Building orders

The order builder is the middle pane of the active-session screen — the grid of menu items you tap to build a cart. This page covers the mechanics (how to add items, change quantities, apply modifiers, remove mistakes) and the philosophy behind building a cart alongside a customer rather than at them.

#The basic flow

Once you've accepted a session, the middle pane loads the menu as defined by the business owner. You'll see:

• A category bar at the top (Burgers, Sides, Drinks, Specials, etc.)
• A grid of item cards in the selected category, each with a photo, name, description, and price
• A search box in the top right that filters by name

Tap an item card once to add it to the cart with its default modifiers. The cart on the right updates instantly, and the customer sees the same update on their kiosk screen in real time — the card animates in on both sides simultaneously. This synchronized visual feedback is a huge part of why YumKiosk feels fast and trustworthy to customers.

#Modifiers

Many items have modifier groups attached — size, doneness, toppings, sides, etc. If an item has required modifiers, tapping the card opens a modal asking the customer to choose before the item is added to the cart. If modifiers are optional, the item is added with defaults and the customer or you can tap the cart line to open the modifier editor.

Common patterns:

• Single-select required (Size: S/M/L): modal appears; customer says "medium"; you tap Medium; done.
• Multi-select optional (Toppings): item is added; then you tap the line in the cart to pop the toppings list; the customer says "extra cheese and no pickles"; you check the boxes.
• Quantity: every cart line has a - and + button. You can also long-press the + to jump in 5s for larger orders.

#Special requests and notes

For anything that doesn't fit into the structured modifiers ("gluten free bun", "extra crispy"), use the Notes button on the cart line. It opens a text box where you can type the customer's request. Notes are printed on the kitchen ticket and shown to whoever fulfills the order, but they don't affect pricing.

Use notes sparingly — if a request is common, ask the owner to add a real modifier for it instead. That keeps reporting clean.

#Removing and editing

Tap the x on a cart line to remove it. Tap the item name to edit modifiers. There's no "undo last action" button, but the cart fully syncs to the kiosk, so the customer can see mistakes as they happen and call them out.

#Promo codes and discounts

If the business has configured promo codes, you'll see a Promo field at the bottom of the cart. Enter the code and tap Apply. Valid codes apply a percentage or dollar discount to the subtotal. Invalid codes show a red error inline.

Managers can also apply manual discounts (e.g., for a complaint) via Manager override — this requires a second manager password and logs an audit entry.

#Tax and totals

Tax is calculated automatically based on the location's configured tax rate, applied to taxable items. You don't need to add it manually. The cart shows subtotal, tax, and total clearly so the customer can verify before payment.

#Sending to payment

When the order is complete and the customer has confirmed, click Send to payment at the bottom of the cart. This locks the cart, pushes the kiosk into payment mode, and surfaces the Stripe card reader (or NFC, or Apple Pay) on the kiosk side. You remain on the call but the order is effectively finalized — you can't edit the cart anymore without explicitly canceling and restarting.

Once payment succeeds, the kiosk shows a thank-you screen with the order number, and you see a green "Completed" banner. You can now end the session.