> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dishink.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Table Statuses

> Every status a table can be in — Free, Ordering, Preparing, Served, Billing, Reserved, Merged, Stuck — and how to change them.

Every table on the Floor Plan has a **status** that tells staff at a glance what's happening. Statuses are colour-coded on the card border and shown as status pills at the top of the screen.

## Overview

Statuses drive everything: the colour on the floor plan, the filter pills, the badge stack, and the buttons visible in the Table Session modal.

## The status catalogue

| Status        | Meaning                                                           | Typical next action                   |
| ------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| **Free**      | No active session. Ready for guests.                              | Open the table when guests arrive.    |
| **Ordering**  | Session is open, guests are choosing / waiter is taking order.    | Send items to kitchen when ready.     |
| **Preparing** | Items sent to KDS, kitchen is cooking.                            | Wait for KDS completion.              |
| **Served**    | Kitchen has completed all items; food is (or has been) delivered. | Guests are eating.                    |
| **Billing**   | Guests have requested the bill.                                   | Process payment and close.            |
| **Reserved**  | Held for a future guest.                                          | Convert to Ordering when they arrive. |
| **Merged**    | Part of a merged group.                                           | Manage from the primary table.        |
| **Stuck**     | Marked busy on the server, but no session found.                  | Force-reset (Manager PIN).            |

## Reading the card border

The table card border encodes status **visually**:

* **1 state** → uniform border colour.
* **2 states** → diagonal split (e.g. Ordering + Preparing shows two colours diagonally).
* **3+ states** → one colour per side (top / right / bottom / left).

This lets waiters see complex states at a glance: an **Ordering + Preparing + Split** table has three border colours without needing to open the modal.

## Badge stack

Beside the border colours, small badges sit at the bottom-right of each card:

* **Temp** — this is a [temporary table](/tables/temporary-tables).
* **Stuck** — session is missing (see [Stuck Tables](/tables/stuck-tables)).
* **Split** — an active split payment is configured on the bill.
* **Preparing** — count of items currently in the kitchen (from KDS realtime).
* **Waiting** — count of items completed by kitchen but not marked served.

## Change a table's status

Open the table. The Table Session modal shows **5 status buttons** across the top:

* **Open** (starts a session on a free table)
* **Ordering**
* **Served**
* **Billing**
* **Reserved**

<Frame caption="Table Session modal — status buttons across the top">
  <img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/dishink/images/tables/table-statuses.png" alt="Table status buttons" />
</Frame>

Tap the button matching the new state. The floor plan updates immediately.

<Note>
  **Preparing** and **Stuck** are computed automatically. You don't set them:

  * **Preparing** is inferred from live KDS ticket state.
  * **Stuck** is inferred when a table is marked busy but no session exists (see below).
</Note>

## The Bill Confirm modal

If you tap **Billing** while items are still preparing in the kitchen, DishInk shows a **Bill Confirm** warning:

> *2 items are still in the kitchen. Are you sure you want to move to billing?*

Choose **Wait** to cancel, or **Bill anyway** if the guests have decided to leave.

This warning uses **cached KDS items**, so it works even when the tablet is offline.

## Closing without payment

Closing a table with an unpaid balance requires a **Manager PIN**. This is a deliberate friction point: it's how you write off a bad debt (walked out without paying, comp'd the meal, etc.).

The reason for the close is recorded in the manager audit log.

## Reserved is table-level, not session-level

**Reserved** is a state of the *table*, not a session. That means:

* A Reserved table is still Free — no session, no bill.
* When the guest arrives, you tap **Open** to start the session; Reserved clears automatically.
* You cannot mark a table Reserved if it's already active (Ordering, Preparing, etc.). Close the current session first.

See [Reservations](/tables/reservations) for the full flow.

## Stuck state

If a table appears **busy** on the floor plan but the Table Session modal shows *"No session found"*, the table is **Stuck**. DishInk waits 600 ms before revealing this state, to avoid flashing "Stuck" during normal loading.

Managers can **Force-Reset** the table (Manager PIN required). See [Stuck Tables](/tables/stuck-tables).

## Split lock effects on status

When a bill has an active split payment:

* **Merge** is blocked.
* **Table Transfer** is blocked.
* **Item Transfers** in and out are blocked.
* **Discount edits** on split-locked lines are blocked.
* **Quick-discount chips** in the Table Session modal are locked (greyed out).

Clear the split before performing any of the above.

## Tips & best practices

<Tip>
  Train waiters on the **Bill Confirm** warning. If the kitchen still has items, they should choose **Wait** unless the guest is genuinely leaving.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  Use **Reserved** for phoned-in reservations. It saves the table from being taken by walk-ins and gives the host a clean cue on the floor.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  If you find the **Stuck** badge appearing often, check network stability. Most stuck tables are the result of a partial write during offline mode.
</Tip>

## Common mistakes

* **Marking Billing too early.** Preparing items are still in the kitchen. Wait or explicitly acknowledge the warning.
* **Trying to Reserve an active table.** Close the session first.
* **Ignoring split lock.** If a button is greyed out with a split badge visible, the split is blocking you — resolve it first.
* **Force-resetting instead of investigating.** Stuck tables usually mean an offline write hasn't synced. Wait 10 seconds first.

## Related pages

* [Floor Plan](/tables/floor-plan)
* [Stuck Tables](/tables/stuck-tables)
* [Reservations](/tables/reservations)
* [Merging Tables](/tables/merging-tables)
* [Split Bills](/pos/split-bills)
* [Closing Tables](/waiter/closing-tables)