Managing drivers and deliveries

At GastroZukunft, deliveries run in the Bestellzentrale (order centre): incoming orders stand in two separate lanes - Lieferungen (deliveries) and Abholung (collection). You open a card, accept it with „Annehmen & Zeit bestätigen" and move it through neu → in Bearbeitung → erledigt. You hand a delivery over with „An Fahrer senden": a pre-filled WhatsApp message containing the order details, addressed to your own number, which you forward to whoever is driving. This is expressly not a dispatch system with driver accounts or live location tracking.

Two lanes: Lieferungen and Abholung

The open orders refresh about every 4 seconds (less often in the background) and are split into the lanes Lieferungen and Abholung. Counters at the top track open orders, those completed today and those loaded. If there is nothing to do, it says „Keine offenen Bestellungen". For an overview of the whole area, see Bestellzentrale.

What a delivery card contains

Tap a card and the detail window opens on the right: dishes with their options, notes from the guest, the customer data including the delivery address, a countdown to the promised time and the action bar that fits the order. If the notes have been removed by data retention, it shows „Keine Hinweise (retention abgelaufen)".

„An Fahrer senden" - what it is and what it is not

Within a delivery order, „An Fahrer senden" opens a pre-filled WhatsApp message with the order details - dishes, address, amount - addressed to your own number. From there you forward it to the person driving, who then carries the complete job on the phone instead of on a slip of paper that gets lost. This is the only driver function: there are no driver accounts, no automatic route allocation and no live location tracking. The step is described in Kunden informieren & „An Fahrer senden".

The four steps of a delivery

The order appears in the Lieferungen lane. An alert tone announces it; if a confirmed order is left unattended, the signal becomes more pronounced.
With „Annehmen & Zeit bestätigen" you accept it. At that moment the previously estimated time becomes binding for the guest; if automatic printing is set up, the receipt is printed now.
„An Fahrer senden" passes the order details to your own number and from there to the person driving.
Once the delivery is out and finished, choose „Als erledigt markieren". The card leaves the live view and moves into Erledigte Tickets.

Times that match the drive

Under Logistik → Vorbereitungszeiten you enter how long your kitchen needs for collection and for delivery. The default value is 20 minutes; an implausible or outdated value (such as 60/120 minutes) is automatically reset to 20 minutes. For delivery this time counts the kitchen time only - the driving time is added separately and follows from the distance. Details under Vorbereitungszeiten einstellen and Delivery costs by distance or postcode.

What the guest sees during the delivery

Optionally you show guests a map with the route and an estimated time of arrival - in the cart and/or in the order history. Both map switches are off by default, and the map only appears in addition if the guest consents. The marker moves by calculation: it is a time-based estimate for orientation, not live location tracking of the driver. For that reason, please avoid terms such as „Live-Tracking" in your own communication as well. More on this in Karte & Route anzeigen.

Keeping guests informed along the way

From the opened order you reach the guest with one click: „Kunde über Annahme informieren" opens a pre-filled WhatsApp message to the guest, „Kunden anrufen" opens the phone app with their number. Both are manual and require a number to be on file with the order.

On the tablet, on the computer or via the app

Kitchen and counter work on the kitchen tablet, while you see the same orders on the move through the Restaurant App and, on request, receive a push notification for new orders. On the tablet, the function „Display wach halten" keeps the screen on; this requires HTTPS and a brief tap on the screen, and on some devices (e.g. some iPhones/iPads) it is not available.

After closing time: completed and cancelled deliveries

Below the live view are the archives Erledigte Tickets and Stornierte Karten. Both lists are separated into delivery and collection; you empty each one with „Stornierte/Erledigte löschen". Emptying them is a visual clean-up and not deletion in the data protection sense - the DSGVO area has its own functions for that.

Who is this worth it for?

For venues that deliver themselves - with one regular driver or with helpers who take a few runs in the evening. You need no extra driver software and no driver accounts: orders arrive through your own Lieferung & Abholung, with 0 % Provision pro Bestellung, and the handover runs through WhatsApp, which many people already use every day. Anyone looking for a large fleet with automatic route optimisation, driver login and location tracking will not find it here - we would rather state that limit before you start than after.

Frequently asked questions

Can I create drivers in GastroZukunft and follow their route?

No. There are no driver accounts, no automatic route allocation and no live location tracking. The only driver function is „An Fahrer senden": a pre-filled WhatsApp message with the order details, sent to your own number.

How do I pass a delivery on to my driver?

Open the delivery order in the Bestellzentrale and tap „An Fahrer senden". WhatsApp opens with the order details - dishes, address, amount - as a message to your own number, which you then forward to the person driving.

Can the guest see where the driver currently is?

No. The guest can see a map with the route and an estimated time of arrival if you switch that display on and the guest consents. The marker moves by calculation as a time-based estimate; live location tracking of the driver does not exist.

How do I tell deliveries and collections apart in the Bestellzentrale?

The live tickets of the Bestellzentrale are split into two lanes: Lieferungen and Abholung. New orders appear automatically in the correct lane, and the view refreshes about every 4 seconds.

When does the delivery time become binding for the guest?

With payment on site, the delivery time shown is initially a guide value. It becomes binding at the moment you accept the order with „Annehmen & Zeit bestätigen".

How does the driving time get into the delivery time shown?

Under „Logistik → Vorbereitungszeiten" you enter the kitchen time only; the default value is 20 minutes. The driving time is added separately and follows from the distance to the delivery address.

Where do I find a delivery again once it is completed?

Completed deliveries sit under „Erledigte Tickets", rejected or cancelled ones under „Stornierte Karten". Both archives are located below the live view, are separated into delivery and collection, and can be emptied.

More on this: Order Centre · Delivery & Pickup · Restaurant App