Updated
Match the order before counting containers
Start with the order reference used by the restaurant. Compare the current ordered dishes and quantities with the food presented for packing. Counting containers alone is insufficient: one dish may occupy several containers, and two dishes can look similar once packed.
Keep one order together while checking it. If space is limited, use clearly separated positions for orders being packed and orders ready for collection. Avoid stacking an unchecked parcel beside a completed one without a way for the next staff member to distinguish them.
Check additions and the agreed accompaniments
Read back any extra item added after the initial order. For a meals or tiffin parcel, use the restaurant’s own packing standard to check the agreed accompaniments. Do not rely on a generic checklist to decide what a dish includes: portioning and inclusions are business decisions that staff must know.
Ask the team how a late change reaches the packer. Demonstrate it with a sample order before the rush. If the packer hears one instruction and sees another, they should pause the handoff and ask the designated colleague to resolve the current order.
Finish with a deliberate collection check
At collection, match the parcel reference with the customer’s order and confirm the item count using the restaurant’s procedure. Handle payment confirmation separately; food being packed is not evidence that a payment has been completed. Keep any customer details out of public display beyond what the handoff requires.
Practise with two similar lunch orders, one containing an extra drink. Record where the first confusion occurs: order entry, kitchen output, packing or collection. Chennai restaurants with a busy parcel counter can use this exercise when reviewing DeccanPro’s takeaway billing and KOT workflow.
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Your checklist
- Current order matched before packing
- Late additions reach the packer
- Restaurant-specific inclusions checked
- Collection and payment checked separately
