Floors, tables and checks

Q: Why can't I open a table that shows Needs Cleaning ?

Only an Available table opens. Right-click the table (a long press on most touch screens) and choose Mark Available .

Q: The floor is empty.

No floors are set up yet. A manager adds them under Configuration › Floors : see Floors and tables .

Q: Why does a paid table not become Available by itself?

So that the staff see it still needs cleaning . Someone marks it Available when it is ready.

A floor holds tables; a table has one open check at a time; the table's status tells the staff what to do next.

Restaurant POS Concepts
3 min read
Updated October 20, 2026

For Waiter or captain Cashier Manager or owner

On this page

Floors and tables
The check
What a table's status means
Common questions

Floors and tables

A floor is an area of the restaurant (Ground floor, Rooftop, Bar). A table belongs to one floor and has a name, a capacity (how many guests it seats) and a shape. The Floor Plan shows them as a grid or as a drawn plan, with a tab for each floor.

The check

Opening a table starts its check: the guests, the order type, the waiter, the notes and then every order placed for the table. The check lasts until it is paid, charged to a room, or closed.

A table has one open check at a time. Orders added later all join the same check.
A Quick Order (counter, takeaway) has a check without a table.
The order type is Dine-In, Take-Away or Delivery. The type is shown on the kitchen ticket and the order screen; it does not change the bill.

What a table's status means

Status	What it means	What to do
Available	Free, ready for guests	Open it for a party
Occupied	An open check is on it	Click it to continue the order or the bill
Needs Cleaning	The check was paid; the table is not yet reset	Clean it, then Mark Available
Reserved	Staff marked it for a booking	Open it when the guests arrive
Under Maintenance	Staff marked it as out of use	Mark it Available when it is usable again

The grid card of an occupied table shows the guests out of the capacity (for example 3 / 4), the number of KOTs sent, how long the table has been occupied (the timer changes after 90 minutes), and a tag when tables are merged. Use the filter chips (All, Available, Occupied, Reserved, Needs Clean) to see one kind of table. The counters at the top (Total Tables, Occupied, Available, Live Covers) count the floor you are looking at; Live Covers is the sum of the guests on occupied tables.

Worked example: the Ground floor at 20:00

The Ground floor has six tables:

Table	Status	Card shows
T1	Occupied	3 / 4, 2 KOTs sent
T2	Occupied	2 / 2
T3	Occupied	5 / 6
T4	Needs Cleaning	The check was paid a minute ago
T5	Available	Ready for guests
T6	Reserved	Marked by staff for a booking at 20:30

The counters for this floor show Total Tables 6 and Occupied 3, and Live Covers 10: the guests of the occupied tables only (3 + 2 + 5). The chip Needs Clean shows T4 alone.

The waiter right-clicks T4 (a long press on most touch screens) and chooses Mark Available. T4 then shows Available, and only an Available table can be opened again.

Common questions

Why can't I open a table that shows Needs Cleaning?

Only an Available table opens. Right-click the table (a long press on most touch screens) and choose Mark Available.

Two tables belong to one party. What now?

Merge them: see Move a party to another table, or merge tables.

The floor is empty.

No floors are set up yet. A manager adds them under Configuration › Floors: see Floors and tables.

Why does a paid table not become Available by itself?

So that the staff see it still needs cleaning. Someone marks it Available when it is ready.