07
Sold out at 7. Still on the menu at 7:20.
Don’t make staff apologise for what ran out twenty minutes ago. Mark it sold out once and it’s gone from your QR, online and counter menus.
08
Wrong sauce. Missing side. Free remake.
Details get lost when an order is copied down from a call or a docket. Online orders reach the kitchen exactly as the customer placed them.
09
Same order every Tuesday. Still a phone call?
Regulars shouldn’t have to read out their usual. They can place it again from their own phone instead.
10
The kitchen’s behind. The customer finds out first.
A late order should show on the kitchen screen first. For QR and online orders, the customer can be sent an update before they ring.
11
Pickup time: always “about 15 minutes”?
A quick wrap and a family order don’t take the same time, and a fixed guess is wrong the moment the shop gets busy.
12
Wings, a drink, extra sauce. Nobody asked.
On the phone, nobody has time to offer the extra. On the menu, the sides and drinks are right there.
13
Which driver has which order?
With no live board, nobody knows who’s carrying what or if the bag is packed. Drivers wait at the counter, customers at home.
14
A driver on the payroll through the quiet hours?
Delivery spikes at lunch and dinner, then drops away. A full-time driver is paid through the lull. A booked one is paid for the rush.
15
Does every driver need a card machine?
The delivery bill can carry a QR code the customer scans to pay online, so the driver never needs an EFTPOS machine.
16
Their tenth direct order. Same as their first.
Takeaway customers order often, but nothing rewards them for staying direct. So the next order goes to whichever app has a promo.
17
“Is it halal? Any nuts?” Mid-rush, again.
The same question costs a minute every time. Put the answer on the menu and it’s answered before they order.
18
Regulars tell friends. You never see it.
Referrals, gift cards and coupons turn word of mouth into orders you can track, instead of a flyer nobody can trace.
19
Five stars on the app. Nothing on Google.
Delivery ratings land on the marketplace’s page. A review request after a direct pickup can point happy customers at yours.
20
Cold chips. One star. You found out last.
Private feedback after pickup lets an unhappy customer tell you first, while there’s still time to make it right.
21
“Are you open?” “What time do you close?” Same DM, all night.
Menu questions and complaints pile up on WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger while the whole team is cooking.
22
New hire. First Saturday night. No idea.
High turnover means constant retraining. The less a new starter has to learn to take an order, the sooner they’re useful.
23
Who was on? What’s in the drawer?
Without shift-level numbers, sales, cash in the drawer and hours are guesswork, and so are payroll checks.
24
Ordered by phone. Never collected.
A bag made and a prank call look the same until nobody turns up. An order paid online first is already paid for.
25
Busy on every channel. Which one brings in the most?
Counter, pickup and delivery all feel busy. Revenue by channel shows where the money actually comes from.
WhatsApp
Instagram
Messenger
