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DishInk ships with five built-in roles that match standard restaurant hierarchy. Owners and managers can create custom role templates in Staff Management → Roles and apply fine-grained permissions per staff member.

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Built-in roles

There is no separate Administrator role. Managers get broad access automatically, but certain sensitive permissions (payroll, tips, billing, settings, LAN) must still be granted explicitly — even for managers.

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How permissions work

DishInk uses a two-track permission system: Track 1 — Role bypass. Managers automatically pass permission checks for most features without needing individual toggles. Owners always pass every check unconditionally. Track 2 — Explicit only. A set of sensitive permissions are never auto-granted by role. They must be turned on individually per staff member, even for managers. These are:
  • can_edit_contact, can_edit_hours, can_edit_social, can_edit_features
  • can_manage_settings, can_manage_terminals, can_view_settings
  • can_manage_payroll, can_manage_tips
  • can_delete_staff
  • can_view_all_reports
  • can_view_all_tables
  • can_view_lan_conflicts
  • can_view_billing, can_manage_billing
  • can_switch_locations and all cross-location sub-permissions
Being a manager does not grant any of the explicit-only permissions above. If a manager needs to run payroll or access billing, you must turn on that permission for them individually.

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Permission categories

Permissions are grouped into the following categories in the role editor:

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Growth Pro views

Controls which Back Operations modules a staff member can open.

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Sales reports

Every staff member with POS access can generate and print their own shift report — no toggle needed. Enabling can_view_all_reports upgrades this to the full manager-style report: all staff numbers, staff picker, summary/detailed toggle, and CSV exports. Explicit only — manager role is not enough.

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Admin page access

Controls which Front Operations pages a staff member can visit: Dashboard, Menu, Gallery, Messages, QR Codes, Orders, Website Content.

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Admin page editing

Controls which Front Operations pages a staff member can make changes on: Menu, Gallery, Content, QR Codes, Messages, Inventory, Orders.

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Management controls

  • can_manage_staff — add and edit staff members
  • can_delete_staff — permanently remove staff (explicit only)
  • can_edit_shifts — modify shift records

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Analytics access

Requires can_view_analytics to be enabled first. Managers get all four automatically. Other roles need individual grants:
  • can_view_analytics_kitchen
  • can_view_analytics_revenue
  • can_view_analytics_menu
  • can_view_analytics_staff

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Transaction overrides

  • can_process_payments — process and finalise payments
  • can_apply_discounts — apply discounts on orders
  • can_void_orders — void active orders

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HR — Payroll & Tips

Explicit only. Manager role is not enough.
  • can_manage_payroll — approve payroll records, mark wages as paid, run payroll calculations
  • can_manage_tips — distribute tips, change tip distribution mode and settings, mark tips as paid

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Settings access

All explicit only, even for managers.
  • can_view_settings — open the settings panel
  • can_manage_settings — change general settings
  • can_edit_contact, can_edit_hours, can_edit_social, can_edit_features — granular website settings
  • can_manage_terminals — add and configure POS terminals

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LAN & Network

Explicit only. Controls access to the LAN Monitor page, connected devices, offline sync queue, and conflict log. Owners always have this access.
  • can_view_lan_conflicts

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Multi-location access

Explicit only. Growth Pro required. Staff are locked to their home location unless can_switch_locations is enabled. Sub-permissions only apply after switching:
  • can_switch_locations — master switch
  • can_manage_cross_location_menu — edit menu and price overrides at switched location
  • can_manage_cross_location_inventory — manage stock at switched location
  • can_view_cross_location_analytics — view analytics at switched location

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Billing access

Explicit only. Manager role is not enough. Controls access to the subscription and billing panel in Back Ops Settings.
  • can_view_billing — view current plan, billing dates, usage stats, request history
  • can_manage_billing — submit upgrade, downgrade, cancel, and payment method change requests
can_manage_billing automatically grants can_view_billing as well — you only need to enable one.

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Creating and editing role templates

Go to Staff Management → Roles to manage role templates. Select an existing role to edit its permissions, or click Create New Role to start from scratch. Role templates can be assigned to staff members when creating or editing their account. The template sets the defaults — individual permissions can still be adjusted per staff member after assignment.
Only owners and staff with can_manage_staff can create or edit role templates.

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Tips & best practices

Design role templates around job function, not seniority. A “Bar Cashier” template is more useful than a modified Manager role — it stays accurate when staff rotate positions.
Use explicit-only permissions deliberately. Payroll, billing, and tip management should only be granted to the specific people who handle them — not everyone at manager level.

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Common mistakes

Do not rely on the Manager role to cover payroll, tips, or billing. These are explicit-only and must be toggled on individually, by design.
Deleting a staff member (can_delete_staff) is permanent and explicit-only for that reason. Grant it only to owners and a designated HR lead.
Last modified on July 20, 2026