Drafts for a prep window
Outlets build an order in private, save it and finish it when the list is right. The draft is not visible to the kitchen until it is submitted.
The problem
Daily orders to the kitchen arrive by message, late and incomplete
A central kitchen that supplies several outlets usually receives orders from a group chat, a phone call at the end of a shift and a list typed out by a manager who was in a hurry. Quantities get changed by phone after the list was sent. Some outlets order after the kitchen has already started prep for the day, and nobody is sure which version of the order is final. The kitchen spends the early morning working out what it has been asked for, rather than preparing it.
Commissary software should make the order the single version of the truth. Each outlet builds its order in one place, its managers approve it, and the kitchen works from that approved record.
How it works
A daily ordering cycle between outlets and the kitchen
Set up the kitchen’s range
Add the items the kitchen supplies to one catalogue, with a description, net price and unit of measure such as kilograms, litres or trays. Use the out-of-stock flag on any item the kitchen cannot supply that day.
Agree the ordering rhythm
Decide with your outlets how often they order, for example a daily order for fresh items and a weekly order for dry goods, and what time each order should be in. ordr.broker does not enforce that time. It is part of how your team works, and drafts help outlets prepare well before it.
Outlets draft and approve
A shift lead builds the order from the catalogue and saves it as a private draft. Managers with approval rights in the outlet approve their own orders automatically. Other orders go into Pending approval until someone approves them.
The kitchen accepts and processes
Kitchen staff with head office permissions review approved orders, accept them and move them to Processing while the order is being prepared. If quantities need correcting, they request changes, and the order goes back to the outlet as a draft.
Out for delivery, then delivered
When the order leaves the kitchen, its status moves to In transit. The outlet is then marked Delivered. Invoice references are recorded on the order, so the outlet and the kitchen can match each delivery to its paperwork.
Features
Kitchen ordering features for busy outlets
Store roles for each outlet
Decide which shift leads can order, which managers can approve and who can manage the outlet’s users, so approval rights match your process.
Live status for every outlet
Each outlet sees its order move from Accepted to Processing, In transit and Delivered as the kitchen updates it, so managers stop phoning to ask whether a delivery has left.
Change requests instead of phone calls
When the kitchen needs a different quantity, it requests changes and the order returns to draft. The outlet amends it in the system and resubmits it.
Announcements to outlets
Tell all outlets, or selected outlets and roles, about a menu change, a short supply or a new delivery window, in the app and by email.
Reports by outlet, status and date
Head office can filter order reports by outlet, status and date to see which outlets order most often, which orders are still waiting and what has already been delivered.
In practice
A week in a commissary-supplied restaurant group
Consider a restaurant group with a central kitchen that supplies four outlets. Every morning, each outlet’s shift lead drafts a top-up order for fresh items. The kitchen’s head office team sees the approved orders arrive in one queue, accepts them and moves them to Processing. One outlet asks for more of a sauce than the kitchen can produce, so the kitchen requests changes and that outlet adjusts its order. Once the order is In transit, the outlet sees it on its phone and marks the delivery Delivered when it arrives.
Once a week, the same outlets place a larger order for dry goods, drafted earlier in the week and finished on the day the group has agreed. Announcements tell every outlet when a product is changing, so the weekly order reflects what the kitchen can actually supply.
Who it is for
Built for kitchens that supply their own outlets
ordr.broker suits restaurant groups with a central prep kitchen, commissaries that supply their own outlets, and food businesses that run a warehouse feeding branches. It is built in Cyprus, and each business gets a workspace branded with its own logo and colours. The interface is available in English and Greek.
It is a clear fit for ordering and fulfilment, and not for everything around them. It does not do stock counting, inventory tracking, recipes, production planning or costing. Those are separate jobs, and the ordering step stays focused on getting the right order to the right outlet.
If your outlets are branches of one business rather than a supply chain, the multi-location ordering page covers that case. For order sign-off rules, see order approval workflow. Franchise networks with independently owned stores are covered on the franchise ordering software page.
Frequently asked questions
What is central kitchen software?
Central kitchen software organises the orders that outlets place with a central kitchen, commissary or warehouse. ordr.broker gives each outlet one catalogue to order from and gives the kitchen one place to triage, accept and fulfil those orders.
Does ordr.broker enforce order cut-off times?
No. ordr.broker does not have a cut-off feature. A cut-off time is a rule your team agrees with its outlets. Drafts let an outlet prepare its order and finish it before the deadline.
Can a shift lead place an order for the outlet?
Yes, if the store role allows it. Roles decide who in each outlet can order, who can approve and who can manage.
Can outlets see when their order is being prepared and sent?
Yes. Outlets see the Processing and In transit statuses as the kitchen updates them, followed by Delivered.
Does it handle recipes, production planning or costing?
No. ordr.broker covers ordering, approvals, fulfilment status, announcements and reports. It does not do recipes, production planning, costing or stock counting.
Is there a mobile app?
Yes. ordr.broker has iOS and Android apps with mobile push notifications, alongside the web dashboard.