Order Lifecycle

Every online order moves through a defined lifecycle. Customers receive WhatsApp updates at each stage automatically.

Overview

Status	Meaning	Customer notification
Received	Order landed	Acknowledgement message
Accepted	Restaurant confirmed with ETA	Confirmation with ETA
Preparing	Kitchen started	Update message
Ready	Awaiting pickup or dispatch	Pickup ready OR out for delivery
Out for Delivery	Rider dispatched	Rider info + tracking
Completed	Delivered/collected	Thank-you + review prompt
Rejected	Cannot fulfil	Apology + refund (if paid)

Every status change is timestamped and appears in the order’s audit trail.

Set realistic ETAs. Under-promising by 5 minutes is safer than missing an over-promised time.

Do not manually message customers with status updates. The auto-flow is already sending them — duplicates confuse.

Last modified on July 19, 2026

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