Frequently asked questions
What is Restaurant OS?
Restaurant OS is where you run the house in the browser: bookings and waitlist, live orders, guest CRM (when enabled), Grow tools like marketing or promos, Insights reports, and Settings for the venue. Billing, payouts, and MFA live under Account via the profile icon (top right). Search this page for words like “refund” or “hours.”
How do in-app service requests work?
New service request opens a short form—we reply by email to the address on your account. View service requests shows everything you’ve sent from this workspace so you can grab ticket IDs or follow a thread.
Why must my request use my account email?
We match requests to your login email for security. If you need to use a different address, ask an organization owner to update your profile email, or mention both addresses in your message so we can link them manually.
When will I hear back?
Simple questions usually get a first reply within one business day. Billing, POS sync, or multi-store issues can take longer when we loop in partners. Pick the closest topic, say which restaurant and timezone, and paste any error text—you’ll wait less than with a vague “it’s broken.”
Who helps with invoices, plans, or failed payments?
Choose Billing & subscription as the topic and include the plan name, approximate charge date, and last four digits of the card if relevant. Owners can also review Account → Subscriptions before writing in—many renewal questions are visible there.
Integrations disconnected or syncing wrong—what should I send?
Choose Technical issue. Name the system (Toast, Square, etc.), what you changed before it broke (menu publish, new tablet, password reset), and when failures started. Screenshots of disconnect banners or OAuth screens save a round trip.
I cannot see a sidebar section my colleague has. Why?
Restaurant OS hides areas you are not permitted to use. Ask your organization owner or admin to review your role and permissions. This is expected behavior—not a bug.
What customer data is in support tickets?
Tickets store only what you type. Avoid pasting full payment numbers, government IDs, or sensitive guest health information. If we need specifics, we will request them through secure channels.
Is there an external help center?
Yes—general guides and announcements live on the public Smart Dining help site. Use an in-app ticket when you need something tied to your account: billing, permissions, or partner connections.
What if my issue is urgent?
For production outages affecting guests or payments, open a request with Technical issue, put “URGENT” in the first line, and include your restaurant name, timezone, and whether the loss is ongoing. We prioritize stability-impacting cases.
Why is my sidebar missing Marketplace, Shift overview, or CRM items I saw in training?
Several entries are gated together by permissions and by whether your environment has turned that feature on yet—production menus are often shorter than sandbox demos. Confirm you picked the right restaurant, compare with an owner’s login, then ask them to verify permissions or rollout flags before opening a ticket.