Every order moves through a set sequence of statuses, from the moment it's placed to the moment it's handed over. Knowing what each one means, and what moves an order on to the next, makes the Orders page much easier to read. This article walks through the flow.
The sequence
pending → received → preparing → ready → delivered
↘ cancelled
An order normally travels left to right. It can be cancelled at any point before it's delivered. Each status shows as a coloured badge in the Orders list, so you can see at a glance where everything stands.
What each status means
- Pending: the order has been created but payment isn't confirmed yet. This is brief, usually a few seconds, and most customers never notice it.
- Received: payment has gone through. The order is paid and waiting for the kitchen. An order jumps to Received automatically when the payment provider confirms the charge, and the customer gets their confirmation email at this point.
- Preparing: you've started making it. You set this yourself, which tells the customer their food is underway.
- Ready: it's made and waiting to be collected or handed to the driver. The customer is told it's ready.
- Delivered: the order is complete, collected or dropped off. This is the end of the line.
- Cancelled: the order was stopped. It can be cancelled from any stage before delivery, with or without a refund. See Cancel and refund an order.
How an order moves on
The first step happens on its own: payment confirmation flips a pending order to received. From there, you drive the order forward yourself, either from the admin Orders page or the mobile app. Open an order and the Update Status panel shows the buttons for its valid next steps.
Every status change emails the customer, so moving an order to Preparing or Ready keeps them informed without you sending anything by hand.
The Ready step is optional
Some kitchens want the "ready for collection" step; others go straight from Preparing to Delivered. You can turn the Ready step off per location, in which case Preparing leads directly to Delivered. Either way the rest of the flow is the same.
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Need a hand?
An order stuck on Pending and never reaching Received? That points to a payment that didn't confirm, so check the order's payment and your provider dashboard. See my order didn't arrive. Still stuck? Email support@menudock.co.uk with your store name and the order number.