Table Management Documentation

Complete guide to setting up and managing table service operations for dine-in restaurants using Flip POS.

Overview

The Table Management system is designed for full-service restaurants that need comprehensive table service capabilities. Perfect for:

Key features include visual table layouts, server assignments, order tracking, kitchen integration, and advanced reporting for table turnover and server performance.

Activating a Table

To begin serving guests at a table, you'll need to activate it first.

  1. Open the Table Service POS App within Shopify POS
  2. Click the table you want to activate, or seat
  3. Enter the server name in the "Assigned Server" text input field
  4. Enter the number of guests in the "Number of Guests" text input field
  5. Click "Activate Table"

Add a Customer to a Table

Linking a Shopify customer to a table allows their profile to be automatically associated with the Shopify POS checkout when the check is sent for payment. This means the transaction is recorded against the customer in Shopify — just like a regular Shopify POS sale.

How to Add a Customer

  1. Open the Table Service POS App within Shopify POS.
  2. Tap the table you want to activate.
  3. On the table activation screen, tap the "Select Customer" button.
  4. Search for a customer by name or email address. Matching Shopify customers will appear as you type.
  5. Tap a customer from the results to select them. Their name will appear on the activation screen.
  6. If the customer is not in Shopify yet, tap "Enter name manually instead" to type a name directly.
  7. Complete the rest of the activation form (server, guest count) and tap "Activate Table".

The selected customer's name will appear on the Table details screen throughout service so staff can identify the table at a glance.

To remove or change the customer before activating, tap "Select Customer" again and choose "Remove customer", then search for a different one.

How the Customer Transfers to Shopify POS Checkout

When a server taps the send icon on a check to transfer the order to the Shopify POS cart, Flip POS automatically:

  1. Adds all order items (with modifiers and pricing) to the Shopify POS cart.
  2. Assigns the linked Shopify customer to the cart using the customer's Shopify ID.
  3. Closes the Table Service app and returns to the Shopify POS screen.

The cashier will see the customer already attached to the sale in Shopify POS — no manual lookup required. The completed transaction is recorded in Shopify under that customer's order history.

Note: Customer linking requires a Shopify customer record (i.e., the customer must exist in your Shopify store). Manually entered names are used for display only and will not be linked to a Shopify customer profile in the checkout.

Viewing Customer Details & Tags

Once a customer is linked to a table, tap their name on the Table Details screen to open the Customer screen, showing their name, email, phone, and Shopify customer tags.

  1. On the Table Details screen, tap the linked customer's name.
  2. The Customer screen shows their contact info and any Shopify customer tags.
  3. If the linked record is a real Shopify customer, a "Notes about this customer" field lets you save notes (allergies, seating preference, regular order, etc.) that persist across future visits — tap "Save Note" to store it.
  4. Tap "Change Customer" to search for a different customer, or "Remove Customer" to unlink the current one.

Note: The notes field only appears for customers linked to a real Shopify customer record — manually entered names don't support saved notes, since there's no Shopify profile to attach them to.

Customer tags (when present) also appear directly on the Table Details screen and the Actions screen, so staff can see them at a glance without opening the Customer screen. This is controlled by a Settings toggle:

  1. In the Flip POS admin, go to Settings.
  2. Find Show Customer Tags (enabled by default).
  3. Toggle it off if you'd rather not surface Shopify customer tags to staff on the table screen.

Add Item to an Order

Once the table is activated, you will have a Check available on the table that you can add items to.

  1. Click the table you want to add items to in the Table Service screen.
  2. Click the "+" icon to the right of "Check #".
  3. Menu categories and items will appear. Once you navigate to the item you want to add click it.
  4. Simple items, with no modifiers or options will automatically add to the order when you click them (blue buttons).
  5. Items with modifiers or variants will bring you to the "Add Item - Check #" screen where you will select options and modifiers.
  6. Click add to order once you have finalized your selections.
  7. Toast notification will appear at the bottom of the screen, notifying you that the item has been added to the order.
  8. When you navigate back to the Table # screen, you will see the items you added with "pending" status.

Import a Shopify Order

If a customer placed an order through your Shopify online store — for example, a pre-order, a phone order entered as a draft order, or a curbside pickup order — you can pull that order directly into a table in Flip POS. The items are imported as pending order items, ready to be sent to the kitchen.

How to Import

  1. Navigate to the table you want to import the order into (the table must be active).
  2. Tap the "Actions >" link in the top right.
  3. Tap "Import Shopify Order".
  4. In the search field, enter the customer's order number (e.g. #1001), name, or email address. If the table already has a customer attached, the search field will be pre-filled with their name or email.
  5. Tap "Search". Matching Shopify orders will appear below.
  6. Tap an order to select it. You will see a preview listing each item and whether it matches your Flip POS menu. Items that are not in your menu are marked "Skipped" and will not be imported.
  7. Tap "Import X items to Table" to confirm. The matched items are added to the active check as pending items.

Note: An order that has already been imported to a table will show a warning and cannot be imported again. Only items whose products exist in your Flip POS menu are imported — any Shopify line items without a matching menu entry are skipped.

Send to Kitchen

Once you have added items to a check, send them to the kitchen for preparation. Each check on a table has its own independent send-to-kitchen action — so if a table has multiple checks (for example, food on Check 1 and drinks on Check 2), you can send them to the kitchen separately.

  1. Navigate to the table (Table Service screen → tap Table #).
  2. Each check displays a Send icon (arrow/send) to the right of its "+" add-item icon.
  3. Tap the Send icon on the check you want to fire to the kitchen. Only the pending items on that check are sent — other checks are unaffected.
  4. The items appear on the Kitchen Display System and, if printers are configured, a kitchen ticket prints automatically. If you have multiple printers with category routing configured, each item routes to the appropriate printer (e.g. food to the kitchen printer, drinks to the bar printer).
Tip: Flip POS supports routing items to different printers based on menu category. See the Printers documentation for instructions on configuring category-based printer routing.

Send to POS Cart

When you are ready for your customer to pay for their table's check, Transfer completed orders to the Shopify POS cart for payment processing.

  1. Navigate to the table you'd like to service (Table Service screen, click Table #).
  2. Each check within that table will have its own "send" icon.
  3. To the right of the Check name, click the "send" icon.
  4. This will take all items (along with their modifiers and customizations) and populate the Shopify POS cart with those items and their pricing.
  5. The Table Service app will close automatically.
  6. Finish your transaction in Shopify POS.

Send a customer-facing check to your configured kitchen or receipt printer so guests can review their order total before paying.

  1. Navigate to the table you'd like to service (Table Service screen, click Table #).
  2. Click the "Actions >" link in the top right of the Table # screen.
  3. Click the "Print Check" button. This button only appears once at least one item on the table has been sent to the kitchen.
  4. Flip POS will send all active checks on the table to the printer simultaneously.
  5. A toast notification will confirm the check was printed successfully.

Note: A printer must be configured in Flip POS Settings for this button to work. See the Printers documentation for setup instructions.

Email Check to Customer

Send a customer a Shopify invoice link via email so they can review their itemized check and optionally pay from their own device.

  1. Navigate to the table you'd like to service (Table Service screen, click Table #).
  2. Click the "Actions >" link in the top right of the Table # screen.
  3. Click the "Email Check" button. This button only appears once at least one item has been sent to the kitchen and the table's orders are not yet fully completed.
  4. An Email Check screen will appear with an email address field. If the customer provided their email when placing a QR order, it will be pre-filled.
  5. Enter or confirm the customer's email address.
  6. Tap "Send" to email the check.
  7. Flip POS creates a Shopify draft order invoice and sends a payment link directly to the customer's inbox.
  8. A toast notification confirms the email was sent successfully.
  9. The customer can open the email, review their itemized check, and pay via Shopify's secure checkout from their own phone or device.

Note: The emailed check uses Shopify's draft order invoice system. The customer receives a standard Shopify invoice email with a link to pay via Shopify Checkout, supporting all standard payment methods.

Add New Check to Table

Create separate checks for different guests at the same table.

  1. Navigate to the table you'd like to service (Table Service screen, click Table #).
  2. Click the "Actions >" link in the top right of the Table # screen.
  3. Click "New Check"
  4. New Check screen will appear where it will display the new checks name. You may change the name of the check if you choose.
  5. Click "Create Check"
  6. You will be brought back to the Table # screen, where you can now manage separate checks on the table.

Split Check

Split a table's check into multiple separate checks — either by dividing items evenly across guests or by distributing specific items to specific checks.

  1. Navigate to the table you'd like to service (Table Service screen, click Table #).
  2. Click the "Actions >" link in the top right of the Table # screen.
  3. Click "Split Check". This button is only visible when the table has exactly one active order with at least one item.
  4. Choose a split method:
    • Split Evenly — enter the number of ways to split; each item's price is divided equally across all checks
    • Distribute Items — assign each item to a specific check; prices are not changed
  5. Click "Split Check" to confirm. The table will now have multiple active checks (e.g., "Check - Split 1", "Check - Split 2").

Note: After splitting, you can use Move Item Between Checks to reassign items that ended up on the wrong check, or Merge All Checks to undo the split and start over.

Move Item Between Checks

Move any line item from one check to another check at the same table. Useful when a guest's item was placed on the wrong check after a split.

  1. Navigate to the table (Table Service screen, click Table #).
  2. Click the "…" icon next to the item you want to move.
  3. Tap "Move to Another Check". This option only appears when the table has two or more active checks.
  4. If the table has exactly two checks, a confirmation dialog will appear asking you to confirm the move to the other check.
  5. If the table has three or more checks, a picker screen will appear listing all other checks. Tap the destination check.
  6. The item moves immediately. Both checks' totals update automatically.

Note: If the item came from an even split, its price is automatically restored to the full original price when moved. This ensures the moved item is not priced at the split fraction.

Merge All Checks

Collapse all split checks at a table back into a single order. Use this to undo a split or to start a fresh split with a different number of ways.

  1. Navigate to the table (Table Service screen, click Table #).
  2. Click the "Actions >" link in the top right.
  3. Click "Merge Checks". This button appears whenever the table has two or more active orders.
  4. A confirmation dialog will appear explaining that all checks will be merged and even-split price adjustments will be restored.
  5. Click "Merge Checks" to confirm.
  6. All items are combined back into a single check with their original prices. The order name is restored (the "- Split N" suffix is removed).

Note: Merging is all-or-nothing — it combines all active checks at the table into one. Partial merge (combining two of three checks) is not supported. If you only need to move one item, use Move Item Between Checks instead.

Combine Tables

Combine two or more physical tables into a single shared check — useful when a large party is seated across adjacent tables. Combining is done from the Host Display, and the combined state is then reflected across Table Service.

Combining Tables (Host Display)

  1. On the Host Display floor plan, tap "Select" in the bottom bar.
  2. Tap each available table you want to combine. A counter shows "{N} tables selected".
  3. Tap "Activate ({N})".
  4. Fill in the server and guest count as normal, then tap "Activate Table".

The first table you tap becomes the primary table — this is where the shared check lives. The other tables become secondary tables: on the floor plan, the primary table shows a "+N" badge and each secondary table shows a small "↔ T{primary #}" badge linking back to it. Tapping a secondary table anywhere in the app takes you straight to the primary table's check.

Combined Tables in Table Service

Table Service does not have its own button to start a combine — combining is only initiated from the Host Display. Opening a secondary table in Table Service shows a banner: "Table {N} is combined with Table {primary #}. Orders are on the primary table." with a "Go to Table {primary #}" button.

On the primary table's Table Management screen, a "Split Combination" button appears in the Checks section whenever secondary tables are attached. Tapping it releases all secondary tables back to Available.

Note: Combined tables are also released automatically if the primary table is marked Dirty or Available from the Host Display — the linked tables split back into individual available tables at the same time.

Auto Gratuity

Flip POS can automatically add a gratuity line to checks based on the table's guest count and the check total. Auto gratuity is configured in the Flip POS admin settings.

How Auto Gratuity Works

Configuring Auto Gratuity

  1. In the Flip POS admin, navigate to Settings.
  2. Find the Auto Gratuity section.
  3. Toggle "Enable Auto Gratuity" on.
  4. Set the Gratuity Percentage (e.g., 18%).
  5. Set the Minimum Party Size — gratuity only applies to tables with at least this many guests (e.g., 6).
  6. Optionally set a Minimum Check Total — gratuity only applies if the check meets this minimum amount.
  7. Save your settings.

Add Order Note

Add notes to an order for special instructions or information.

  1. Navigate to the table you'd like to service (Table Service screen, click Table #).
  2. Click the "Actions >" link in the top right of the Table # screen.
  3. Under the Order Note section, each active check shows a button — "Add Order Note" if it doesn't have one yet, or "Update Order Note" if it already does.
  4. Tap the button to open a separate "Note — {Check Name}" screen.
  5. Enter your note in the text field, then tap "Save Order Note".
  6. The note will appear on the Table # screen and on printed tickets and the Kitchen Display.

Clear Service

Reset a table to its initial state, removing all orders and assignments.

  1. Navigate to the table you'd like to service (Table Service screen, click Table #).
  2. Click the "Actions >" link in the top right of the Table # screen.
  3. Click "Clear Service"
  4. A dialog will appear notifying you that this will cancel all orders, clear the server, and reset the guest count on the table.
  5. Click "Clear Service" in the dialog

Hold / Unhold Item

Hold an item back from the next kitchen send. Held items remain on the check but are skipped when "Send to Kitchen" is tapped. This is useful when a guest wants to delay a course or when an item needs to be held for timing purposes.

Hold an Item

  1. Navigate to the table (Table Service screen, click Table #).
  2. Click the "…" icon next to the item you want to hold.
  3. Click "Hold Item". The item will be visually marked as held.
  4. When you tap "Send to Kitchen" on the check, held items are skipped and remain as pending.

Note: Only items that have not yet been sent to the kitchen can be held. Once an item has been sent to the kitchen, the hold option is no longer available for that item.

Unhold an Item

  1. Click the "…" icon next to the held item.
  2. Click "Unhold Item". The item returns to pending status and will be included in the next kitchen send.

Coursing

Coursing lets your servers organize items on a check into named courses — such as Appetizer, Entree, and Dessert — so kitchen tickets print and display in the correct order. Servers can also choose to hold later courses back from the kitchen until they're ready to fire them, preventing the kitchen from starting a dessert the moment an order is placed.

Setting Up Courses in Admin

Before using coursing on the floor, configure your course names and order in the Flip POS admin:

  1. In the Flip POS admin, go to Settings, then open the Table Service section (visible once Table Service is enabled).
  2. Scroll to the Courses subsection.
  3. By default, three courses are created: Appetizer, Entree, and Dessert.
  4. Use Move Up / Move Down to change the order courses print on kitchen tickets.
  5. Click Edit to rename any course to match your menu terminology (e.g., "Starter", "Main", "Sides").
  6. Click New Course to add additional courses as needed.
  7. Click Delete to remove a course. Items already assigned to a deleted course keep their course label on existing tickets but will not be grouped in future assignments.

Setting Courses on a Check

  1. Open a table and tap Actions.
  2. Tap "Set Courses".
    • If the table has only one active check, you go straight to the item checklist.
    • If the table has multiple checks, you'll be prompted to choose which check to course out first.
  3. On the Set Courses checklist, tap each item you want to assign to the same course. Selected items are highlighted with a checkmark. Items already assigned to a course show their current course name in parentheses.
  4. Once you've selected one or more items, tap "Choose Course (N selected)".
  5. On the Choose Course screen:
    • Tap a course button to select it (Appetizer, Entree, Dessert, or any custom courses you've configured).
    • Under "Send Items to Kitchen", choose:
      • Send All Now — items are included in the next kitchen send immediately.
      • Hold Until Fired — items are held back from the kitchen and must be fired manually when the table is ready for that course.
    • Tap Save to apply the course assignment.
  6. You are returned to the checklist to assign the next group of items to a different course. Once all items on the check have been assigned a course, the screen closes automatically and you return to Table Details.

Tip: Each assigned item shows a course badge (e.g., Appetizer) in the Table Details item list alongside its status badge, so you can confirm courses at a glance without re-entering the coursing flow.

Firing a Held Course to the Kitchen

When items are set to "Hold Until Fired", they will not appear on the Kitchen Display or printer until you explicitly fire them. Two ways to fire a held course:

On the Fire Courses screen, each held course appears as a button showing the check name, course name, and item count — for example: "#1001 — Entree (3 items)". Tap a course button to open a confirmation dialog, then tap Confirm to send those items to the kitchen immediately. The screen closes automatically after firing.

Note: The Send to Kitchen icon on an order is hidden when all unsent items on that order are being held by coursing. Use the Fire Courses flow to release them.

Duplicate an Order Item

Quickly duplicate an existing item with all its modifiers and options.

  1. Navigate to the table you'd like to service (Table Service screen, click Table #).
  2. Click the "…" icon next to the item you'd like to duplicate
  3. Click "Duplicate Item" button
  4. The item, and all its options and modifiers will be duplicated on the order. It will automatically have a "pending" status.

Remove an Item from an Order

Remove items from an order when needed.

  1. Navigate to the table you'd like to service (Table Service screen, click Table #).
  2. Click the "…" icon next to the item you'd like to remove.
  3. Click "Remove Item" button
  4. A toast notification will appear confirming the item has been removed.

Create a note for a specific order item

Add special notes to individual items for allergies or special requests.

  1. Navigate to the table you'd like to service (Table Service screen, click Table #).
  2. Click the "…" icon next to the item you'd like to add a note to.
  3. Click in the "Add Note" text field and enter your note.
  4. Click Save Note
  5. The note will appear on the order, in the kitchen display, and on any tickets printed.

Switch to a new Service Area

Navigate between different service areas in your restaurant. Service Areas are configured in Settings → Service Areas in the Flip POS admin. Each area represents a section of your dining room (e.g. Main Floor, Patio, Bar) and contains its own set of tables.

  1. Open the Table Service app in Shopify POS.
  2. At the top center of the screen, all Service Areas configured for your location will appear as tabs.
  3. Tap any unselected Service Area (shown in gray) to switch to it.
  4. The table grid will update to show only the tables configured for that Service Area.

Note: If no Service Areas or tables appear, make sure you have set them up in Settings → Service Areas in the Flip POS admin and that tables have been added to at least one area. See the Getting Started guide for setup instructions.

Table Search

The Table Search field lets you quickly navigate to a table by number or find a table by the customer assigned to it — all from the same input field.

Jump Directly to a Table by Number

  1. Select the Service Area of the table you'd like to view.
  2. Tap the "Table Search" field.
  3. Type the table number (digits only).
  4. Tap "Go" on the right side of the field.
  5. The table details screen opens immediately.

Search for a Table by Customer

If you need to find which table a customer is seated at, start typing any letter and the field switches into customer search mode. The table list below is replaced with live search results as you type.

  1. Tap the "Table Search" field and begin typing the customer's name, email address, or phone number.
  2. As soon as a letter is detected, the table list is replaced with matching results — only tables that have a customer assigned are searched.
  3. Each result shows the table number along with the customer's name, email, and phone number so you can confirm the right table at a glance.
  4. Tap a result to open that table directly. The search clears and the normal table list returns.
  5. To exit search mode without selecting a result, tap "Clear" on the right side of the field.

Note: Customer search looks across all active tables in the currently selected Service Area. The search is partial — typing a few letters of a name or the first digits of a phone number is enough to find a match.

See Table Layout Image

View uploaded table layout images for reference during service. You may upload a table layout image that can be associated to each service area. This can be used for staff to view table layout while servicing their tables.

  1. Open the Table Service app
  2. Next to the "Table Search" field, you will see an information ("i") icon. The icon only appears if a Table Layout image has been set on the Service Area configuration.
  3. Click the "i" icon
  4. The Table Layout image will appear in a new screen.

Tax Configuration

Flip POS lets you configure how tax is calculated and displayed on order summaries in the POS extension and on printed customer checks. Both settings are found in Settings in the Flip POS admin.

POS Tax Rate

Enter your combined tax rate (state + county + city) as a percentage — for example, 8.75 for 8.75%. When a rate is set, a Tax line is calculated and shown on order summaries inside the Table Service extension. Leave the field blank to hide the tax line entirely.

  1. In the Flip POS admin, go to Settings.
  2. Find the POS Tax Rate field and enter your combined rate (e.g., 8.75).
  3. The field saves automatically when you leave it. The tax line will appear on all Table Service order summaries immediately.
  4. To remove the tax line, clear the field and leave it blank.

Tax Display on Receipts

This setting controls how tax appears on printed customer checks. Choose the option that matches your pricing model:

  1. In the Flip POS admin, go to Settings.
  2. Find Tax Display on Receipts and tap Update.
  3. Select the option that matches your business and tap Enable.

QR Code Ordering

Flip POS supports QR Code Ordering, which allows customers to scan a code at their table and place orders directly from their phone — no app required. QR orders appear in the Table Service app alongside regular server-entered orders, and can be set to auto-approve (sent straight to the kitchen) or require manual approval by a staff member before going to the kitchen.

For complete setup instructions, the customer ordering experience, approval workflows, self-pay configuration, and best practices, see the dedicated guide:

QR Code Ordering & Self-Pay Documentation →