Push notifications
What this is for
Alerts that appear on a device without anyone opening anything.
For staff, this is the channel that matters. A new order sitting unnoticed in a browser tab is a customer waiting; a push notification is someone looking up.
Two kinds
| Kind | What it is |
|---|---|
| Web push | Browser notifications, on the device where someone is signed in. |
| Push notifications | Device-level alerts. |
Both are configured under Settings, and both need the person to allow notifications in their browser or device when asked.
That permission prompt is the step people miss. A member of staff who dismissed it once gets nothing, forever, until they re-allow it in their browser settings — and they'll assume the feature is broken.
What they're good for
New orders arriving from outside. Customer site, QR ordering, kiosk. Somebody has to notice within seconds, and this is how.
POS device registration requests, where you run multiple terminals — a device waiting for approval is a queue forming.
COD settlement submissions and approvals — see Cash on delivery and settlements.
Waiter requests, so a table tapping for service reaches a person rather than a screen nobody is watching.
Turning them off for the right people
Under Settings › Order Notification you can hide new order notifications for a specific role.
Use it. Kitchen staff working a screen already see every ticket — a notification on top is noise, and noise is how people learn to swipe alerts away without reading them.
Keep them for the roles who need to act: managers, cashiers, whoever confirms incoming orders.
Setting it up on a device
- Sign in on the device.
- Allow notifications when the browser asks.
- Trigger a real one — place a test order — and confirm it appears.
Worth doing on every device that needs them, as part of setting the device up. Not on the first busy night.
On phones and tablets, adding the site to the home screen usually makes notifications more reliable and the app behave more like an app.
When they don't arrive
- Are notifications allowed in that browser or device? Most common cause by a distance.
- Is push enabled in settings?
- Is the role hidden from order notifications?
- Is the device signed in, and awake?
- Is the browser closed entirely? Web push generally needs the browser running, even in the background.
- Is it a phone in battery-saver mode? That suppresses background notifications.
Choosing between channels
| Need | Best channel |
|---|---|
| Staff must act now | Push |
| Staff should know today | |
| Customer confirmation | Email, or WhatsApp |
| Customer one-time code | SMS or WhatsApp |
| A record to keep |
Push is for urgency. It's poor as a record — it disappears when dismissed — so don't rely on it as the only place something important appears.
Good to know
- Push settings are per restaurant; the browser permission is per device.
- Notifications only reach signed-in staff. Customers get email, SMS or WhatsApp.
- Nothing here replaces someone watching the orders screen during service. It's a safety net, not a substitute.
- Test after any change to devices, browsers or settings. Push fails quietly.
Next
Notifications are covered. Next: what Restodesk AI does.