Order Pad and Guest Check Buying Guide

Order pads, also called restaurant guest checks, are an essential item that all restaurants need. But what you may not know is that there are several different features and styles of order pads that you can choose to use at your restaurant. Deciding which order pad is the best one for your restaurant can seem overwhelming. Lucky for you, all you must do is consult OrderPad's handy and helpful order pad buying guide for order pads to learn everything you need to know before purchasing them.

Guest Check Buying Guide Part 1: Do You Really Need Order Pads?

You may initially think that you do not need order pads at your restaurant, but you would be wrong. Whether your restaurant uses a point-of-sale system to input orders or drops off order sheets directly to the kitchen, order pads will help your staff stay organized, keep orders accurate, and display a level of professionalism to your guests. Having your waitstaff write down all orders helps prevent mistakes when passing on orders to the kitchen staff. Seeing a member of the waitstaff write down an order helps the customer feel at ease that his food order is going to be relayed to the kitchen accurately. Order pads also help to create a standardized approach to obtaining orders.

Guest Check Buying Guide Part 2: What to Look For in an Order Pad

Now that you are aware of the necessity of order pads, there are a few characteristics to be on the lookout for when deciding on purchasing order pads.

Writing Space

When deciding on order pads for your restaurant, it is important to choose waiter order pads that will make life easiest for your servers and the kitchen staff. Order pads that are too small will force your waitstaff to try to cram a lot of information in a tiny space. This can lead to difficult-to-read orders, which often results in mistakes in the kitchen. Order pads that are too large will waste paper and be cumbersome for your waitstaff to carry around.

You want to find server order pads that provide your waitstaff with a well-organized pad. Look for options with horizontal lines. These will help your waitstaff keep each order organized. Some order pads also feature data boxes at the top to help your servers record important table data. Another thing to look for is numbered lines. This will enable your waitstaff to keep their order pads more organized and efficient. Some order pads, like GuestChecks™, feature a menu prompt to encourage servers to upsell menu items.

Carbon Copy vs. Single Copy

Another thing to consider when purchasing waiter order pads is if you want pads that offer a carbon copy or those that do not.

Single copy order pads, or carbonless order pads, are the most basic of order pads and are only a single sheet. Most restaurants that have a POS (point-of-sale) system use single copy order pads. Restaurants that use single copy order pads typically write customer orders on the sheets and then enter them into a POS system, eliminating the need to take a copy of the order directly to the kitchen.

Carbon copy order pads include an additional sheet or two below the main order sheet. Your waitstaff will write down the order on the top order sheet and the information is copied onto the carbon sheet underneath it. One of these sheets then gets dropped off in the kitchen and the other typically stays with the server who took down the order.

Depending on how your restaurant operates will determine whether your restaurant needs carbon or single copy order pads. GuestChecks™ order pads come both carbon and carbonless.

Guest Check Buying Guide Part 3: When to Reorder Order Pads

Keeping track of all the supplies in your restaurant can be an overwhelming and time-consuming task. OrderPads can help you make sure you never run out of your most important products like order pads. Ensure you track your inventory, like you would with any foodstuff. Then, reorder your order pads on orderpads.com before you completely run out!

Contact us today for more information about Guest Checks buying guide and let us help supply your restaurant!