail panel. This is the full record of everything about that order:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Order ID | The system-generated order reference number (e.g. ORD-20240315-042). This is printed on receipts and is used when referencing the order for complaints, refunds, or disputes. |
| Table / Channel | Which table the order belongs to (Dine-In), or the channel type (Takeaway, Delivery). |
| Ordered At | The timestamp when the order was first placed. Used to calculate total order time. |
| Line Items | Every item ordered â name, variant if any (e.g. "Full Portion"), modifiers if any (e.g. "Extra Spicy, No Onion"), quantity, unit price, and line total. |
| Item Notes | Any specific customer instructions captured when the order was placed â e.g. "allergic to peanuts", "extra sauce on the side". |
| Subtotal / Tax / Total | The financial breakdown of the order, with the pre-tax subtotal, GST calculated, and the final total. |
| Payment Method | Cash, UPI, Card, or other method recorded at billing time. |
| Status History | A log of every status change with timestamps: when it was placed, when the kitchen accepted it, when it was marked Ready, when it was served, and when it was billed. |
Printing and Re-Printing Invoices
From the Order Detail panel, click Print Invoice to send the bill to your connected printer (Bluetooth thermal or network printer configured in Settings). This is the primary mechanism for printing bills at the end of a meal. The invoice includes your restaurant name, GSTIN, address, order date and time, all line items with quantities and prices, GST breakdown by rate, and the final total.
For past orders, you can re-print the invoice at any time â useful if a customer lost their copy and calls back, or if your accountant needs a physical copy of a specific transaction. The invoice generated on re-print is identical to the original. For invoice customisation (logo, header text, footer message), see Settings.
Cancelling an Order
An order can be cancelled before it reaches the Billed/Completed status. To cancel, open the Order Detail and click Cancel Order. You'll be asked to enter a cancellation reason â this is required for the audit trail. The reason could be "Customer changed mind", "Item out of stock", "Duplicate order", or any free-text reason.
Once cancelled, the order is removed from the KDS (if it was still visible there), the table's active order count updates, and the cancelled order is logged in your cancellation history. The order does not count toward revenue in Reports. If items had already been prepared, you may want to also record a related waste/spoilage entry in Expenses.