Can the restaurant modify or edit an order after being placed?

Manage online orders FAQ section:

Can the restaurant modify or edit an order after being placed?

Once accepted by the restaurant, an order cannot be modified.

We help interacting with clients, marketing and selling online and get orders (additionally also online payments). But we do not issue receipts or invoices because this is only an ordering system without billing system capabilities.

This order editing is a POS way of working for dine-in, where an order is “open” and there are several series of ordering sessions (people eat, then ask for a dessert maybe another round of drinks, etc.) until the client finally asks for the bill and leaves the table. Only then an order is closed. But we do not provide this feature because it makes no sense in the context of a client ordering online. In this case, each ordering session is closed as soon as the order is placed. For a restaurant, it is important to be able to count on the fact that 99,99% of clients will stick to what they’ve just ordered…otherwise the restaurant will never be able to start cooking, package and deliver.

If an order was missed or needs modification there is a whole series of questions that need to be refreshed:

How much will you charge the client? will you still be able to deliver at the same hour or not? the order has a total….one way or another you need to start some sort of non-standard “negotiation” and reach some common ground with the client :

a) the client asks to cancel all order

b) the client asks for a replacement of that item with another item

c) client said “fine, bring it without that thing” and still….new total has to be confirmed with him.

Chatting will consume more time than phone in such cases. The best is to take out that online item before someone orders it, but if it happens that clients anyway, there is no better way than human phone interaction to solve it.

It is very quick and easy to open the menu setup, click on the dish, and then use the down-arrow button to hide it for that day, if you know you can’t provide it:

In such rare cases the most effective way is for the client to order extra or call / be called to clarify if they abort the order or relaunch the order, then fill the modified/final order directly into the POS (or whatever receipt issuing system the restaurant is using).

Therefore we make sure the restaurant receives online orders and that properly accepts them. We provide just an alternative sales channel that funnels orders to restaurants. For further processing the orders after acceptance, the restaurant needs to use the same system used before for phone calls and walk-in orders or implement new systems (a POS, Trello, Google calendar reminders, pen and paper, printed invoices, etc.). We cannot dive into the billing, kitchen or riders intercom with a system that is primarily focused on food client experience because we will not do it right.

So we have to draw a line and decide where this system’s job ends and other systems can take-over with better automation.

It is also possible for a restaurant to reject an order if it is not clear. Also in such case, the best would be to call the client, clarify the special comments, what is the correct delivery place etc. and ask the client to order again. There are some cases when it is needed to call back client and this could be one of them.