Questions?
Order Management
How do I receive my customer orders?
Your can receive orders via the following ways: fax, email, SMS (Text Message Notification with a link to view the Order), web based interface (via any Web Browser on any Device, optimized for Tablets), direct to printer* and the Online Order Manager App**. You can choose multiple methods and change order receiving methods any time.
*Direct to Printer (Auto Print) requires installation of Order Monitor Software (This software is compatible with computers running Windows Vista, Windows 7, 8, 10).
**Online Order Manager App via Apple App Store (IOS) or Google Play Store (Android), optimized for tablets. (Apps available for tablet or smartphone)
What if my fax machine / printer isn’t located where staff can see the orders?
No problem. We offer automated phone calls and/or SMS text message notifications to alert you of new orders. The text messages include the order information as well.
How do I know when I get an order?
Every time you receive a new order, you will receive an automated notification phone call to let you know you have a new order, press “any key” before you hang up on the call. If you don’t press the key before hanging up, our system will detect notification failure and will attempt to resend the phone notification again.
Can I disable the phone notifications? The phone rings constantly when there are too many orders.
We can disable the phone notification, however, we do not recommend this because it’s very easy to overlook an order without the phone alert. We can reduce the the number of attempts to call your restaurant.
If you are receiving more online orders than you can handle, we can limit the number of orders being served every 30 minutes.
Are customers required to create an account before ordering?
By default, no. But you can set it as requirement. The advantage to encouraging account creation is the ability to capture their emails for future marketing purposes.
What information is shown on the order?
Order details include items & quantities, order created time & due time, order type (pickup/delivery), payment methods, and customer contact details.
Is there any way to change the order sheet layout?
Yes, please contact us so we can make the adjustment for you.
How do I know when the order needs to be ready?
Order Due Time is shown on the order sheet. Customers can choose the earliest available time or schedule for a later time to receive the orders. Normally, system default setting for pickup order preparation time is 25–30 mins, and delivery order preparation time is 55–60 mins. Please contact us if you require more or less time to prepare the orders.
I need more time to prepare orders during peak hours, how do I set that?
We can set increased or reduced preparation time for both pick-up and delivery orders during certain times of the day. Please contact us and we can make the adjustment for you. If you need to make the adjustment immediately, navigate to Restaurant Manager - Restaurant Locations - Choose Your Location and click Add/edit additional details - Click on Prep time, and create a special prep time at the bottom of the screen for use during your peak hours. Don’t forget to save.
Can my customers place orders up to the last minute of closing?
By default, our system would allow you enough time to prepare last order before closing. However, you can change the last order time up to your closing time or any time you prefer. If your last order time is 15 mins before closing, and if the customer places the order 10 mins before closing, our system will alert the customer the next available time would be the next business day.
Can I set last order time for delivery order earlier than last order time for pick up order?
Yes, we can set it for you. By default, last order for delivery is 30 mins earlier than pick up orders.
Can I stop receiving orders mid-day between lunch and dinner prep time?
You can let us know your break times and we can set it up so customers won’t be able to place orders during your break time.
How far in advance can my customers place an order?
By default, our system allows customers to place order up to 7 days in advance. We can increase or decrease the number of days at your preference. We can also limit future orders within the same day or completely disable future orders so customer cannot schedule any advance orders.
Do I get notified immediately for a Future Order?
By default, our system will send all orders to you upon receipt. If it’s a future order, a warning message will be shown in order sheet with the wording “Future Order”. Please pay attention to the order due time when you see the warning.
What should I do when customers want to make changes to an order that’s already been placed?
You must login to your admin area, navigate to the order, click on edit order, and then revise and check out as if you were the customer.
However, if the credit card payment has already been processed online for the order, Food App Fast is not able to process partial refund (for example for missing item or removing an item from the order). You must log in, void and refund the entire order, and then place a new order for the corrected items. We recommend running very fast to the kitchen and pulling that ticket as well. These things happen sometimes.
How can I cancel an order?
If customer cancels an order or the order cannot be fulfilled, simply log in and navigate to their order, and click the “cancel order” button. It will automatically refund their money in the format paid. There is no need to refund the money from your merchant processing terminal.
Would I get charged if the order is cancelled?
No, we will not charge you for any cancelled order.
What should I do when I could not reach the customer by phone to pick up the order?
As long as you have required that they pay at the time of the order, you are not out any money for the food prep. Hold their order as you would any other customer until you feel it’s safe to dispose of it.
Do I get compensation for no show orders?
For new customers paying at time of pick up, we recommend restaurants to call the customer before preparing food. No show is very rare, however we cannot be responsible for the loss.
How do I prevent no show or fake orders?
We have a phone number verification put in place to make sure all phone numbers are real.
If you are getting fake/fraudulent orders placed by a customer, we can have them blocked by our system to prevent the customer from placing orders again in the future. We can block this person’s email address, phone number and address from placing online orders again.
For orders to be paid in the store at the time of pickup, if the email address looks suspicious or if it is a first-time customer, you may want to call the customer first to double check the order.
We also suggest you to limit payment option to pay online by credit card if the email address looks fake or suspicious. Also, we can allow only registered customers to place online orders, or if it is not a registered customer, you may want to call the customer first to double check the order before preparing the food, especially if it is a large order. Always be cautious when a large order comes in late at night. We recommend that you always contact the customer for a large order to make sure if the order is genuine. If the order looks suspicious, do not prepare the food until you can reach the customer by phone first.
We highly recommend restaurant use Online Credit Card Payment, in this case, the restaurant payment processor can verify customer’s payment info and make sure that restaurant will get paid even if they do not show up for their order.
Can I get a report on how many orders I receive everyday?
Yes, please let us know and we will send you an End of the Day Summary.
What should I do when customers ask for extra food in the Special Instruction on the order sheet?
Any request for additional items or special preparation in the special instruction may incur an extra charge not calculated on the online order. The restaurant is not obliged to give extra food for free just because they ask for it. Please contact the customers to agree on the extra cost.
We can also create add-ons (additional options to purchase, e.g. extra chicken for $2) in your menu so customers have the option to add extra items to the order, the extra cost will be applied to the order amount.