> ## 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.

# Glossary of Terms

> Plain-language definitions of every key term you will encounter in oFatoura — from KOT and KDS to shifts, variances, and cloud kitchen dispatch.

This page defines the terms and concepts you will come across as you use oFatoura. Definitions are organised alphabetically within logical groups so you can scan quickly and follow links to the relevant help pages.

***

## Orders and order types

**Dine-in**
An order placed for a table inside your restaurant. The order is linked to a specific table and area. Table status changes to "running" once a dine-in order is open against it.

**Takeaway**
An order placed for a customer who will collect the food at the counter. No table is assigned.

**Pickup**
An order type used for orders placed ahead of time (for example, via the online ordering site) where the customer comes to collect. Separate from counter takeaway in settings; you can require a customer login for pickup orders.

**Delivery**
An order that will be sent to a customer's address by one of your delivery executives. A delivery address is collected with the order, and a delivery fee may apply depending on your settings.

**Order type**
The top-level classification of every order: dine-in, takeaway, pickup, or delivery. Each type can have different extra charges, payment gateway availability, and name configured per branch. See [Order Numbering, QSR Mode, and Order Types](/essential-setup/order-numbering-and-types).

***

## Order statuses

oFatoura tracks two parallel sets of statuses for every order. The **customer-facing** statuses are what staff interact with day to day:

| Status        | What it means                                                                            |
| ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Placed**    | Order has been created and submitted but not yet acknowledged by the kitchen or manager. |
| **Confirmed** | Staff or manager has acknowledged the order.                                             |
| **Preparing** | The kitchen is actively working on the order.                                            |
| **Ready**     | Food is ready at the pass and waiting to be served or collected.                         |
| **Served**    | Food has been delivered to the table (dine-in) or handed to the customer.                |
| **Delivered** | The delivery executive has delivered the order to the customer's address.                |
| **Cancelled** | The order has been cancelled. A reason can be required.                                  |

There is also a set of **internal statuses** used by the POS and kitchen workflow:

| Internal status | What it means                                                                     |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Draft**       | Order has been started in the POS but not yet submitted or sent to the kitchen.   |
| **KOT**         | A kitchen order ticket has been generated and the kitchen has received the order. |
| **Billed**      | A receipt or bill has been issued to the customer.                                |
| **Payment due** | Payment has not yet been collected in full.                                       |
| **Paid**        | The order is fully paid.                                                          |

These two sets of statuses are always kept in sync automatically — you work with one set and the system maps to the other.

***

## Kitchen workflow

**KOT — Kitchen Order Ticket**
A printed or screen-based ticket sent to the kitchen when an order is confirmed. It lists the items and quantities the kitchen needs to prepare, along with the table number or order type. Each KOT has its own number separate from the order number. See [Kitchen Tickets (KOT) and Printing](/pos/kot-and-kitchen-print).

**KOT statuses**
A KOT moves through these states:

* *Pending confirmation* — created but not yet acknowledged by the kitchen.
* *In kitchen* — the kitchen has started preparing the items.
* *Food ready* — all items are ready at the pass.
* *Served* — items have been delivered to the table.
* *Cancelled* — the KOT was cancelled, with a recorded reason.

**KDS — Kitchen Display System**
A screen in the kitchen (on the ePOS app) that shows incoming KOTs in a Kanban-style board. Chefs use the KDS instead of printed tickets to view and manage their queue. The KDS shows the same statuses as a printed KOT. See [Kitchen Display (KDS) on the ePOS App](/epos-app/kitchen-display).

**Bump**
The action a chef takes to move a KOT to its next status — for example, from "in kitchen" to "food ready". Bumping clears the ticket from the current column and advances it. Staff with the relevant permission can bump KOTs from either the web admin or the ePOS app.

**Recall**
The action of moving a bumped KOT back to an earlier status (for example, from "food ready" back to "in kitchen") if something needs to be corrected. Recall is only allowed within a set time window by default; recalling outside that window requires a manager override.

**86 (mark item out of stock)**
Kitchen shorthand for flagging a menu item as temporarily unavailable. When an item is marked 86, it can no longer be added to new orders until availability is restored. This can be done from the KDS on the ePOS app. See [KOT Settings, Cancel Reasons, and Marking Items 86](/kitchen/kot-settings-and-86).

**Kitchen station (kitchen place)**
A named preparation area within your kitchen — for example, "Grill", "Cold Kitchen", or "Pastry". Each station can have its own printer. Menu items are assigned to a station so that KOTs are automatically routed to the right place. See [Setting Up Kitchen Stations](/kitchen/kitchen-places).

***

## Menu and customisation

**Variation**
A version of a menu item that differs in size, format, or specification — for example, Small, Medium, or Large. Each variation has its own price. When an item has variations, staff select one before adding it to the order. See [Variations, Modifier Groups, and Item Modifiers](/menu/variations-and-modifiers).

**Modifier group**
A named set of options that can be attached to a menu item or variation to allow customisation — for example, "Sauce" (with options: Ketchup, Mayo, BBQ) or "Spice Level". A group can be marked required or optional, and can allow single or multiple selections.

**Modifier (item modifier)**
An individual option within a modifier group — for example, "Extra Cheese" inside a "Toppings" group. Modifiers can carry an additional price. The combination of modifier groups and options is configured in the menu admin and appears as a selection prompt when staff add the item to an order. See [Variations, Modifier Groups, and Item Modifiers](/menu/variations-and-modifiers).

**Promotion**
A time-limited automatic discount applied to a specific menu item. A promotion has a start and end date/time, a discount value (fixed amount or percentage), and is set up from the Menu section. Only one active promotion can exist per menu item at a time. Promotions apply automatically — customers and staff do not need to enter a code. See [Item Promotions and Specials](/menu/promotions).

**Coupon**
A discount code (promo code) that customers enter at checkout when placing an online order. Unlike a promotion, a coupon requires the customer to actively type in the code. You can set usage limits, valid date ranges, and which order types (delivery, pickup, dine-in) the coupon applies to. See [Discount Coupons for Online Orders](/online-ordering/coupons).

***

## POS and payment

**QSR mode — Quick Service Restaurant mode**
A setting that streamlines the POS for high-volume, counter-service restaurants where orders move fast and table assignment is not needed. When QSR mode is on, certain confirmation steps are reduced to speed up order creation. It is toggled per branch under order numbering and type settings. See [Order Numbering, QSR Mode, and Order Types](/essential-setup/order-numbering-and-types).

**Manager override**
A security checkpoint for sensitive actions — for example, voiding an item after the kitchen has already received the ticket, or processing a large refund. A manager (or admin) enters their PIN to generate a short-lived, single-use authorisation token that unlocks the action. The token expires after five minutes and cannot be reused. See [Manager Override PINs for Sensitive Actions](/staff/manager-override-pins).

**Split payment**
A payment where the total is collected across more than one payment method or split among multiple customers. You can split by items (each person pays for their own items) or by amount (enter custom amounts per payment). See [Taking Payments, Splits, and Tips](/pos/payments-and-tips).

***

## Shifts and cash register

**Shift**
A tracked working period that groups all orders, payments, and cash movements together. A staff member opens a shift at the start of their work period and closes it at the end. The shift summary shows total sales, cash in/out, and the difference between expected and counted cash. Shifts can be viewed and managed from the web admin. See [Opening, Closing, and Reviewing Shifts](/operations/shifts).

**Cash register session**
A session tied to a specific cashier and till. While a shift is a broader time window, a cash register session tracks the individual cashier's opening float, cash sales, cash-outs, and safe drops for that session. When closing, the cashier counts denominations to reconcile the drawer. A session is linked to an open shift automatically when that feature is enabled. See [Cash Register Sessions and Denominations](/operations/cash-register-sessions).

**Opening float**
The amount of cash placed in the till at the start of a cash register session. It is entered when the cashier opens their session and is used as the baseline for reconciliation when the session closes.

**Denomination**
A specific coin or note value (for example, 50, 20, 10, 5, 1, 0.50). When closing a shift or cash register session, the cashier counts how many of each denomination are in the drawer. The system multiplies count by value to compute the total counted cash. Denominations are configured per restaurant in the Cash Register settings. See [Cash Register Sessions and Denominations](/operations/cash-register-sessions).

**Safe drop**
A mid-session transfer of cash from the till to a safe or other secure location, recorded with an amount and reason. Safe drops reduce the expected cash in the drawer without closing the session, helping manage large float accumulations. See [Cash Register Sessions and Denominations](/operations/cash-register-sessions).

**Variance**
The difference between the cash the system expects to be in the drawer (based on sales and transactions) and the cash the cashier actually counted at close. A small variance may be accepted automatically; a larger variance requires a reason and, above a threshold, a manager override before the shift can close. See [Cash Approvals, Dashboard, and Register Reports](/operations/cash-approvals-and-reports).

***

## Branches and scope

**Branch**
A physical or logical location of your restaurant. Most data in oFatoura — orders, tables, staff, printers, shifts — is scoped to a specific branch. When you are working in the web admin or ePOS app, you are always working within the context of one active branch. See [Branches and Operating Hours](/settings/branches-and-operating-hours).

**Branch scope**
The principle that all data you see and manage is filtered to your currently active branch. Switching to a different branch changes the orders, staff, tables, and reports you can access. Managers who have access to multiple branches can switch branches from the web admin or ePOS app. See [Switching Active Branch in the Web Admin](/getting-started/switching-branches-web).

**Area**
A named grouping of tables within a branch — for example, "Indoor", "Terrace", or "Private Room". Areas help staff quickly find and assign tables when creating dine-in orders. See [Managing Dining Areas](/floor/areas).

***

## Table statuses

| Status        | What it means                                             |
| ------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Available** | The table has no active order and is free for new guests. |
| **Running**   | The table has an active dine-in order in progress.        |
| **Reserved**  | The table has been reserved for an upcoming booking.      |

Table statuses update automatically as orders are created, served, or cancelled. You can manually sync all statuses if a table appears out of date. See [Table Status and Manual Sync](/floor/table-status-sync).

***

## Cloud kitchen and inventory

**Cloud kitchen**
A centralised production facility that prepares food or ingredients and supplies them to one or more branches. In oFatoura, the Cloud Kitchen module has its own inventory, recipes, and stock tracking separate from branch-level inventory. Enabling cloud kitchen mode on a restaurant tells the system that this location operates primarily as a production hub. See [Cloud Kitchen Overview](/cloud-kitchen/index).

**Dispatch (cloud kitchen)**
The action of transferring finished stock from the cloud kitchen to a receiving branch. A dispatch deducts quantity from the cloud kitchen's stock and adds the equivalent quantity to the branch's inventory, using a configured item mapping and unit conversion. Both movements are recorded with a shared reference number. See [Dispatching to Branches, Mappings, Reports, and Alerts](/cloud-kitchen/dispatch-and-reports).

**Batch recipe**
A production formula that defines how raw ingredients are combined to produce a semi-finished or finished product held as batch stock. For example, a "Cookie Dough" batch recipe lists the flour, butter, and sugar needed to produce a kilogram of dough. When you run a production batch, the ingredient quantities are deducted from raw stock and the resulting batch quantity is added to batch inventory. Batch recipes can be linked to menu items so that serving the item automatically draws down the batch stock. See [Batch Recipes and Batch Inventory](/inventory/batch-production).

**Batch production**
The act of running a batch recipe to create a specific quantity of a semi-finished product. You select the recipe, enter how much to produce, and the system consumes the raw ingredients and creates a new batch stock entry with an optional expiry date.

***

## Related pages

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Order Numbering, QSR Mode, and Order Types" icon="settings" href="/essential-setup/order-numbering-and-types">
    Configure QSR mode, order types, and number formats for your branch.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Kitchen Tickets (KOT) and Printing" icon="chef-hat" href="/pos/kot-and-kitchen-print">
    How KOTs are generated, printed, and managed from the POS.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Opening, Closing, and Reviewing Shifts" icon="clock" href="/operations/shifts">
    Step-by-step guide to managing your working shifts.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Cash Register Sessions and Denominations" icon="receipt" href="/operations/cash-register-sessions">
    How cashier sessions, safe drops, and denomination counting work.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Variations, Modifier Groups, and Item Modifiers" icon="squares-2x2" href="/menu/variations-and-modifiers">
    Set up item variations and modifier options in your menu.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Manager Override PINs for Sensitive Actions" icon="users" href="/staff/manager-override-pins">
    Configure and use manager override PINs.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>
