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

# KOT Settings, Cancel Reasons, and Marking Items 86

> Configure how kitchen order tickets behave by default, manage the cancel reasons staff see when voiding a KOT, and control item availability (86) from the ePOS app.

Two areas of the web admin control the day-to-day behavior of your kitchen tickets: **KOT Settings** (found under Settings in the main navigation) and **KOT Cancel Reasons** (a subsection of the same page). Staff with the right permission can also mark individual menu items as out of stock — known as "86ing" an item — directly from the ePOS waiter app.

## KOT settings

KOT Settings let you choose what happens the moment a kitchen order ticket is created, and whether kitchen staff can track the progress of individual items within a ticket.

<Note>
  KOT Settings are under **Settings > KOT Settings** in the web admin — not inside the Kitchen Places sidebar section.
</Note>

<Note>
  You need the **Manage Settings** permission to change KOT Settings.
</Note>

### Default KOT status

When a waiter sends an order to the kitchen, the new KOT is created with one of two starting statuses:

| Option                   | What it means                                                                                                                                         |
| ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Pending confirmation** | The ticket waits in a "pending" column until a chef or kitchen manager moves it to cooking. Useful when a supervisor must approve before work starts. |
| **Cooking** (In Kitchen) | The ticket goes straight into the active cooking column. Best for fast-paced kitchens where every ticket should be acted on immediately.              |

Choose the option that matches how your kitchen operates. You can change it at any time and the new setting applies to all tickets created from that point forward.

### Item-level status tracking

When this setting is enabled, each individual item inside a KOT has its own status that kitchen staff can bump independently — for example, marking a starter as ready while a main course is still cooking. When disabled, the whole ticket moves as a single unit.

Enable item-level status if your kitchen needs fine-grained visibility into which dishes are ready. Leave it off if you prefer a simpler, all-or-nothing ticket flow.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open KOT Settings">
    In the web admin, go to **Settings** and select **KOT Settings**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the default status">
    Under **Default KOT Status**, choose either **Pending Confirmation** or **Cooking**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Toggle item-level status">
    Check or uncheck **Enable Item Level Status** depending on your preference.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Save your changes. New KOTs created after saving will follow the updated settings.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## KOT cancel reasons

Cancel reasons are the predefined options staff see when they cancel a KOT from the kitchen view. Having a set list keeps your records consistent and makes it easy to spot patterns (for example, repeated cancellations due to stock issues).

Cancel reasons are configured in the **Cancel Reasons** subsection of the same **Settings > KOT Settings** page.

### Fields for each cancel reason

| Field                              | Description                                                                                                                               |
| ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Reason name**                    | The label staff see in the cancellation modal, e.g. "Wrong order sent" or "Item out of stock".                                            |
| **Applicable to KOT cancellation** | Toggle this on to make the reason appear when a KOT is being cancelled. Reasons with this off are not shown in the KOT cancellation flow. |

<Tip>
  Keep reason names short and descriptive. Staff are cancelling a ticket mid-service, so they need to find the right option quickly.
</Tip>

<Note>
  You need the **Manage Settings** permission to add or edit cancel reasons.
</Note>

***

## Marking a menu item as 86 (out of stock)

"86" is kitchen shorthand for an item you've run out of or cannot serve. When a staff member marks an item as 86 from the ePOS waiter app, the change takes effect immediately: the item shows as unavailable to waiters taking orders and to customers browsing your online shop.

<Note>
  This action is performed on the **ePOS waiter app** (phone or tablet), not the web admin.
</Note>

<Note>
  Staff need the **Mark Item As 86** permission to toggle item availability.
</Note>

### How to mark an item as 86

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the KOT or menu on the ePOS app">
    From the kitchen display screen or the menu screen on the ePOS app, locate the item you want to mark unavailable.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select the item and toggle availability">
    Tap the item and use the availability toggle to mark it as out of stock.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add an optional reason">
    You can enter a short note (up to 500 characters) explaining why the item is unavailable — for example, "Ran out of stock" or "Quality issue". This is optional but helps with the audit trail.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Confirm the change. The item is immediately marked unavailable across the waiter app and the customer-facing shop.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Restoring an item

Follow the same steps and toggle the item back to available. The change propagates immediately, just like marking it 86.

### What gets recorded

Every 86 toggle — whether marking out of stock or restoring — is logged with the staff member's name, the timestamp, and any reason they entered. Managers can review this history in the audit log.

<Warning>
  As soon as you mark an item as 86, customers browsing your online shop will see it as unavailable. Restore it as soon as you can fulfil orders again to avoid lost sales.
</Warning>

***

## Related

* [Setting Up Kitchen Stations](/kitchen/kitchen-places)
* [Assigning Menu Items to Kitchens](/kitchen/routing-items)
* [Viewing Kitchen Tickets (All Kitchens and Per-Kitchen)](/kitchen/web-kot-views)
* [Kitchen Display (KDS) on the ePOS App](/epos-app/kitchen-display)
* [Adding and Editing Menu Items](/menu/menu-items)