Prep Queue
The Prep Queue shows all counter sale orders waiting to be prepared. It is the display your counter staff uses to work through orders in sequence — oldest first.
The Prep Queue is only used in Deferred preparation mode. In Simple mode, stock is deducted immediately on sale and the prep queue is not involved. The mode is set in Settings → Organization.
Accessing the Prep Queue
Go to Counter Sales → Prep Queue in the sidebar.
What you see
Order cards
Each card represents one counter sale order. The left edge of the card is colour-coded by how long the order has been waiting:
| Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 🟢 Green | Less than 20 minutes — fresh order |
| 🟡 Amber | 20–45 minutes — getting old |
| 🔴 Red | More than 45 minutes — overdue |
Each card shows:
- Invoice number (and time the order was placed)
- Customer name and register number
- Items ordered — meal plan name, number of servings, scoop count per item
- Extra items (add-ons) — shown in a dashed section labelled "Additional Items" with variant pills and quantities
- Amount and payment method badge
- Mark as Prepared button
Orders are sorted oldest first so you always work through the queue in order.
New order notifications
When a new sale is placed while the prep queue is open, a banner appears at the top:
"N new order(s) arrived"
The banner includes a pulsing dot and a sound alert. It auto-hides after 5 seconds. The new order card appears automatically in the list.
The queue auto-refreshes every 30 seconds — you do not need to reload the page manually.
Demand summary (stock planning)
At the top of the page, below the header, is a collapsible Demand Banner that shows the total stock needed to fulfil all pending orders.
Collapsed view: A quick summary per variant — green "ok" if there is enough open stock, or amber "will run short" if open stock is insufficient.
Expanded view: Click the banner to expand it. It shows a table with:
- Variant name
- Quantity needed across all pending orders
- Quantity currently available in open packs
- Status: "ok" (green) or "short N" (amber, showing exact shortfall)
Use the demand summary to decide which packs to open before starting the prep run. If variants show "short", open more packs before you start preparing orders — this avoids interruptions mid-way through the queue.
Marking an order as Prepared
Click Mark as Prepared on the order card. This:
- Deducts the ingredients from open stock (based on the meal plan formula × servings)
- Records the variant choices (flavours) made at the time of sale
- Moves the order out of the pending queue
If there is not enough open stock, a Stock Shortfall dialog opens instead of completing the preparation. See below.
Stock shortfall resolution (during preparation)
If stock runs short when you try to mark an order as prepared, the Stock Shortfall dialog appears. It lists every variant that is short with the quantity needed vs what is available in open packs.
For each variant you can:
Open a New Pack
Enter the physical unit count for the new pack (how many scoops or grams it contains). Click Open New Pack. This adds the new pack's contents to open stock and marks a sealed pack as opened in inventory.
Rollover Pack
If there is an older open pack for this variant, the Rollover Pack button transfers its remaining quantity into the newest open pack. Use this to consolidate partial containers before continuing.
Adjust count on an existing pack
Each open pack is listed with an Adjust Count form. Enter the physical count you see on the container and click Update. Use this when the system count has drifted from the physical count.
Force Overuse
If the physical stock is there but the system count is still showing short after adjustments, enable Force Overuse using the orange button. This allows the preparation to proceed even if it results in a negative balance.
Force overuse requires at least one open pack for the variant to exist. You cannot force overuse into a product that has never had a pack opened. After forcing, reconcile the count as soon as possible.
Once all variants are resolved, click Confirm Prepare to complete the preparation and deduct stock.
After preparing
- The order disappears from the pending queue
- The sale's preparation status updates to Prepared
- Inventory records the deduction with the correct variant breakdown
- The sale history in the Counter Sales list shows "Prepared" in the prep status badge
Tips for using the Prep Queue effectively
- Open the Prep Queue on a tablet or second screen at the counter so staff can see orders without switching away from the sales screen
- Check the Demand Summary at the start of each shift and open packs in advance to avoid interruptions
- Update statuses promptly — the queue auto-refreshes for everyone, so marking as prepared immediately keeps the display accurate
- If orders are piling up (red urgency bars), prioritise those first — the oldest-first ordering helps, but the colour coding gives a visual priority signal
- For high-volume periods, open all anticipated packs at the start of the rush rather than resolving shortfalls one by one mid-service