Starting your shift
Sign in with your PIN, check your device's till, printer, stations, sections and menu, what to do if the day isn't started, and how to lock and sign out.
5 min read
This is what to do when you pick up a device at the start of a shift, and when you put it down at the end.
1. Sign in with your PIN
A device that's ready for work waits on the lock screen: Enter your PIN - "Sign in to begin your shift."
How to sign in
- Type your 4-digit PIN on the keypad. Tap the backspace key to fix a mistake.
- Tap Sign in.
The app opens, signed in as you. Everything you do now - orders, payments, voids - is recorded against your name.
The lock screen: every member of the team, staff included, signs in with their own PIN.
Your PIN is yours. Don't share it, and don't sign in for someone else.
Your PIN does two jobs
- It says who you are. Everyone has a PIN, staff included. It's how you sign in.
- A manager's or operator's PIN also approves things. Refunds, voids, discounts and a few other actions ask for a supervisor PIN, even mid-shift. Your own PIN won't approve them if you're staff - call a manager over. See Roles and PINs.
If it won't let you in
- "That PIN doesn't match anyone here. Try again." - check the digits. If it keeps failing, ask a manager to check your PIN in Settings → Staff.
- "Too many attempts. Wait a minute and try again." - after several wrong PINs the device makes you wait. Wait a minute, then try again.
- "Can't reach..." followed by the till device's name - your device can't find the venue's till device. Check you're in Wi-Fi range and that the till device is switched on.
More help: Sign-in problems.
2. You don't pick a role
There's no waiter or runner role to choose when you sign in. Course ready and overdue alerts follow the device's Sections, whoever is signed in. A bill request goes to the table's waiter, on whichever device they're signed in to. To hear about different tables, change the device's sections (next step).
3. Check the device's assignments
Before service, make sure the device is set up for where you're working today. Open the Menu (the button in the app header) and tap Assignments. There are five things to check:
- Payment till - the till your payments are recorded on. Without one, you can't take orders or payments.
- Bill printer - where your bills print.
- Stations - the station displays this device shows. On a waiter's phone, usually none.
- Sections - the parts of the floor you see and get alerts for. None ticked means the whole floor.
- Menu - the menu you take orders from (for example breakfast or dinner).
Change anything that's wrong and tap Save assignments.
Assignments on a waiter's phone: the main till, the handheld bill printer, no station displays and the terrace section only.
You can change the device you're signed in on. You don't need a manager for that. Only managers and operators can change other devices. The one thing you can't change is the payment till on the till's own device (the one with the cash drawer). See Device assignments.
4. If the day hasn't been started
Nothing can be sold until the service day is open. If it isn't, the Floor shows Start the service day instead of the tables. You can't open a table, fire a course or take a payment until it's open.
Anyone signed in on the app can start the day, staff included - you don't need a manager.
How to start the day
- On the Floor, tap Start Day.
- Tick the tills to open and check each Float.
- Tap Start day · N till(s).
Starting the day: tick the tills to open and check each float.
If the last day ended less than 2 hours ago, the main till asks first: The day only just ended - "The day ended at 16:30. Start a new day now?" This catches a day being started by mistake straight after End Day. Tap Start new day if you really mean to start a new one, or Cancel to leave it.
See The service day: start and end.
5. Stepping away: lock the device
Whenever you put the device down, open the Menu and tap Switch user. It signs you out and goes back to Enter your PIN, so nobody can use it as you. The device keeps all its assignments, and the next person signs in with their own PIN.
Do the same when you hand a phone to a colleague: Switch user, then they enter their PIN.
6. End of shift
- On a handheld, tap Switch user to hand it on or leave it on charge. Use Sign out only when the device needs an email and password before anyone can use it again.
- On the main till (the Primary), there's no Sign out: it keeps serving the other devices. Tap Switch user to lock it.
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Related articles
- Switching users and tills - Hand a device to the next person with Switch user, sign out fully, change which till a device takes payments on, and what to do if your till closes mid-shift.
- Roles and PINs - What operators, managers and staff can each do, how every person signs in with their own 4-digit PIN, and which actions need a manager or operator PIN.
- Manage device assignments - Choose which till records a device's payments, where its bills print, which station displays and sections it shows, and the menu it takes orders under.
- The service day: start and end - Start the service day on the till with each till's float, then run End Day to count every drawer, close the day and print the end-of-day slip.