Change Order Format Mid-Order

The classic scenario: a guest has ordered three dishes "dine in" at the bar, but changes their mind after the first course and wants to take the rest home. Or the reverse – someone started a takeaway tab but decides to sit at a table. In both cases, VAT changes (12% ↔ 6% for food and non-alcoholic drinks).

Vendion supports this directly in the POS via Ändra orderformat (Change order format) – without having to create a new order or void the old one.

Where do I find the feature?

In the bill view in the POS, the current order format shows as a clear badge at the top, e.g. "Äta här" or "Avhämtning".

1. Click the badge
2. A dropdown or dialog opens
3. Choose Ändra orderformat (Change order format)
4. Pick the new format (Äta här, Bord, Avhämtning or Leverans)
5. A confirmation dialog shows the consequence (see below)
6. Click Bekräfta (Confirm)

The confirmation dialog – what do I see?

Before the change is applied, you always get a clear summary of what will happen. Example:

Changing from Äta här to Avhämtning. VAT recalculated on 3 lines: 12% → 6%. New total: 287 SEK (was 312 SEK). Continue?

That way you see exactly how big the difference is – no doubt that VAT actually drops or rises, and you avoid surprises when the guest gets the receipt.

Alcohol lines (always 25%) appear separately: "1 line (alcohol) not affected by the change – stays at 25%." Alcohol VAT is never switched.

What happens technically?

When you confirm the change:

1. The order format is updated on the order
2. VAT is recalculated automatically on all lines except alcohol lines and any manually overridden lines (see override section below)
3. New subtotals and grand total are shown
4. Kitchen tickets are not affected – the kitchen still cooks the same food, only the POS recalculates VAT

Requires a permission

Changing order format on an active order is gated behind the permission "Change order format on active order". Default is on for managers/senior cashiers, off for junior cashiers. This prevents someone from accidentally changing VAT on an order they don't have full context on.

If staff lack the permission, they see the message "No permission – contact manager" when clicking the badge. A manager can then quickly approve the change via the manager-PIN flow without logging out and back in.

The permission is set up under Settings → Permission Groups per group. See the general article on permissions for details.

Everything is logged internally

Every order format change is logged in the system's internal transparency log. You can never change order format without a trace being saved showing:

• Who changed it (staff ID)
• When (exact timestamp)
• From which format to which
• Which lines were affected
• Old and new grand total

During a tax audit or internal review, you can demonstrate that every VAT switch was legitimate and motivated.

When can I change, and when is it locked?

The rule is simple: as long as the order is open (not paid), the order format can be changed. After finalize, everything is locked as part of historical sales.

Manually overridden lines are NOT affected

If you have set a per-line VAT override on a specific line (see the article Per-line VAT override in the POS), it's preserved when order format changes. The logic: if someone has explicitly set VAT on a line, that's a deliberate choice that shouldn't be automatically discarded.

Example:

• Order has 3 lines: food (12%), drink (12%), and a catering bottle with manual override to 6%
• You change from "Äta här" to "Avhämtning"
• Food and drink recalculate to 6% automatically
• The catering bottle retains its 6% (it was already correct)

Practical scenarios

Scenario A: Family that changes their mind after the starter Family of 4 has a starter at table 5 (Bord, 12%). After the starter, daycare calls – they must head home now. The server asks: "Should we pack the rest to go?" The family says yes. The server clicks the "Bord 5" badge and switches to "Avhämtning". Dialog shows that 2 remaining lines (mains) are recalculated from 12% to 6% – total drops by about 35 SEK. The family pays, food is packed, everyone's happy.

Scenario B: Takeaway order that gets seated at a window table Guest comes in intending to take a salad to go. While it's being prepared, they see free tables in the sun – decide to sit down. Staff click the "Avhämtning" badge → switches to "Bord 3". VAT on the salad shifts from 6% to 12%, total increases by a few SEK. Staff inform the guest, payment happens.

Scenario C: Mixed order where the guest wants to take a dessert home Guest eats the main on-site but wants dessert to go. Do NOT change the order format – then the main also becomes 6%, which is wrong. Solution: start a separate new tab with "Avhämtning" for the dessert. Pay the table (12%) and the takeaway tab (6%) separately. Vendion's tab model makes this easy.

Why doesn't Vendion force me to do it in some special order?

The philosophy is that reality is messy – guests change their minds, servers move people around, kitchen orders grow and shrink. Vendion lets you change order format flexibly as long as the order is open, with clear confirmation dialogs so nothing happens silently. Combined with the immutable log trail, you get both flexibility and full traceability.