Alerts, sound and connection

Hear and see new orders, turn the alert sound on or off, and understand the connection indicator and the missed-orders banner.

Goal

The kitchen screen tells you about every new order, and you know what the connection indicator and the banners mean.

Before you start

The kitchen board is open in the browser of the kitchen screen
Speakers or volume turned on, if you want to hear alerts

The kitchen board is meant to stay open on a screen in the kitchen. When a new order arrives, the board shows it at once. It can also play a short alert sound. Sound is optional and works only while the board is open.

Turn the alert sound on

Click the sound button in the header, then choose Enable sound. A short sound plays once for every new order. The menu reminds you that alert sounds only play while this screen is open, so keep the board open on the display.

The alert sound menu with the choice Enable sound — The sound button
The Enable sound choice

The header with the sound button showing Sound on — The sound button, now showing Sound on

Test or turn off the sound

Click the sound button again. Test sound plays the alert so you can check the volume. Turn sound off silences the board. The new orders still appear. You can turn the sound on again at any time.

The alert sound menu with Turn sound off and Test sound — Turn sound off
Test sound

See a new order arrive

When a guest sends a new order, its card appears in the New column with a New badge and a bright outline, and the sound plays if it is on. Until a manager accepts the order, the card says Awaiting acceptance and has no button. You get one alert for each order on this screen, even if it also arrives through a reload or a slow connection. Start the order with Start preparing as usual.

A new order card with the New badge and a bright outline in the New column — The New badge
The new order card

Tap again if the browser blocks the sound

Browsers do not play sound until someone touches the page. After you reload the board, the sound button reads Sound blocked by browser — tap to enable. Tap it once and the sound works again. On an iPad or iPhone you need this tap after every reload.

The header with the button Sound blocked by browser, tap to enable — The Sound blocked by browser button

Read the connection indicator

Next to the sound button, the indicator shows whether the board is up to date. Live with a green dot means new orders arrive the moment they happen. The time next to it is the last update.

The connection indicator showing Live with the time of the last update — The connection indicator showing Live

Reconnecting… means the board is trying to set up the live connection again. Updating means the board is not using the live connection and asks for new orders by itself every few seconds. In both cases the board keeps working and no order is lost.

The connection indicator showing Reconnecting

The connection indicator showing Updating

When the connection is lost

If the screen loses the internet, the indicator turns to Offline and a banner says Connection lost. You keep looking at the last known board. It updates by itself the moment the connection returns. Click Retry now to try straight away. Do not rely on the board for new orders while it is offline.

The Offline indicator, the Connection lost banner and the Retry now button — The Offline indicator with Retry now
The Connection lost banner
The Retry now button

Check the orders you missed

When the connection returns, one banner tells you how many orders arrived meanwhile, for example 2 new orders while you were offline. If the screen was reloading, it says 3 new orders arrived while this screen was reloading. The orders are highlighted on the board. Click Show to jump to them and Got it to close the banner. You get one alert for the whole group, not one per order.

The banner 2 new orders while you were offline with the buttons Show and Got it — The banner with the number of missed orders
The Show button
The Got it button

Expected result: You hear and see every new order, you know why the sound is sometimes blocked, and you can tell from the indicator whether the board is up to date.

Sound needs an open screen

The alert sound cannot ring when the page is closed or the device is asleep. Keep the kitchen board open on the display and the screen awake.