Pausing order acceptance without taking the website offline

You pause online order acceptance with a single switch: in the panel under Einstellungen → Online-Bestellungen you turn off Bestellungen über die Website zulassen. Your website stays fully online – home page, menu, prices and contact details remain visible – and only the cart and the checkout are locked. The display switches from Annahme AN to PAUSIERT, and guests are pointed to your contact channels. To take orders again, you simply switch the same control back on.

The two switches under Einstellungen → Online-Bestellungen

Bestellungen über die Website zulassen – on by default. Switched off it means: menu visible, checkout locked.
Zugang zu Menü & Suche sperren (Wartung) – off by default. Switched on it means: guests do not reach the menu and the search at all.

The two switches work independently of each other. You therefore do not need maintenance mode if all you want is to pause acceptance. The step-by-step instructions are under Online-Bestellung aktivieren & Wartungsmodus.

What the guest sees while acceptance is paused

The menu remains fully readable, with prices and labelling. Dishes can even still be added to the cart – only the actual checkout is locked. Instead of the checkout, the notice about your contact channels appears. No page goes offline and no error page appears: your address, your opening hours and your imprint stay findable. For how the ordering path looks in normal operation, see Online ordering system.

Maintenance mode: closing the menu and the search completely

If pausing is not enough – for instance because you are rebuilding half the menu – Zugang zu Menü & Suche sperren (Wartung) additionally locks the menu and the search. On opening them, guests see a maintenance notice referring to WhatsApp and telephone. The home page, the imprint and the telephone and email links remain accessible. That way nobody sees old and new prices side by side during a larger change.

Automatic release – and what it cannot do

While maintenance mode is on, a field appears for the date and time at which the lock ends automatically. Without an entry the lock remains until you lift it yourself; a point in time in the past is flagged as a warning. This timer belongs to maintenance mode. The switch Bestellungen über die Website zulassen has no timer of its own – paused acceptance stays paused until you switch it back on. So if you pause in the middle of service, make a note of when you want to reopen.

Closing day, pause or a single dish?

Three situations, three routes – the difference decides whether you have to remember anything later:

Regular closing day: under Logistik → Abholzeiten or Lieferzeiten you leave the weekday empty. On that day guests see Geschlossen and cannot order – automatically, every week. Two time windows are possible per day, for example lunch and evening; a window running past midnight is treated as +1 Tag. Details under Öffnungs- & Bestellzeiten festlegen.
Short-notice pause: the switch under Einstellungen → Online-Bestellungen. A matter of seconds, effective immediately, and it stays until you switch it back on.
A single dish only: Verkauf stoppen in the editing window of the dish. The guest then sees Aktuell nicht verfügbar – with your reason text, if you have entered one – and cannot add it to the cart. This switch belongs to the management board, which is enabled per restaurant. If you would rather set a date, schedule the dish instead; guests then see Verfügbar ab with a countdown. See Verfügbarkeit & Zeitplanung der Speisekarte.

Adjust the time first, then pause

Often the problem is not the number of orders but a promised time the kitchen cannot keep. Under Logistik → Vorbereitungszeiten you enter separately how long your kitchen needs for pickup and for delivery; the preset value is 20 minutes. This value feeds into the estimated time the guest sees when ordering. A more honest figure is often the gentler remedy compared with a complete pause. More on this under Managing preparation times under pressure.

Orders that have already arrived

Pausing affects new checkouts. Orders that came in beforehand remain in the Order Centre and are accepted, processed and completed there as usual; the open tickets refresh roughly every 4 seconds. The switch is therefore a valve for incoming demand, not an emergency exit from orders already running.

Who benefits from this?

Every business whose kitchen has a limit. The snack bar on a Friday evening, when the grill is full and the next promise would become unrealistic. The pizzeria where a member of staff drops out at short notice. The restaurant rebuilding its menu overnight that does not want to show half-finished prices. And the business with a fixed closing day, which enters it once in the pickup times and never has to think about it again. The same principle applies in all four cases: incoming demand stops, visibility remains.

Frequently asked questions

How do I pause order acceptance without taking the website offline?

In the panel under Einstellungen → Online-Bestellungen, switch off Bestellungen über die Website zulassen. The website stays online and the menu visible; only the cart and the checkout are locked, and the display switches to PAUSIERT.

Does my menu stay visible when order acceptance is paused?

Yes. While order acceptance is paused, the menu remains readable with prices and labelling. Dishes can still be added to the cart – only the actual checkout is locked.

What is the difference between pausing order acceptance and maintenance mode?

When order acceptance is paused, the menu stays visible and only the checkout is locked. Maintenance mode additionally locks access to the menu and the search and shows a maintenance notice referring to WhatsApp and telephone; the home page, the imprint and the telephone and email links remain accessible.

Does paused order acceptance end automatically?

No. Paused order acceptance stays paused until you switch the control back on yourself. Only maintenance mode has a field for a date and time at which the lock ends automatically.

How do I set up a closing day on which nobody can order?

You set the closing day under Logistik → Abholzeiten or Lieferzeiten by leaving the weekday empty. On that day guests see Geschlossen and cannot order, without you having to move a switch every week.

Can I stop a single dish instead of the whole order acceptance?

Yes, via Verkauf stoppen in the editing window of the dish. The guest then sees Aktuell nicht verfügbar together with your reason text, if you have entered one. This switch belongs to the management board, which is enabled per restaurant.

What happens to orders that arrived before pausing?

Orders that arrived before pausing remain in the Order Centre and are accepted, processed and completed there as usual. The switch only controls whether new orders can be completed.

More on this: Online ordering system · Order Centre · Managing preparation times under pressure