---
title: Make a sale
summary: Ring up items, then pay or send the order to the kitchen, depending on whether your order type pays first or sends first.
id: make-a-sale
type: how-to
audience:
  - cashier
areas:
  - selling
since: "2.0"
updatedAt: 2026-11-07T15:47:58.638Z
release: 2.5.0
url: https://help.omviq.com/selling/make-a-sale/
markdown: https://help.omviq.com/selling/make-a-sale.md
related:
  - find-and-scan-products
  - change-items-in-a-sale
  - apply-a-discount-or-coupon
  - hold-and-resume-a-sale
  - take-a-payment
keywords:
  - sale
  - checkout
  - ring up
  - cart
  - order
  - send to kitchen
  - receipt
  - combo
lang: en
---

# Make a sale

A sale starts on the terminal with items in the cart and ends with a receipt. What you tap after the cart is ready depends on your order type: some pay first, and some send the order to the kitchen first.

## Before you start

- Sign in and enter your PIN. See [Sign in and start selling](https://help.omviq.com/getting-started/sign-in-and-start-selling/).
- If you take cash, open a till. Until a till is open, the **Cash** button at checkout is greyed out with a message telling you to open the till. See [Open and close a till](https://help.omviq.com/till/open-and-close-a-till/).
- Know your order type. It decides the main button on the cart.

| Order type | Main cart button | When the customer pays |
|---|---|---|
| Quick service, takeout, retail | **Pay** or **Checkout** | Before, or without, a kitchen order |
| Dine-in | **Send to Kitchen** | Later, from **Orders** |
| Delivery, paid up front | **Pay**, then the kitchen | When the order is placed |
| Delivery, cash on delivery | **Send to Kitchen** | When the driver returns with the cash |

## Pay-first sale (quick service, takeout, retail)

1. Browse the catalog. You see category tabs, the product grid, a search bar and an empty cart panel. See [Find and scan products](https://help.omviq.com/selling/find-and-scan-products/).
2. Tap a product to add it. It appears in the cart with a quantity of 1, and the subtotal, tax preview and total update at once.
3. Check the cart. Change quantities or remove lines if you need to. See [Change items in a sale](https://help.omviq.com/selling/change-items-in-a-sale/).
4. Tap **Pay** or **Checkout**.
5. Choose how the customer pays. See [Take a payment](https://help.omviq.com/payments/take-a-payment/).
6. When the payment completes, the receipt prints, the drawer opens for cash and the terminal returns to idle. In quick service, kitchen tickets print after payment when your business has set it up that way.

## Dine-in sale (send first, pay later)

1. Add the items. If you want, assign a table from the cart panel before you send.
2. Tap **Send to Kitchen**. The order is submitted, the kitchen ticket prints or appears at the stations, the cart clears and the order appears in **Orders**. The check stays open and unpaid.
3. When the guests are ready to pay, open **Orders** and tap the order. It opens as a read-only preview.
4. On the preview, tap **Pay** to settle the check as it is. Tap **Print Check** to print the bill first.
5. To add more items, tap **Recall** instead. The items already sent stay visible and greyed out. Add the new items, then tap **Send to Kitchen** to send only the new lines, or **Pay** to settle the whole check. If you added new lines, **Pay** sends them first.

If you tap a product while you are only previewing an order, Omviq asks **Add to order #N?** Choose **Recall** to add to that order, or **New Sale** for a separate check.

A paid order has no **Pay** or **Recall** button any more. A paid check cannot be paid again or reopened for editing.

## Retail sale

A retail checkout completes the sale and prints a receipt, but it does not create an order. Nothing appears in **Orders** or on the kitchen display afterwards. The sale shows up on the **Transactions** screen.

1. Add the products, including any size variants.
2. Tap **Pay** and choose cash or card.
3. The receipt prints and the terminal returns to idle.

## What the cart buttons do

| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Send to Kitchen** | Sends the order to the kitchen. The cart clears when it succeeds. |
| **Pay** or **Checkout** | Goes to payment straight away. |
| **Suspend** | Sets the sale aside for later. See [Hold and resume a sale](https://help.omviq.com/selling/hold-and-resume-a-sale/). |
| **Clear Cart** | Removes all items that have not been sent from the cart. |

## What you see when you add an item

**Required choices (modifiers).** If a product has required choices, such as a size, a modifier screen opens before the item is added. Each group tells you how many choices to make. Every choice appears on its own line under the item in the cart, on the kitchen ticket, at checkout and on the receipt. A choice made twice shows its count, for example `2× Cheese`.

**Combos.** A combo opens a step-by-step builder. Choose one item at each step, for example a main, a side and a drink. The combo goes into the cart as one line. Some choices are included in the combo price, some add their price and some are upgrades that add the difference.

**Items sold by weight.** A weight sheet opens instead of adding one unit. Enter the weight, for example `0.65` kg, and tap **Confirm**. **Confirm** stays disabled until you enter a valid weight, and zero is not valid. The cart line shows the weight, the price per unit and the amount, and so does the receipt, for example `0.650 kg @ 120.00/kg`.

**Automatic calculations.** As you add and change items, Omviq works out promotions, tax, the loyalty points the customer will earn (when a customer is identified) and stock warnings. You do not need to do anything.

## If something goes wrong

| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| The modifier screen does not appear | The product has no required choices set up. A manager can add them in the catalog settings. |
| You cannot add more of a topping | The group has a maximum number of choices. A manager can raise the maximum. |
| The comp button is greyed out | Your role does not allow comps. Ask a manager to approve, or to give your role the permission. |
| Tax is not calculating | The tax rules did not load. Ask a manager to check the tax settings for this location. |
| The cart is empty after you added items | The items were voided or the cart was cleared. Check for an accidental void and add the items again. |
| A message says the sale was cleared, timed out, sent, parked or is no longer on this till | The sale was finished or changed on another screen of this till, or it was left untouched overnight. The till has already moved on. Check the cart before you ring anything. A parked sale is in **Suspended Sales**. |
| **Not added — this item is now sold in a different unit. The menu is being refreshed; tap it again.** | Head office changed the item's unit while your till was open. Nothing was added. When the item's tile shows the new price, tap it again and enter the amount in the new unit. |

## Related pages

- [Find and scan products](https://help.omviq.com/selling/find-and-scan-products/)
- [Change items in a sale](https://help.omviq.com/selling/change-items-in-a-sale/)
- [Apply a discount or coupon](https://help.omviq.com/selling/apply-a-discount-or-coupon/)
- [Hold and resume a sale](https://help.omviq.com/selling/hold-and-resume-a-sale/)
- [Take a payment](https://help.omviq.com/payments/take-a-payment/)