Restaurant Order Management. Every Channel. One Dashboard.
Restaurant order management software that runs your kitchen in real time. Orders from your website, Instagram, WhatsApp, Google, Voice AI, and 15+ channels flow into one operator dashboard. POS-synced, one-click refunds, zero commission.
See the DashboardWhat is a restaurant order management dashboard?
Quick Answer: A restaurant order management dashboard is the single operator screen your kitchen uses to run every order in real time. DirectOrders pulls every order from your website, Instagram, WhatsApp, Voice AI, Google, ChatGPT, and 15+ other channels into one queue, tags each by source, fires a live prep timer, syncs to Square, Toast, or Clover, and lets you mark ready, edit, or refund in one tap. Your team runs one screen instead of five tablets. Included in the Pro plan at $249 a month, flat, with zero commission and same-day Stripe payouts.
This page covers the operator side: the dashboard your team uses to run every order. Looking for the buyer-side overview of how customers find you, browse the menu, and check out? See the full online ordering system.
Your kitchen dashboard. Every order from every channel, one queue, real-time prep timers, POS synced.
Your brand first. Every channel, one kitchen.
Orders from your own website lead the queue, alongside Voice AI, WhatsApp, Instagram, Google, and ChatGPT. Watch the dashboard cycle through real channels on the left. Read what fires at each moment on the right.
- 0100:00
Order arrives from any channel
A guest taps Order on your Instagram DM. The order lands on your dashboard in under 2 seconds with the channel chip showing the source. Customer name, items, modifiers, allergen notes, all in one tile.
Same flow for orders from your website, WhatsApp, Voice AI, Google, ChatGPT, and 15+ other channels. One queue, one screen, one source of truth.
- 0200:02
POS sync fires automatically
DirectOrders pushes the order to your existing POS. Square, Toast, or Clover, native integration. Modifier groups sync exactly. The kitchen ticket prints, the line cook sees it on the KDS, no double entry.
If your POS is not natively supported, orders arrive on a dedicated tablet or auto-print to a receipt printer with no manual entry.
- 0300:30
Prep timer ticks, allergen flag visible
Live prep timer starts the moment kitchen accepts. Late orders flag automatically. Allergen warnings (peanut, gluten, shellfish) display in red so the line cook cannot miss them.
Target ready-time is calculated from your historical kitchen pace per dish, not a static number. Orders that miss the target raise a flag before the customer notices.
- 0408:00
Mark ready, customer SMS auto-fires
One tap to mark ready. SMS goes out to the customer with ETA: "Your order is ready for pickup. Show this code at the counter: 4527." Pickup orders flip to ready, delivery orders ping the assigned driver, dine-in tickets show table number.
Customer-facing status mirror keeps the guest in sync. They see the same status you see, so you catch slowdowns before they turn into a one-star review.
- 0508:30
Completed, Stripe captures
When you tap Completed, Stripe captures the authorization and the funds enter your balance. Same-day Stripe Instant Payout fires at the 4 PM Pacific cutoff and the money lands in your bank before close of business.
Compare to DoorDash (7 to 14 days) or Uber Eats (next-business-day at best). Your cash flow runs on your timeline, not the marketplace's.
- 06If something goes wrong
Refund or edit in one click
Wrong item? One-click refund through Stripe. Customer wants to add a side mid-prep? Edit the order, the kitchen sees the update, the new price recalculates. Item 86'd? Mark it sold-out and every channel updates instantly.
No marketplace middleman. No commission clawback. No 5-day escalation queue. The refund hits the customer's card in 5 to 10 business days, processed by Stripe directly.
- 07Always on
Internet drops mid-shift?
Orders already on the dashboard keep processing. New orders queue and sync the moment your connection resumes. For longer outages, customers can still call and Voice AI takes orders without needing your local internet.
We have not had a customer report a lost order to internet outage in over 14 months of operator partnerships.
Where do I see all 15+ channel orders?
One inbox. Every channel tagged. Filter by source, status, or service mode. Your kitchen stops monitoring five tablets and runs one screen.
Web, Instagram, WhatsApp, Voice AI, Google, ChatGPT, marketplace, kiosk. Color coded so your team sees at a glance.
By service mode (pickup, delivery, dine-in), by channel, by station, or by time window. Your view, your shift.
Large fonts, high contrast, big tap targets. Designed for steam, grease, and a tablet you smack with your elbow.
How does the prep timer work in real time?
Every order starts a live timer the moment it is accepted. Your kitchen sees the count up. The customer sees the same status. Late orders flag themselves before a review can.
Starts the second a ticket is accepted. Cooks see the number, not a stopwatch app on the side.
Set your standard prep target per item. Anything past target turns red and pings the manager view.
Guest sees the same status you do. No "where is my food" texts during the rush.
Can I issue refunds and edits without picking up the phone?
Tap an order. Tap Refund. Done. Same for swapping a modifier or 86ing an item mid-shift. No marketplace escalation queue, no support ticket, no commission clawback.
Full or partial. Processed by Stripe, on the customer card in 5 to 10 business days, with the reason logged for your records.
Customer wanted no onions and forgot to say so. Tap, swap, the kitchen ticket reprints, the receipt updates.
Sold out of branzino. Hit 86. The item drops off every channel at once: web, Instagram, Voice AI, ChatGPT, Google.
What the dashboard does, and what we hand off to your staff
We do not pretend the software runs the restaurant. We tell you what is automated, what still needs a human, and where the line is. Trust is the product.
What the dashboard does
- Consolidates 15+ channels into one operator queue
- Live prep timers with auto late-order flags
- POS sync to Square, Toast, and Clover
- One-click full or partial refunds via Stripe
- Customer-facing status mirror, no separate app
- Modifier groups, 86 buttons, item availability
- Customer note routing (allergen, no contact, gate code)
What we hand off to your staff
- Chef-only menu changes still need owner approval before they go live
- 50-person catering quotes route to your inbox, not auto-confirmed
- Late-night noise or pickup complaints go to your store phone or Voice AI
- In-store table conflicts handled by your front-of-house team
- Refund disputes over $200 escalate to a human review queue
Connect the dashboard to the rest of the platform
The dashboard is where orders land. Voice AI is how they get there from the phone. Channels is the full list of inbound sources. Payouts is how the money lands in your bank.
Voice AI phone ordering
Your existing phone number answered 24/7 in 76+ languages. Every call lands on this same dashboard.
All 15+ ordering channels
Website, Instagram, WhatsApp, Google, ChatGPT, Alexa, Siri. See every inbound source that feeds this dashboard.
Same-day Stripe payouts
Orders captured before the cutoff land in your bank the same business day. No 7-day marketplace wait.
Built DirectOrders after a decade running operations and engineering for restaurant tech. Talks to operators every week.
What's included
Frequently Asked Questions
A restaurant order management dashboard is a single operator screen that consolidates orders from every channel (your website, third-party apps, phone, social DMs, kiosks) into one real-time queue with prep timers, status updates, and POS sync. DirectOrders runs the dashboard around your existing kitchen flow, not on top of it.
Every order, whether it came from your branded site, Instagram DMs, WhatsApp, Voice AI, Google, or a marketplace integration, lands in the same operator inbox. Each order is tagged by source, prep timer, and customer note, so your kitchen runs one queue instead of monitoring five tablets.
Yes. DirectOrders integrates natively with Square, Toast, and Clover, so orders flow into your POS automatically. If your POS is not natively supported, orders arrive via a dedicated tablet or auto-print receipt printer with no manual entry.
Each order on the dashboard shows live prep timers, target pickup time, and dispatch status. Late orders flag automatically. Your team sees the same status the customer sees, so you catch slowdowns before they turn into negative reviews.
Yes. Issue a full or partial refund with one click on any order. The refund processes through Stripe and reaches the customer's card within 5 to 10 business days. No marketplace middleman, no escalation queue, no commission clawback.
DirectOrders supports same-day payouts via Stripe. Orders captured before the daily cutoff land in your bank account the same business day. Standard 2-day payouts are also available if your bank does not support instant transfers.
Orders already on the dashboard keep processing. New orders queue and sync the moment your connection resumes. For longer outages, customers can still call and Voice AI takes orders without needing your local internet.
Yes. Pause ordering with one tap from the dashboard or your phone. Set a custom message like 'Back in 15 minutes' so customers know the pause is intentional. Capacity throttling is also available to cap orders per 15-minute window during peaks.
No. The dashboard runs in any modern browser on a tablet, laptop, or desktop. If you prefer a dedicated screen, a $200 Android tablet works well. Receipt printers (Star Micronics, Epson) are supported via standard ESC/POS over USB or network.
Explore More Features
Website Builder
SEO-optimized, mobile-first restaurant websites with online ordering built in.
Delivery
Profitable delivery without the 30% cut. Your drivers, Uber Direct, or DoorDash Drive.
Voice AI
Phone orders handled by AI, plus Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant ordering.
MultiChannels
Instagram, WhatsApp, voice, Google. Every conversation becomes a direct order.
Discovery
Rank on Google and get recommended by ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity.
Menu Brain
NLP-powered menu search, auto dietary tags, allergen detection, and nutrition labels.
Marketing
Email, SMS, push notifications, loyalty rewards, and abandoned cart recovery on autopilot.
Payouts
Your money, fast. No waiting weeks. Get paid when you earn.