Restaurant technology glossary
Short definitions of the terms that come up around menus, ordering and payment. Which plan includes what is not answered here but on the pricing page.
- A digital menu that opens when a guest scans the square code at the table or the door with the phone camera. Nothing to install: the menu opens in the browser and updates the moment the owner changes a price. Learn more →
- A menu shown on a screen instead of paper. It can carry photos, descriptions, allergen information and translations; a QR menu is the most common way to reach one.
- PWA (Progressive Web App)
- A web application that can be added to the home screen from the browser and opens offline too. Thmenu's guest menu and admin panel run as PWAs; a store download is not required. Learn more →
- Table ordering
- The guest picks items in the QR menu and sends the order straight to the kitchen. Orders pass through staff approval; whether payment is taken before or after the order is the owner's setting. Learn more →
- Order tracking
- The guest follows the status of an order (received, preparing, ready) on their own phone, with an optional notification when it is ready.
- KDS (kitchen display)
- The screen where incoming orders are listed by status in the kitchen: pending, preparing, ready. Staff sign in with a PIN and move each order to the next status.
- Waiter call
- A button in the menu that notifies staff from the table. The owner can switch it on or off.
- Bill request
- The guest asks for the bill from the menu. Staff are notified; the bill can be settled in full, per person or by amount.
- EU-14 allergen list
- The fourteen allergen groups that EU Regulation 1169/2011 requires to be declared: cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soy, milk, tree nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphites, lupin and molluscs. Thmenu marks each product against this list. Learn more →
- Halal badge
- The owner's own declaration that the menu is halal; software cannot make that declaration. Thmenu shows the owner a conflict if a product is marked as containing pork or alcohol.
- Pay at table
- The guest pays for the order by card from inside the menu. The payment rail depends on the country; the coverage page says what is offered where. Learn more →
- Platform fee
- On plans with in-app payment collection, Thmenu's share taken on top of the payment provider's own rate. It is not a commission: it applies only to in-app collection, never to the order itself. Rates are on the pricing page. Learn more →
- Custom domain
- The menu served at the business's own address (for example menu.yourbusiness.com). It is connected with a CNAME record at the domain provider and verified by Thmenu.
- Product names and descriptions shown in the guest's language. A translation the owner enters by hand always takes precedence over an automatic one.
- Reading products automatically from a photo of the existing menu, a PDF or Word file, or a web page, and presenting them as a proposal. Nothing is written to the menu until the owner reviews and approves it. Learn more →
- Loyalty program
- Guests collect points from their orders and redeem rewards. In Thmenu, earning and redeeming happen inside the menu.
- Kiosk mode
- A view for a fixed tablet or screen in the venue where guests place orders on their own.
- Room service
- A hotel guest orders from the QR code in the room; the order reaches the kitchen with the room number and guest name.