# Takeaway orders, paid before anything gets cooked > Guests order from your menu, pay with Mercado Pago and follow the order on their phone until it's ready to pick up at the counter. - Features: https://restoman.com.ar/en/funcionalidades.md - Updated: 2026-10-28 Guests build their order on the phone menu, choose when to pick it up and pay with Mercado Pago. Then they follow the order on their phone, and we let them know when it's ready. **Short answer:** With Restoman, guests place takeaway orders from the location's menu on their phone, choose pickup as soon as possible or at a time later today, and pay with Mercado Pago. The order reaches the kitchen only once it's paid, and guests follow it on their order page until it's ready to pick up at the counter. Bibi's, in Palermo, takes its takeaway orders this way. ## 01. Why take takeaway orders this way An order by phone or message has to be written down, passed to the kitchen and charged at pickup, and sometimes nobody shows up. Here guests build it themselves, pay when they order, and the kitchen sees exactly what they chose. - **Nothing cooked before it's paid.** The order reaches the counter and the kitchen once Mercado Pago has approved the payment, never before. - **No writing orders down.** Dishes, their options and notes arrive just as the guest chose them, with the ticket ready to print. - **No more "is it ready?".** Guests see on their phone how the order is going and about when it'll be ready. ## 02. How guests order From the location's menu, through its link or a QR code, guests add dishes to the cart and tap "Continue". No account needed: they can order as a guest. - **The cart and notes.** Each dish with its options, and a "Note for the order" for anything else, like "no cutlery". - **When to pick it up.** "As soon as possible", with how long the kitchen takes, or "Schedule a time" among today's. - **Tips and promo codes.** If the location turns tips on, guests pick one or "No tip". With "Have a code?" they apply one of the location's promo codes. - **Pay with Mercado Pago.** They complete the payment on Mercado Pago, by card or account balance, and come straight back to their order page. ## 03. What happens after paying The order page updates by itself: it shows the number, about when it'll be ready and which step it's at, from "Paid" to "Picked up". - **Ready for pickup!.** When the counter marks it ready, the page says so with the number to show, and if the guest turned on alerts, a notification arrives. - **I'm here.** Once the order is ready, the guest taps "I'm here" and the counter sees them first, with how long ago they arrived. - **Order emails.** If they left their email, they get the payment receipt and a heads-up when the order is ready. - **Rating the order.** After pickup, they can rate it 1 to 5 stars with a comment. Only the restaurant sees it, and it can reply. ## And also - **Paid when ordered.** With Mercado Pago, straight to the business's account. - **As soon as possible or scheduled.** Guests pick when to collect, among today's times. - **Ready alerts.** A phone notification and an email when it's ready. - **No account needed.** Order as a guest; with an account, orders are saved. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do guests need an account to order? No. They can order as a guest from their phone. If they later sign in with their email, their orders move to their account and show under "Your orders", with "Order again". ### How do guests pay? With Mercado Pago, when they place the order, by card or account balance. It's the only payment method, and the money goes straight to the business's Mercado Pago account. ### What if a guest doesn't finish paying? The order waits for the payment for a while and, if it doesn't come, cancels itself with nothing charged. The kitchen never sees an unpaid order. ### Can I pause orders when the kitchen is swamped? Yes. From the counter or the location's settings, pause orders for 15 minutes, 30, an hour or until you resume. The menu stays visible, but no new orders come in. ### What do I need to start taking orders? Connect the business's Mercado Pago account, set the location's opening hours and turn on "Takeaway" in the location's settings. ### Can guests order to their table? Not yet. Today orders are takeaway, even when placed from a table's QR code: guests pick them up at the counter. Ordering to the table is coming soon. ## In the Guide - [Takeaway orders](https://docs.restoman.com.ar/en/guia/pedidos) - [The counter](https://docs.restoman.com.ar/en/guia/mostrador) - [Connecting Mercado Pago](https://docs.restoman.com.ar/en/guia/pagos) ## Keep exploring - [Mercado Pago](https://restoman.com.ar/en/integraciones/mercado-pago.md) - [Counter](https://restoman.com.ar/en/funcionalidades/mostrador.md) - [Promo codes](https://restoman.com.ar/en/funcionalidades/descuentos.md) - [Burger joints](https://restoman.com.ar/en/soluciones/hamburgueserias.md) - [Book a demo](https://wa.me/5491127433366?text=Hi%20Restoman%2C%20I%20have%20a%20restaurant%20and%20would%20like%20to%20see%20a%20demo.) - [English](https://restoman.com.ar/funcionalidades/pedidos-para-llevar.md)