How It Works
Without batching, each time a guest at a table orders something, a separate ticket prints in the kitchen. With batching enabled:- Guest places first order → order is held in a batch
- Guest places second order → added to the same batch
- After the timeout period, the batch closes
- All orders merge into one ticket and send to kitchen/POS
When Orders Are Batched
Orders are grouped into the same batch when:- Same table - Orders must be from the same table
- Within timeout window - Orders placed within the configured timeout period
- In-Store fulfillment only - Batching only applies to dine-in orders
Smart Batch Closing
storekit uses a smart algorithm to determine when to close a batch, balancing speed with consolidation.How It Works
The system monitors whether anyone at the table is still browsing the menu or building an order:- Someone still ordering? → Batch stays open (up to the timeout limit)
- Everyone finished? → Batch closes immediately
Example
Timeout Limit
If guests keep browsing, the batch won’t stay open forever. There’s a maximum timeout (up to 5 minutes) after which the batch closes regardless. This ensures orders always reach the kitchen in a reasonable time.Merged Order Contents
When a batch closes, orders are intelligently merged:Item Merging Example
Configuration
Store-Wide Settings
Go to Stores → [your store] → Settings → Operations and find the Order batching section:The Order batching section only appears for dine-in stores — batching applies to In-Store orders only.
Disabling Batching for Specific Tables
The store-level Batch timeout picker only offers 1–5 minutes; to switch batching off for the whole store, turn off Enable order batching. For individual tables or sections, set that table’s batch timeout to 0 instead — orders from those tables go straight to the kitchen without waiting, while the rest of the store keeps batching. This is useful for bar seating or quick-service areas where guests typically order one item at a time.Customer Notes on Batched Tickets
When batching is enabled, customer notes are stripped from the merged ticket unless Include order notes is turned on. This is the most common reason a kitchen or bar stops seeing notes after batching is switched on: the customer types a note at checkout, the note is saved on the order, but the consolidated ticket sent to the kitchen, printer or POS contains no notes at all. Include order notes controls both:- The general order note each guest typed at checkout (prefixed with the guest’s first name on the merged ticket)
- Item-level notes, which are merged into the same notes block as
Item name: note
Order notes aren’t reaching the kitchen or bar
Work through these in order:1
Check order notes are enabled for the store
Go to Stores → [your store] → Settings → Operations → Order Notes and make sure it is set to Optional or Mandatory. Hidden disables order notes entirely, so customers never get a note field at checkout.
2
Turn on Include order notes if you use batching
In the same page, under Order batching → Merged ticket contents, turn on Include order notes. With batching on and this toggle off, notes are removed from the merged ticket even though they appear on the order in the dashboard.
3
For Zonal (Aztec), configure an Order Note Product ID
Zonal only accepts customer notes as a line item. Without an Order Note Product ID in the Zonal integration settings, notes are dropped on the way to the POS. See Zonal order notes.
4
Check the note reached the order itself
Open the order in the dashboard and confirm the note is on it. If the note is on the order but missing from the ticket, the problem is in the steps above; if it is missing from the order too, the customer never entered one (or Order Notes is set to Hidden).
Notes and split printing
A general order note isn’t tied to a specific item, so it prints on every station ticket for that order. With split printing, each printer receives only the items from its assigned categories, but the order note appears on each of those tickets — so a note like “nut allergy” reaches the kitchen and the bar. A printer that receives none of the order’s items doesn’t print a ticket at all, so it won’t see the note either.Integration with POS Systems
When a batch closes, the merged order is sent to your connected systems:- POS systems - Deliverect, Lightspeed, Zonal, Tissl, PointOne, Comtrex, Ikentoo
- Printers - CloudPRNT enabled printers
Send to Kitchen
When batching is enabled, guests see a Send to Kitchen button after placing their order. This allows them to close the batch early instead of waiting for the timeout. The button appears with a countdown timer showing how long until the batch auto-closes. If the guest knows they’re done ordering, they can tap the button to immediately send all orders to the kitchen. This is useful when:- A guest is ordering alone and doesn’t need the full timeout
- The table has finished ordering and wants their food sooner
- A quick top-up order that should go straight through
Best Practices
- Match timeout to service style - Fast-casual needs shorter timeouts than fine dining
- Enable customer names - Helps kitchen identify who ordered what at large tables
- Turn on Include order notes - Otherwise allergy and preparation notes never reach the kitchen
- Train staff - Ensure servers know batches will be held before going to kitchen
- Consider bar vs table - Use table-specific timeouts for different seating areas