Overview
Open Tables from the main navigation. You will see:- A status pill bar across the top (Free, Ordering, Preparing, Served, Billing, Reserved, Merged, Stuck) — tap one to filter.
- An Active Bills pill showing the number of open sessions across the branch.
- A section filter (Patio, Main, Bar, Rooftop, Walk-in — whatever you configured).
- A search box for finding a table by name or section.
- The View menu (list view vs grid) and Edit button (managers only).
- A Walk-in preference toggle: Separate (walk-ins live in their own section) or Hidden (walk-ins fold into the main grid). Your choice is remembered on this device via
gp_walkin_pref. - The floor grid itself — every table shown as a card with its live status, colour-coded border, and badges.
The Tables screen — status pills, section filter, and the live floor grid
Reading a table card
Each card encodes several signals at once:KDS counts are offline-first. When the network drops, the last known count is kept until connectivity returns. This means the number you see on a slow link is never blank — but it may lag by a few seconds behind the kitchen.
Filtering the floor
Status pills
Tap any pill along the top to show only tables in that state. Tap it again (or the All pill) to clear.Section filter
Switch between sections to focus on one area of the restaurant — useful during shift handovers or when you want to see just the Patio.Search
Type a table name (Table 12) or a section name (Patio) into the search box. The grid narrows in real time.
Walk-in preference
Open the View menu and choose:- Separate walk-ins — walk-in / quick-sale tables appear in their own section at the bottom.
- Hide walk-ins — walk-in tables are removed from the grid entirely. Useful for a pure dine-in view during peak service.
Edit mode (managers)
Managers see an Edit button in the top-right. Tap it to enter edit mode, where you can:- Bulk-select tables by tapping them.
- Assign a section to all selected tables at once.
- Set a capacity for all selected tables.
- Delete the selected tables (permanent tables require a Manager PIN if the acting user is not a manager).
- Rename or edit individual tables by tapping the pencil icon.
The action queue banner
When the tablet is offline or a table action (open, close, reset) is still syncing to the server, a banner appears at the top of the screen:2 table actions queued — will sync when you’re back online.Actions continue to work locally. Once connectivity returns, DishInk drains the queue in order. If a merged table is discovered to have been un-merged on the server side while offline, the local cache is auto-cleaned on the next
online event.
Cached data banner: if the tablet is showing data from cache (e.g. after a reload with no network), a small Cached pill appears in the header. The floor is still fully usable — you just may not see other terminals’ latest changes until reconnection.
Role-based views
- Managers and cashiers see every table in the branch.
- Waiters see only the tables assigned to them. Assignments are queried directly from
waiter_table_assignments, so a newly assigned table appears within seconds. See Waiter Assignments. - Kitchen staff do not use the floor plan — they work from the Kitchen Display.
Tips & best practices
Common mistakes
- Waiter says “my table is missing.” They are only shown assigned tables. Reassign the table from Waiter Assignments or ask a manager to open it for them.
- Duplicate temp tables. Every walk-in creates a temporary table. If your grid fills with
Walk-in #14, #15, #16…, close paid sessions promptly — temporary tables auto-archive on close. - KDS count seems wrong. It’s cached. Pull-to-refresh, or open the table — the modal shows the authoritative session data.