Order Accuracy Checklist

Per-ticket workflow for FOH and BOH staff to confirm order accuracy from the moment a server enters a ticket through expo, packaging, and post-service follow-up. Designed for full-service and fast-casual operators using Toast, Square, or...

Use this workflow
1

Order Entry at the POS

  1. Repeat the order back to the guest

    • The server reads back every item, modifier, temperature, and side before sending. Catching a misheard mod here is far cheaper than a comp at the table. For phone orders, repeat back the full ticket plus the callback number.

  2. Flag allergens on the ticket

    • Use the POS allergy modifier so the ticket prints with the allergen banner at expo. Do not rely on a verbal heads-up to the line. The allergen-aware manager on shift owns final review on these tickets.

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  3. Capture special requests as modifiers

    • Sub, add, no, side, on-the-side, well-done — every change goes in as a POS modifier, not in the open-text comment field. The comment field doesn't always print to the kitchen printer on Toast and Square; modifiers always do.

  4. Confirm seat numbers and course timing

    • Apps fire on send; entrees on a hold-and-fire. Seat numbers drive food running and avoid the auctioning at the table. For four-tops and larger, confirm any split-check setup before sending.

2

Allergen Ticket Protocol

  1. Brief the line on the allergen ticket

    • Expediter or sous calls out the allergen verbally to the affected stations the moment the ticket prints. Confirm dedicated cutting board, dedicated tongs, and a glove change before any prep on this ticket.

  2. Verify cross-contact controls at plating

    • Dedicated plate, sanitized surface, no shared fryer for gluten-flagged tickets. PCFP-trained manager confirms the dish before it leaves the pass. This is the step where anaphylaxis liability is actually prevented — do not skip it under volume.

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3

BOH Build Against the Ticket

  1. Match each plated item to the printed ticket

    • Line cooks read the ticket left to right, build, and place on the pass under the matching ticket. Do not call "all day" counts from memory — the printed ticket is the source of truth.

  2. Confirm modifiers are reflected on the plate

    • No-onion, sub-fries, dressing-on-side, temp on the steak. The most common refire reason is a modifier missed at build, not an item missed entirely. Sous spot-checks during peak rush.

  3. Check plate presentation against the spec book

    • Garnish, sauce placement, and portion match the photo plate in the BOH spec binder. New line cooks should reference the binder by station; veterans confirm with a glance.

  4. Verify hot food at 140°F or above

    • Soups, sauces, and held proteins probed before plating during line check; held items rotated per the 4-hour rule. A plate that sits in the window over 4 minutes goes back under the heat lamp or gets re-fired.

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4

Expo and Final Review

  1. Expo reads the full ticket against the pass

    • Expediter touches every plate and matches each to a ticket line. Missing item, wrong temp, wrong side — caught here, not at the table. Expo also confirms seat numbers for runners.

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  2. Stage accompaniments, sauces, and bread

    • Ramekins, dipping sauces, lemon wedges, and bread service plated and ready before the entree leaves the window. A runner returning to the kitchen for a side is the most common cause of cold food at the table.

  3. Run the food by seat number

    • Runner uses seat numbers from the ticket — no auctioning "who had the salmon?" at the table. For VIP or BNB-flagged guests, the server delivers personally.

5

Takeout and Third-Party Delivery

  1. Identify the order channel

    • Dine-in, in-house takeout, or third-party (DoorDash, UberEats, Grubhub, Toast Online Ordering). Channel drives packaging, label format, and handoff procedure. Third-party tickets often arrive with abbreviated modifiers — confirm against the integration display.

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  2. Pack hot and cold items separately

    • Vented containers for fries and fried items, sealed for soups and sauces, separate bag for cold items and desserts. Tamper-evident seal on every third-party bag — required by DoorDash and UberEats merchant terms.

  3. Label each container with item and mods

    • Sticker prints from the POS with item name, modifiers, and guest name. Hand-written labels are acceptable only when the printer is down. Allergen-flagged items get a separate red allergen sticker.

  4. Verify the bag against the ticket at handoff

    • Manager or shift lead opens the bag, reads the ticket, and confirms every entree, side, drink, utensil pack, and condiment. Driver or guest signs or initials the ticket. This is the single highest-leverage step for reducing "missing item" chargebacks on third-party platforms.

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6

Post-Service Follow-Up

  1. Quality-check the table two minutes after drop

    • Server returns within two bites or two minutes — whichever comes first — to ask if everything is correct and prepared as ordered. Catching a wrong temp here gives the kitchen time to re-fire before the guest is frustrated.

  2. Log any refire, comp, or void in the POS

    • Manager approves and codes every comp and void with a reason — wrong item, wrong temp, allergen, guest-changed-mind. Comp and void percentages roll into the weekly GM report; uncoded comps make the variance untraceable.

    Collects list
  3. Capture the root cause of the error

    • Order entry, BOH build, expo miss, packaging, or guest-changed-mind. Tag the responsible station so the GM's weekly review can see whether errors cluster at sauté, garde, or order entry. Patterns drive coaching, not blame.

    Collects list
  4. Send the digital feedback survey

    • For dine-in, the receipt QR drops the guest into the SevenRooms or Toast survey. For third-party, monitor the DoorDash and UberEats merchant dashboards for ratings under 4 stars and respond within 24 hours.