86 Board
86 Board is the live "we're out of this" communication board between the kitchen and the floor. "86" is restaurant shorthand for an item that has run out — the kitchen marks it here with a reason and expected restock so waitstaff immediately stop taking orders for it, and reinstates it with one tap once it's back.
Overview
This is distinct from permanent menu editing (Menu Management) and from Kitchen Stations (which is about routing/printing, not availability) — the 86 Board is purely real-time service state.
An "86 an Item" entry captures Item Name, Category (Starter/Main/Dessert/Beverage/Special/Side/Other), Reason (Sold Out, Ingredient Shortage, Equipment Issue, Quality/Below Standard, Prep Time Needed, Chef's Decision, Other), who 86'd it and when, an Expected Restock estimate (End of Service / Tomorrow / a specific time), and optional Notes.
Reinstating an item prompts for who is reinstating it, then moves it from the Active group into a "Reinstated Today" history group rather than deleting it.
An amber "MAIN !" tag on the item and a page-top alert banner both appear whenever any currently-86'd item is in the MAIN category, since running out of a main course is the most service-critical case.
An "FOH Board" toggle switches to a clean, read-only display meant for a tablet mounted on the pass — it hides stats, filters and edit controls, grouping everything under "Currently Unavailable" (or a green "All items available" message when the board is clear).
Print opens a formatted popup list of everything currently 86'd, suitable for a verbal pre-service briefing or a physical notice on the pass.
The list is sorted with active 86s first (Main course priority, then Starter/Dessert/Beverage/Special/Side/Other), followed by items reinstated today.
Before You Start
- You must have the Billing feature enabled on your plan.
Step-by-Step Guide
1 86 an item
- Open 86 Board and click "86 an Item."
- Enter the Item Name (required), pick a Category and a Reason.
- Enter who 86'd it (required) and the time, and choose an Expected Restock estimate (End of Service, Tomorrow, or a specific time).
- Add Notes if useful (e.g. "delivery expected at 9:30pm"), then click "86 This Item."
2 Reinstate an item once it's back
- Find the active item and click "Reinstate."
- Enter the name of who is reinstating it when prompted — the item moves into "Reinstated Today."
3 Run the board on a pass tablet
- Click "FOH Board" to switch into the clean, read-only staff view.
- Click "Staff View" to switch back to the full editable board.
4 Print the current 86 list
- Click "Print" to open a formatted popup listing every item currently 86'd, its reason and expected restock time.
Every Field & Button, Explained
| Field / Button | What it does |
|---|---|
Item Name / 86'd By | The only two fields required to save — Item Name identifies what's out, 86'd By records who flagged it. |
Category | Starter / Main / Dessert / Beverage / Special / Side / Other — Main items trigger the page-top alert banner and the "MAIN !" tag. |
Expected Restock | End of Service, Tomorrow, or a specific time — purely informational; the item is not automatically reinstated when this time arrives. |
Status | ACTIVE at creation; becomes REINSTATED (with reinstatedAt/reinstatedBy recorded) when reinstated — items are not deleted by the normal reinstate flow. |
Tips & Best Practices
- Always fill in 86'd By — it's required and it's what tells the rest of the floor who to check with about the item.
- Treat Expected Restock as guidance only for staff — you still need to tap Reinstate yourself once the item is actually available again; nothing reinstates automatically.
- Put a shared tablet in FOH Board mode on the pass so waitstaff always see a clean, current list without needing edit access.