An item ran out: switch it off before the waiter apologises

“Sorry, we are out” after they chose it kills the second order. Switching it off on the catalog is faster than apologising at every table.

The kitchen runs out at nine. Paper still lists it. The code still sells it. Ten tables order it, ten apologies, ten chances to sell a substitute lost.

Availability is not a technical detail. It is respect for the guest’s time, and protection for the team’s nerves.

1. Switching off is faster than walking the room

Waiters circulate to say it is gone. Before they finish, people confirm. That race is already lost.

Better: someone at the cashier or the pass switches the item off the moment quantity hits zero. Seconds, not a whole shift.

2. Do not delete the item

A full delete throws away order and photos, and tomorrow you rebuild it. Guests also think you dropped it for good.

Better: switch availability off. Keep the name visible or hide it — what matters is that it cannot enter the basket.

3. Show a neighbour

Switching off with no alternative and the guest closes the page. “Sold out” next to a similar dish in the same section keeps the ticket alive.

Better: the closest item on the same screen. You do not need a banner. Category order is enough if the first cards still sell.

4. Morning switches it back on

People switch off on Friday and forget Saturday. Guests find a thin list, and you think sales fell.

Better: an opening routine: before service, check what is off. One minute on the dashboard beats losing a dish all day.

5. The other location is not automatic

Out in Maadi does not mean out in Nasr City. A global switch punishes the wrong kitchen.

Better: availability per location. One catalog, two kitchens.

A one-service test

The moment an item runs out, switch it off. Count how many people still ask for it. If they still ask — they have a stale code, or the team is still handing paper.

menutables updates availability on the code at once. Start free and make the apology rare, not part of the shift.