Quick Orders
Build and place an order directly without assigning it to a table. Ideal for takeaway orders, counter service, delivery orders, and any situation where the order is tied to a person or request rather than a physical table.
When to Use Quick Orders vs the Tables Screen
Unavakam gives you two ways to create orders: from the Tables screen (where you associate an order with a specific dine-in table) and from the Quick Orders screen (where you build and place an order without a table assignment). Understanding when to use each screen makes your workflow much smoother.
Use Quick Orders for:
- Takeaway orders: A customer calls in or walks up to the counter and wants food packed to take away. There's no table, no seat assignment â just an order to prepare and pack. Quick Orders is designed exactly for this scenario.
- Delivery orders: A customer orders via phone or a delivery channel. You enter their order in Quick Orders, the kitchen gets it on the KDS, and your delivery person picks it up.
- Counter/bar service: In some setups â a juice bar, a fast food counter, a dessert kiosk â customers place orders at the counter and wait. Quick Orders is faster than the Tables screen for this workflow.
- Staff meal or trial orders: Testing new menu items in the kitchen, or ordering staff meals that don't go through a table, can be done quickly here.
Use the Tables screen when customers are seated at a specific table and you want their order associated with that table â so you can track which table is occupied, add rounds of ordering, and manage their complete bill in one place.
Building an Order â Step by Step
Select order type
At the top of the order builder, choose the order type: Takeaway, Delivery, or Dine-In (for counter service without an assigned table). This type flows through to the KDS, order history, and Reports â so choosing correctly matters for your analytics.
Browse or search the menu
The left side of the screen shows your full menu, organised by category tabs. Click a category tab to see all items in that category. Alternatively, use the search bar to type an item name â search works across all categories simultaneously and is the fastest way to add items when you already know what the customer wants.
Add items to the order
Click an item to add it to the order cart on the right. If the item has variants (e.g. Lassi comes in Regular and Large), a selection prompt appears before adding â choose the correct variant. If the item has required modifiers (e.g. Sandwich bread choice is required), the modifier selection sheet appears. Complete all required selections to add the item.
Add optional modifiers
For items with optional modifiers (e.g. extra toppings on a pizza, choice of sauce with a burger), you can tap the item in the cart to open its modifier options and add additional selections. The cart automatically adds the modifier cost to the item total.
Add a customer name or phone (optional)
For takeaway and delivery orders, you can add a customer name or phone number to the order. This appears on the KDS card and on the receipt, making it easy to call the customer's name when their order is ready â especially useful in a busy counter environment.
Add order notes (optional)
An order-level notes field lets you capture any special instructions that apply to the whole order rather than a single item â "Double bag please", "Delivery for 2nd floor", "Extra tissues". These notes appear on the KDS order card and on the packing receipt.
Review the cart and place the order
The right panel shows all items, quantities, unit prices, modifier costs, and the running total. Review for accuracy, then click Place Order. The order fires immediately to the KDS and is recorded in the Orders screen.
The Order Cart â Understanding Each Element
As you build an order in Quick Orders, the cart on the right side accumulates every item you've added. Here's what each element in the cart means:
| Cart Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Item name + variant | The menu item name and the selected variant, e.g. "Masala Tea â Large". If no variant, just the item name. |
| Modifiers | Listed below the item name in smaller text â e.g. "Extra Sugar, No Milk". Free modifiers show as text; paid modifiers show the additional cost. |
| Quantity | Use the + and - buttons to change quantity. Pressing - on a quantity of 1 removes the item from the cart. |
| Item Notes | Tap the pencil icon next to an item to add a per-item note â e.g. "customer is diabetic, less sugar please". This appears separately on the KDS card for that item. |
| Line Total | (Qty à Unit Price) + modifier costs. Updates live as quantity or modifiers change. |
| Subtotal | Sum of all line totals before GST. |
| GST | Calculated based on each item's configured GST rate. Items at different rates are taxed separately and shown as a combined total. |
| Grand Total | The amount the customer pays. This is what gets printed on the receipt. |
How Quick Orders Flow Into the Kitchen
When a Quick Order is placed, it appears on the KDS exactly like a table order. The KDS card shows the order number (no table number, since this is a non-table order), the order type badge (Takeaway/Delivery), the customer name if entered, and all the items with quantities, variants, and modifiers. The kitchen team handles it identically to any dine-in order â they mark it Preparing, then Ready when the food is packaged.
On the Orders screen, Quick Orders are tracked just like table orders. You can open any Quick Order to see its full detail, reprint its receipt, or cancel it if needed before completion. Completed Quick Orders are counted in your Reports under their respective order type (Takeaway, Delivery, or Dine-In).