Tokurabo Takeout Orders: Guide

Step by step

1. First Setup

• 1Install the plugin

  In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add Plugin and search for Tokurabo Takeout Orders. Click Install Now, then Activate.

  If Takeout Menu is not installed yet, you cannot activate Takeout Orders. Set up Takeout Menu first.

  

• 2Set your shop name and email address

  Go to Takeout Menu > Order settings. Under Order emails, set these two and click Save Changes.

  Shop name	Shown as the sender name, and in the subject and body of order emails. If you leave it empty, your site title is used.
  From email address	Order emails are sent and received at this address. To receive orders at more than one address, add them separated by commas (up to 5). The first address is used as the sender. If you leave it empty, the site admin email is used.

  

  When a customer replies to their confirmation email, the reply goes to the first address in From email address.

  After saving, click Send test email and check that the test email arrives at the addresses in From email address. If it does not arrive or lands in your spam folder, we recommend step 3.

• 3Make sure your emails arrive (recommended)

  Takeout Orders sends emails the standard WordPress way. If you change nothing, emails are sent straight from your web server. Depending on your server, they may land in your customers' spam folders.

  To prevent this, we recommend installing an SMTP plugin such as the free FluentSMTP and setting it to send from your shop's email account. Once it is set up, Takeout Orders emails are sent from your shop's email account too.

  1. Go to Plugins > Add Plugin, search for FluentSMTP, then install and activate it.
  2. Go to Settings > FluentSMTP and set these three:
     • Email Service: choose the one that matches your email. For email from your hosting company, choose Other SMTP and enter the SMTP server, port, username and password your host gives you. You can also choose Gmail (Google Workspace) and others
     • From Email: your shop's email address, ideally on the same domain as your website (for example info@your-shop-domain). Leave Force From Email on (it is on by default)
     • From Name: your shop's name. Leave Force Sender Name off (it is off by default). Takeout Orders emails use the Shop name in Order settings
  3. Click Save Connection Settings.
  4. Use the Send Test Email button at the top right of FluentSMTP to send yourself an email, and check that it arrives in your inbox, not your spam folder.

  Any other SMTP plugin is fine too. For details, see that plugin's documentation.

• 4Set the pickup times

  On the same page, under Pickup times, set these three and click Save Changes.

  Preparation time	How long you need to prepare an order. (With 30 minutes, an order placed at 12:00 can be picked up from 12:30.) (Any preparation time set in your POS app is not used.)
  Time slots	The gap between the pickup times customers can choose. (With 15 minutes: 10:00, 10:15, 10:30 ...)
  Days ahead	How many days ahead customers can order, counting today.

  

  Customers can choose pickup times within the hours set in your POS app. Many POS apps group items into menus (for example, Lunch and Dinner) and let you set hours for each menu.

  

  Items in a menu with no hours can be picked up during your business hours, if you set them in your POS app. To change the hours, change them in your POS app.

  If the cart has an item from a menu with no hours (and there are no business hours), the customer cannot choose a pickup time, and the order form says you will contact them about the pickup date and time. When you get such an order, contact the customer to decide the pickup date and time.

  For example, if you leave only your cake menu without hours, you can agree on the pickup date for each cake order with the customer. If no hours are set in your POS app at all, every order works this way, and a yellow notice appears under Pickup times.

• 5Message shown on the order form

  In Order settings, under Checkout > Notice to customers, you can write your own message. It is shown on the order form. Use it for things like where to pick up, parking, or your cancellation policy.

  

  

• 6Test an order

  Place a test order with your own email address. Then check these three things:

  • the order confirmation email for the customer arrives,
  • the new order email for the shop arrives at the address you set,
  • the order appears in the list in Takeout Menu > Orders.

  Once you have checked, delete the test order: in the Orders list, click Delete under its order number.

  No email, or something else wrong? See When something does not work.

Orders

2. When an Order Comes In

You get an email

The subject looks like New order TO-1016-A3F9 - pickup Oct 17 12:00 pm. The email shows the pickup time, the customer's name, email and phone, and the items with their options.

To contact the customer, just reply to the email. The reply goes to the customer.

See all orders

Go to Takeout Menu > Orders. Orders for today have a green Today label. Click Pickup at the top of the list to sort by pickup time. To find an order, type part of the order number, name, email or phone and click Search orders.

On a smartphone, only the order numbers are listed. Tap one to see the details.

If you cannot prepare something

The customer is told: "If we cannot prepare something, we will contact you." Reply to the order email or call the customer.

At pickup

1. The customer tells you the order number (for example TO-1016-A3F9) or their name.
2. Ring up the items in your register as usual, and take payment.
3. Hand over the order.

Prices on the website are a guide. The final amount is the one in your register.

Everyday use

3. Busy Times, Sold Out Items, Closures and More

Too busy: stop taking orders for a while

Go to Takeout Menu > Order settings and click the red Stop taking orders button. It works right away. Your menu stays on your site, but customers cannot place orders. They see the Message while paused.

To start again, click the green Resume taking orders button.

An item has run out

Go to Takeout Menu > Availability, uncheck the item, and click Save Changes. It shows as "Sold out" on your menu until you check it again. Syncing with your POS app does not change this.

Items marked sold out in your POS app (such as Square) are also shown as sold out (with Sold out at register).

Closures and days with different hours

Go to Takeout Menu > Order settings. Under Special days, click Add a day, choose the date, and choose the Status:

• Closed: customers cannot choose that day when they order.
• Special hours: enter the hours. Customers can choose it for pickup even on a day you are usually closed.

Click Save Changes. Special days come before your usual hours. Past days are removed when you save.

A customer wants to change or cancel

Customers contact you by replying to their confirmation email. Arrange it with the customer directly. If an order is cancelled, you can delete it from the Orders list.

Keeping a record

Click Export CSV at the top of the Orders page to download the orders as a spreadsheet. To delete old orders automatically, set Order history > Keep orders for in Order settings (0 keeps them forever). The current setting is also shown at the top of the Orders list.

Help

4. When Something Does Not Work

For more details (all settings, how pickup times are calculated, emails, privacy, and customizing), see the manual.