Staff notifications: orders, waiter calls and bookings
Notifications help the shift see a new order, answer a QR-menu waiter call and notice a booking in time. The channel depends on where the person works: browser, Hall panel, waiter app or Android admin app.
What you need to start#
- Sign in as a staff member who can access the relevant location. Push delivery checks the employee's active status, role and location scope.
- For browser alerts, open Orders or the till with the Hall panel. Allow sound with a first click on the page.
- For Android, install the relevant app and allow its notifications in the system prompt.
- For Telegram, connect the location bot and open the private subscription link from the setup wizard.
New orders and waiter calls in the browser#
I want the shift to hear every new order#
Open Orders on the tablet or computer. If the switch says “Sound off”, press it and confirm that it now says “Sound on”. A new order is highlighted in the list and plays a browser sound.
Use “Repeat until the order is opened” to choose a sound mode:
| Setting | Result |
|---|---|
| “Once” | One sound when a new order appears. |
| “Until opened” | The sound repeats while the new order remains unopened. |
A separate switch, “Notify me when my orders are ready”, in the page view settings shows a “Ready: table — dish” or “Order ready” notice in Orders for orders linked to you. It is not a new-order sound mode.
Repeat mode applies to new orders that have not been opened. Opening the order confirms that it was seen. If another device accepts it, repetition stops.
Sound is stored on the current device. Signing in on another tablet does not copy this setting.
I want a waiter to hear a guest call#
The guest sends a call from the QR menu. Orders shows “Waiter called”, the table number and “Acknowledged”. The call sounds once per event and remains current for ten minutes.
Press “Acknowledged” when the request is being handled. The call disappears after acknowledgement or automatically after ten minutes.
Bookings and ready status in the Hall panel#
Open “Hall” in the till and choose “Bookings” or “Calls”. Active bookings and calls arrive in real time, so there is no need to refresh manually. The “Hall” button badge shows bookings waiting for confirmation and active calls.
On the floor plan, a booking has its booking status, a call has a bell marker, and a ready order has a ready marker. See Hall panel for the screen itself.
The “Calls” tab shows the table, waiting time and “Acknowledged”. Its sound switch applies to this device and is stored locally. A call that is not acknowledged for ten minutes is no longer active.
An individual ready dish or the whole order is visible in the table and order status. The waiter app has a separate “Ready to serve” channel with its own vibration pattern. By default the app shows the waiter's own and unassigned tables; “Notify about all floor events” can include other tables. Its hint is “Off: only my tables and unassigned ones”.
Android push notifications#
Android admin app#
The Android admin app creates separate system channels:
| Channel | What arrives |
|---|---|
| “Appointments” | A new or cancelled booking. |
| Orders | A new guest order. |
| Guest chat | A new message or an assigned conversation. |
| “Phone line failures” | A phone-line failure or recovery. |
| Leads | A “Call me back” request and other widget leads. |
These channels use high importance, sound and vibration. Android system settings control their sound and permission; the admin app has no separate notification settings screen.
Waiter app#
The waiter app uses “Orders”, “Waiter calls” and “Ready to serve”. “Orders” reports new orders; a routine update without a new event does not create a separate alert, “Waiter calls” reports a guest request, and “Ready to serve” reports ready dishes or an order.
A new order or call opens the related order. A repeated push for the same order updates its notification instead of filling the notification shade with duplicates.
Who receives a push#
Order notifications are scoped to a location. An employee receives it only when active, allowed to work at that location and registered with an app installation that covers the location. Other channels have their own recipients, such as participants in a private conversation or subscribed owner chats.
By default, an unaccepted guest order first goes to the owner operator. The waiter receives it after the operator accepts it. If the location allows guest orders before confirmation, the new order can reach the shift apps immediately.
Owner Telegram alerts#
Telegram is for the owner and chats to whom the owner gives the private subscription link. Connect the bot using the Telegram guide, then open the link in “Notifications for you in Telegram” in the setup wizard.
The link looks like t.me/<bot name>?start=admin_…. Any chat that opens it starts receiving alerts, so do not publish it openly. Telegram sends new bookings, cancellations and guest-initiated booking moves.
If a guest order remains unaccepted longer than the location's acceptance timeout, the owner receives one reminder by push and Telegram. The default is ten minutes; the location can change or disable it.
See Telegram Mini App for bot setup and guest messages. There is no role-based staff distribution: anyone who receives and opens the private link starts receiving these owner alerts.
I want to know about bookings outside the shift#
Open the private link from the wizard in Telegram on the phone you carry outside the venue. After subscribing, new bookings, cancellations and guest-initiated moves arrive in that chat even when the browser till is closed.
Limitations#
- There is no per-employee “event × channel” matrix; delivery follows role, location and app type.
- There is no notification schedule by day or hour.
- Telegram alerts are for the owner and chats reached through the private link; there is no role-based staff distribution.
- There is no separate “payment completed” alert for a waiter.
- The web panel and apps do not control or check the system Do Not Disturb mode. When it is enabled, sound and banners depend on OS settings.
- The owner-admin alert for an unaccepted order and the waiter alert after acceptance are different flows. In the default manual-acceptance mode, the waiter is alerted after the operator accepts the order.
Troubleshooting#
| Symptom | Possible cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No browser sound | The browser has not received sound permission yet, or sound is off | Use the sound switch in Orders and make sure it shows “Sound on”, then check volume and repeat mode. |
| The call is missing in the Hall panel | It is older than ten minutes, belongs to another location or the live connection is down | Select the right location, check the live connection and ask the guest to call again. |
| Android shows no push | App notifications or a channel is disabled | Allow notifications for the app and enable the relevant Android channel. |
| An employee misses a location push | The employee is inactive, the location is outside scope or the device is not registered | Check the employee, assigned locations and sign-in to the correct Android app. |
| The waiter did not receive an unaccepted order | The location waits for an operator to accept it | Accept the order in admin; it then reaches the waiter app. |
| Telegram is silent | The bot is not connected or the subscription link was not opened | Connect the location bot and open the private link from the wizard again. |
| No sound or banners on the phone | The device has Do Not Disturb enabled | Check and, if needed, disable it in Android settings; the app cannot check it for you. |
Frequently asked questions#
Can I repeat sound on only one tablet?#
Yes. Sound and repeat settings belong to the device and are stored locally.
Will every waiter receive a ready alert?#
The waiter app shows the waiter's own and unassigned tables by default. “Notify about all floor events” can include other tables. Ready status is also visible in the Hall panel and order.
Can I send a Telegram alert to a staff member?#
There is no role-based distribution. A staff member who receives and opens the private link will technically receive the same owner alerts.
Why is the order in admin but the waiter's phone is silent?#
Check whether the order was accepted, whether the employee covers the location and whether notifications are allowed for the Android channel.
Related sections#
- Orders — statuses, sound, waiter calls and ready status.
- Hall panel — bookings, calls and floor-plan markers.
- Mobile apps — installing and using Android apps.
- Telegram Mini App — connecting the bot and owner alerts.
- Cenaly Team waiter app — the waiter’s notification channels.
- Table orders — how a waiter runs a table from order to bill.
- Cenaly team apps — which app to install for each role.
- Roles, permissions and till restrictions — the role and locations that decide who gets push notifications.