Who gets a guest’s call — the waiter’s phone first, then everyone

Sara works the terrace, Omar the inside hall. T7 on the terrace calls for the bill. Sara’s phone should buzz — not Omar’s — and if she’s tied up for too long, everyone should hear about it.

• Who gets a guest’s call — The table’s waiter first, everyone after 45 s (the default) rings the phone of whoever opened the check, if they’re on shift, plus anyone covering that table’s area. If nobody answers in time, every phone on shift rings with a stronger, three-pulse buzz. Set the wait with Everyone after — 10 to 300 seconds, in steps of 5. Or Everyone at once: every phone on shift rings for every call, and again after the wait if nobody has answered. Simple for a small team.
• The counter POS chimes — for the tills that aren’t phones. The table always glows on the floor plan; this is only about sound. Only when nobody answers (the default) chimes once when the call goes to everyone, and chimes right away for a call no waiter’s phone can take (no phones signed in, or the table’s waiter is on a till); Always chimes for every call; Never leaves the glow only.
• Staff areas — on by default. Phones ask each person which tables they cover today (below). With Everyone at once, areas don’t change who rings. Areas only route guests’ calls, so while Call service is off (Menu › Ordering) this switch, the Today I cover… question and the POS Areas button are all hidden.

1. 1Open POS › Settings and the Alerts tab. (It’s part of the POS plan.)
2. 2Keep The table’s waiter first. The terrace is a long walk, so raise Everyone after to 60 seconds.
3. 3Leave The counter POS chimes on Only when nobody answers, and Staff areas on.
4. 4Press Save in the bar at the bottom. The next call follows the new rules.

1. 1Sara opened T7’s check, so her phone rings with two pulses — and so does the phone of anyone covering the terrace. T7 glows on the counter’s floor plan.
2. 2She taps I’ll take it. Every other phone sees Sara took it and the alert folds away. A taken call never goes to everyone.
3. 3Had nobody taken it within the wait, every phone on shift would ring — three pulses — and the counter would chime once.

• The check’s waiter isn’t on shift (not signed in on a phone or till lately): the staff covering that table’s area ring instead.
• Nobody owns or covers the table: every phone on shift rings straight away.
• Nobody is on shift at all: every phone rings. A call is never dropped.

• At sign-in on a phone, the POS asks Today I cover…: All tables, one hall, or Pick tables on a small floor plan. Only on phones, once per person per day (the day turns over at 4 a.m.), and only when the branch has two or more halls — or the person picked tables before.
• Yesterday’s pick comes back ready as Same as yesterday; the first time, it’s All tables. The pick lasts until they sign out (Lock in the POS menu) or the day ends. An idle PIN lock keeps it; after a sign-out the next sign-in asks again.
• Staff change their own pick on the phone under This phone › Today › Change.
• Managers (the Manage floor permission; owners always) get Service › More › Areas on the POS: who’s on shift, what each person covers, and a Change button. Tables nobody covers are marked Everyone. On a wide screen, drag a table — or a whole hall — onto a name.

• In the middle of something — building an order, taking a payment, any dialog open — the alert is a small pill in the header, like T7 · Waiter. Tap its ✓ to take it where you are (T7 · yours); the table opens once the order is sent or put away.
• Several calls within a few seconds bundle into one pill — 3 calls · T7, T4, T9 — each with its own I’ll take it.
• Behind the PIN lock the alert waits: 1 call waiting · shows when you unlock.
• This phone › Alerts on this phone has Alert sound, Vibration and Notifications. Under Patterns: Guest call is two pulses, Ready at the pass one long, Nobody answered three pulses — press Feel it to learn each one.