Self-Order Kiosk: Setup and Usage

The Self-Order Kiosk is a full-screen ordering interface that lets customers browse your menu, customise items, apply coupons, redeem loyalty points, and pay — all without a staff member taking the order. It is designed to run on a tablet or touchscreen at the counter and automatically locks the browser in full screen so customers cannot navigate away to the admin panel.

Opening the Kiosk

1. Log in to your restaurant admin panel.
2. Navigate to /restaurant/kiosk (or bookmark it on the tablet).
3. The page opens with a "Start Kiosk" button. Tap it to launch full screen.
4. The kiosk is now live — customers can start ordering immediately.

The kiosk shows your restaurant's logo, name, and brand colour from your theme settings.

How Customers Place an Order

1. Choose Order Type

At the top of the screen, the customer selects Dine In or Takeaway (or any custom order types you have configured under Settings → Order Settings). The selection affects which item prices are shown — dine-in and takeaway prices can differ per item if you have set them up.

2. Browse the Menu and Add Items

• Categories are shown as tabs. Tapping a category scrolls to its items.
• Only available items are shown — items marked unavailable are hidden automatically.
• Tapping an item opens a detail panel where the customer can:
  • Select a variation (e.g. Small / Medium / Large) if the item has them.
  • Choose add-ons / modifiers (e.g. extra cheese, spice level) — required modifier groups must be filled before the item can be added.
  • Set the quantity.
• Items are added to the cart on the right side of the screen.

3. Apply a Coupon (Optional)

In the cart panel, there is a coupon code field. The customer can type a code or tap to see available coupons. The discount is calculated and shown instantly. Only valid, active, non-expired coupons that meet the minimum order amount are accepted.

4. Enter Name and Phone Number

Before proceeding to payment, the customer enters their name and 10-digit mobile number. This is used to:

• Find or create their customer profile.
• Look up existing loyalty points — if the phone number matches an existing customer with redeemable points, an option to redeem them appears automatically.
• Attach the order to their account so it appears in their order history on the customer portal.

5. Redeem Loyalty Points (Optional)

If the phone number has enough loyalty points to meet the restaurant's minimum redemption threshold, a checkbox appears: "Redeem your loyalty points for a discount". Checking it shows the discount amount. The redemption is applied server-side at order creation — the displayed amount is always verified against the actual balance.

6. Choose Payment Method

Depending on your settings, one or both options appear:

To enable or disable either option, go to Settings → Payments → Kiosk Payment Options. At least one option is always shown — if both are disabled, "Pay at Counter" is shown as a fallback.

7. Confirmation Screen

After the order is placed, the screen shows:

• A token number the customer can quote at the counter.
• The order total and a summary of items.
• A message telling them to collect their order or wait for their number to be called.

The screen resets automatically after a short delay so the next customer can start ordering.

Setting Up the Kiosk

Payment Options

Go to Settings → Payments → Kiosk Payment Options and toggle which payment buttons customers see:

• Show "Pay at Counter" — on by default. Customer pays after ordering.
• Show "Pay Online" (Razorpay) — requires Razorpay keys to be entered and the restaurant's Razorpay account to be active. See the Razorpay setup guide for details.

Menu Availability

The kiosk only shows items where Is Available is turned on. Mark items unavailable from the POS or Menu editor when stock runs out — they disappear from the kiosk immediately.

Variations and Modifiers

The kiosk fully supports item variations (size, type) and modifier groups (add-ons, customisations). Set these up under Menu → Items → Edit Item. Required modifier groups must be answered by the customer before they can add the item to their cart.

Order Types

The kiosk respects your custom order type configuration. Go to Settings → Order Settings to enable or rename Dine In, Takeaway, or custom types — and to enable them specifically for the kiosk/site channel.

Exiting Kiosk Mode (Staff Only)

To prevent customers from accidentally or intentionally navigating away from the kiosk:

• The browser is locked in full screen when the kiosk starts.
• There is a hidden exit handle in the bottom-right corner of the screen — it is deliberately subtle so customers do not notice it.
• Hold it for approximately 2.5 seconds to bring up a password prompt.
• Enter your admin or staff account password. If correct, the kiosk exits full screen and returns to the admin panel.

How Kiosk Orders Appear in the Admin Panel

• Kiosk orders appear in Orders with source tagged as Kiosk.
• Pay at Counter orders arrive with status Pending — the cashier marks them paid after collecting payment at the counter.
• Pay Online orders arrive with status Paid — no further action needed.
• Orders appear on the Kitchen Display and can be printed as KOT immediately.
• Loyalty points are awarded automatically for Razorpay-paid orders at the time of order creation. For counter-paid orders, points are awarded when the cashier marks the order paid at the POS.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the kiosk run on any device?

Yes — any device with a modern browser (Chrome recommended) and a touchscreen works well. A 10–13 inch tablet in landscape orientation is ideal. Mount it on a stand at the counter facing the customer.

What happens if the internet drops mid-order?

If connectivity is lost before the order is submitted, the cart is preserved on screen. For Razorpay orders, if the payment popup closes due to a network issue, no order is created and the customer is prompted to try again. Counter orders are unaffected — they do not require internet at the moment of placement (though the submission itself needs connectivity).

Can the same phone number be used by multiple customers?

No — phone numbers are unique per restaurant. If a number is already registered, the existing customer profile is used and their loyalty points are shown. If the name entered differs from the stored name, the stored name is kept.

Is there a session timeout?

The confirmation screen auto-resets after a short delay. If a customer abandons mid-order without submitting, the cart stays on screen until the next person starts a fresh order or the page is refreshed.

The kiosk shows no items — what do I check?

• Make sure your menu items have Is Available toggled on.
• Check that your categories have items assigned to them.
• Verify the items belong to the active menu for your restaurant.