Delivery & Payment Policies

1. Fulfillment Lanes (Dine-In & Takeaway)

To optimize kitchen speed and coordinate FOH operations, we support two distinct fulfillment models:

• **Dine-In (Table Delivery)**: When sitting at a table, you scan the QR code to open the menu. During checkout, you must verify your table number. Once prepared, our servers will deliver the food directly to your table. If you change tables after ordering, you must notify the cashier counter immediately to update the order meta coordinates in the database.
• **Takeaway (Pickup at Counter)**: You can place a takeaway order from anywhere. You can track the progress of your order in real time. Once the status transitions to "Ready", you must present your order code at the main counter to collect your meal.

**Out of Scope**: Our current operations model does not support automated home delivery, long-distance courier dispatch, or postal shipping. All fulfillment is localized inside or immediately surrounding the physical restaurant premises.

2. Payment Processes & Manual Cashier Validation

To avoid external API payment gate delays, we operate a **Manual Cashier Validation** checkout model. The step-by-step workflow is as follows:

1. **Submit Cart**: Guest checks out their digital cart. The system inserts the order into the database, setting the Payment Status to `Pending` and the Order Status to `Placed`.
2. **Kitchen Routing**: The order immediately appears on the kitchen display board, and chefs begin food preparation to minimize wait times.
3. **Cashier Settlement**: The guest goes to the cashier counter (or requests a cashier at their table) and pays using one of the accepted payment methods below.
4. **Verification & DB Update**: The cashier verifies the payment physically, then uses the management dashboard to update the payment status to `Paid`. This completes the financial ledger logging.

3. Accepted Payment Methods

We support a variety of local payment methods for manual validation:

• **Cash**: Local cash (BDT) settled at the cashier counter.
• **POS Terminals**: Major Visa, Mastercard, and Amex credit/debit cards processed physically using the cashier counter terminal.
• **Mobile Financial Services (MFS)**: Manual mobile banking transfers. You must show the cashier the transaction ID and receipt confirmation on your phone to validate the payment.

4. Taxation, Service Charges & Fees

All orders are subject to the following billing policies based on active database configuration variables:

• **Service Charge**: If active, a service charge (configured baseline: 10%) is added to the subtotal of the order.
• **Government Tax/VAT**: If active, a tax rate (configured baseline: 5%) is applied.
• **Packaging/Fulfillment Fees**: Standard takeaway packaging charges are transparently listed in your cart breakdown before checkout.

5. Dynamic Kitchen Queue Buffers

While our baseline preparation target is **18 minutes**, our kitchen display system tracks the live queue density. During high-density queue periods, our backend dynamically adds estimated buffer times (typically 5 to 15 minutes) to the checkout screen to manage guest expectations.

If a preparation issue occurs, the chef display screen allows the kitchen lead to flag your order, displaying a "Delayed Alert" notice on your status page. If you see a delayed notice, please contact the service team for priority updates.