Here, you'll find a detailed explanation of Dines' settings and their impact on everything within Default Device Presets.
Default Device Presets
Default Presets on Dines gives you preconfigured customisations tailored to your style of venue, whether you're operating a bar, running a street food stall, or providing table service.
In the guide below, we will walk you through the function of each individual setting, and show you how to create your own customised settings that can be easily imported onto other devices.
To access Default Device Presets on the Dines app, please navigate to Functions > Device Setup > Default Device Settings.
Custom Settings Glossary
In the sections below, we will run through every setting that is included in Device Settings. If you need to find something in particular, each section is named after its Setting, so you can utilise the CTRL+F shortcut on Windows, CMD+F on a Mac, or the Find function on your smartphone to quickly locate the setting you're looking for.
At the end, you can find a couple of sections dedicated to importing and exporting custom Device Settings.
Number of Heads Enabled
Enabling “Number of Heads” will prompt a pop-up when applying a Discount on the Checkout screen, when the Discount has a Maximum Value Per Person included.
Let’s give more context on that. When creating a Discount code via Admin > Checkout > Discount, you have the option to set Usage Limits, so that you can specify certain restrictions for the discount code. For instance, if you want to provide a 5% discount but also want to make sure that each person can only get a maximum of £10 off, you can use this section to set up these limitations.
Once you've created this Discount code, and applied it to an order at Checkout, you will be asked to enter the Number of Heads (ie, the number of people) you are serving. This is to ensure that the correct discount amount is applied accurately.
When you tap “Apply,” the correct Discount will be applied to the order.
To enable or disable Number of Heads, you can find the relevant setting in Functions > Checkout Settings > Enable Multiple Head Discounts.
Sessions Enabled
Enabling Sessions allows you to efficiently monitor tables and their respective orders at your venue. They can help you keep track of who has placed orders, who is awaiting their orders, who has yet to settle their bill, and more.
If you wish to create a Session, head to “Tables” on EPOS. Here, you will see a list of your Tables/Locations. Select a table, and choose to begin a New Session. This will let you take orders for the customer assigned to that session, with all orders being linked to their current table. Once the order is ready, just tap "Send Order Table X" on the EPOS screen to send the order.
For example, in the clip below, we are opening a session for two people at Table 6.
After the customer has finished their meal, it's time to settle the bill. Just go to the Tables section on EPOS once more, locate the customer's table, and select "Settle Bill." This will direct you to the Checkout screen, where you can process the customer's payment.
Change Calculator Enabled
This setting will determine whether you have a Change Calculator enabled when taking cash payments from customers. Having this enabled saves you from having to do any mental arithmetic during busy periods!
To enable or disable the Change Calculator, navigate to Functions > Checkout Settings > Change Calculator Enabled.
Images Enabled
This setting specifies whether you wish to include images alongside your menu items on EPOS.
In order to display images, you will need to assign an image to each item via the Inventory screen, which can be found on the left-hand side of the Dines web app, or by navigating to Admin > Manage Inventory on iOS.
Editing any item on here will open up a page where you can modify the item. This includes the option to incorporate an image by either dragging and dropping, or uploading via the "Image" box.
A menu with images can look like the below;
Whereas a menu without images can look like the below;
As standard, if you have not assigned images to your items, Dines will show generic clipart; cutlery for “Food” items, a mug for “Drink” items, and a tshirt for “Other” items.
To change the “Images Enabled” setting, you can navigate to Functions > Customise Menu > Display Images.
Auto Send Session Order
Auto Send Session Order gives you the option to to automatically send your Session Orders either to "Order Away" or "Live Orders," meaning that you don’t need to make this selection for each individual order.
"Order Away" means that the system will automatically mark the order as "Served," indicating that it is complete. On the other hand, "Live Orders" means that the order will be designated as "Being Prepared.” The latter will require settling via the Live Orders tab. To do so, head to the Live Orders tab (at the bottom left of your EPOS screen), and simply press down for a couple of seconds on the order in question, once it is ready to be served.
To enable or disable Auto Send Session Order, head to Functions > Checkout Settings > Auto-send Table Service Orders. Here, you will see a drop-down, allowing you to Disable the feature, set all Session Orders as “Order Away,” or set all Session Orders as “Live Orders.”
Instant Charge Enabled
With “Instant Charge Enabled,” you can immediately start a card charge when you press “Pay Now” on EPOS. This feature is particularly useful if your venue only accepts card payments, as it eliminates the need for an additional step to select a payment method.
To enable “Instant Charge,” please navigate to Functions > Card Reader Settings > Instant Charge.
Quick Service Mode
With this feature enabled, Quick Service Mode is activated, meaning that Pay Now orders are automatically Ordered Away. This helps to streamline your service, ultimately resulting in less taps to serve your customers.
Having Quick Service Mode disabled will mean you must manually order away customer’s orders.
You can enable or disable this setting by going to Functions > Checkout Settings > Quick Service Mode.
Auto Reconnect Enabled
Auto Reconnect Enabled relates to your card reader. When you activate this setting, your device will automatically reconnect to the last card reader you used, every time you open the Dines App.
If you wish to connect to another reader, you can deactivate this setting by heading to Functions > Card Reader Settings > Auto Reconnect Card Reader.
Screen Timeout Enabled
Screen Timeout determines whether your iOS device's screen remains active or automatically turns off in accordance with your device settings while using Dines.
When the setting is enabled, your device will go to sleep based on your device’s sleep settings, which is generally under a minute on most Apple devices. When disabled, the screen will remain active as long as you have Dines open.
By default, this setting will be disabled. However, you can change this at any time by going to Functions > Customise Menu > Screen Time Out.
Saved Carts Enabled
With Saved Carts enabled, the basket is automatically saved when a Profile is manually logged out. This means that when the Profile logs back in, their cart will be available for them to continue serving their customer.
Disabling this option means that Profiles will be required to re-add their basket contents when logging back in.
Please note: You must enable PIN Protection and Prompt Login to use this. Both of these settings can be found under Settings (or Admin on iOS) > Team. For more information, please refer to our Team Settings article.
To enable or disable Saved Carts Enabled, navigate to Functions > Checkout Settings > Saved Carts Enabled.
Note Required On Checkout
If you enable this setting, it will become mandatory for every order to be accompanied with a note. This is ideal for capturing a customer’s name, special requests that they may have, or anything else that can contribute to improving their overall experience.
It is also possible to set Default Notes, for example, “Bring All Food At The Same Time,” or any common requests that your venue receives frequently. This saves time by eliminating the need to repeatedly type out these requests. Setting Default Notes can be achieved by heading to Admin > EPOS > Special Requests.
To enable or disable “Note Requred On Checkout” as a whole, you can navigate to Functions > Checkout Settings > Note Required On Order.
Close Search Automatically
This option will dictate whether the EPOS Search function automatically closes once you've found and actioned your desired item, or if it remains open for further searches.
The below is an example of Close Search Automatically being enabled.
If disabled, the Search box will simply stay open. You will need to manually close the Search box by pulling down, or by tapping the back arrow at the top left.
The setting for enabling or disabling Close Search Automatically is found under Functions > Customise Menu > Close Search Automatically.
Automatically Select First Slot
Automatically Select First Slot will automatically allocate the first available table, tab, or till number when you select "Pay Now" for an order.
If you disable this option, you will be able to choose which table, tab or till number your order is sent to. An example of the choices you can set will appear below.
To configure tables, tabs, or tills as shown above, navigate to the Settings menu (or Admin on iOS). Head to EPOS > Tables/Locations, where you can easily add multiple locations and categorise them according to your preferences.
A full guide for Tables/Locations can be found in our EPOS Settings article.
You can enable/disable the Automatically Select First Slot setting by going to Functions > Device Setup > Auto Select First Location.
Offline Payments Enabled
This setting enables you to take payments offline, for example, when local WiFi is on the fritz. You will be able to continue processing card payments even without an active internet connection. Payments taken in Offline Mode will automatically sync and process once you reestablish an internet connection.
You can view your Offline Mode settings at any time by heading to Functions > Checkout Settings, and then scroll down to the bottom where it says “View Offline Limits.”
To learn more about Offline Mode, how it works and how to enable it, you can find detailed information in our article here, or watch our video here.
First Category - Menu Refresh Enabled
This feature allows you to customise the behaviour of the Refresh button in EPOS mode. The Refresh option, in general, updates your menu to the latest version. It applies any adjustments you've made via Inventory, such as price changes or additional items.
When enabling this setting, Refresh will send you back to the first category on your menu. If disabled, you will remain on your current category.
To enable or disable this option, just head to Functions > Customise Menu > Return to First Category on a Menu Refresh.
Sessions Split-Payment Shortcut Enabled
Enabling the Split-Payment Shortcut will give you the option to divide a bill into multiple payments. For example, if there are four customers at a table, each wanting to pay separately, this feature will evenly split the payment into four equal portions.
You can also divide bills based on individual items, for customers who prefer to pay only for the specific items they ordered rather than splitting the total evenly.
This option will appear by tapping the “Split” button on the Checkout screen.
To enable or disable, head to Functions > Checkout Settings > Session Split Payment Shortcut.
Exporting Custom Settings to Other Devices
In Dines, it is possible to export your custom settings, saving you valuable time when configuring multiple devices.
To do this, you will first need to follow the guides above to ensure that your settings are exactly to your liking. As always, if anything is unclear, we are always happy to help at care@dines.co.uk.
Once you have customised every setting to your preference, the hard part is over. Now all you need to do is head to Functions > Default Device Settings > Custom, and you will be greeted with a QR code.
This QR code can be easily scanned by another iOS device using the Dines app, as described in the next section. Alternatively, you have the option to share this QR code through various methods, such as AirDrop, email, or saving it to your device for future use.
Importing Custom Settings to Other Devices
To import Dines Custom Settings from one device to another, you will first need to complete the steps above for Exporting Custom Settings.
Once this is done, open the Dines app on your iOS device, and navigate to Functions > Default Device Settings > Custom.
From here, tap “Import,” which will open your device's camera. You can use this camera to scan the QR Code given by the “Export” option, which will then automatically load the settings onto your device. It’s as easy as that!
Thank you for taking the time to read through our Default Device Settings guide! If you have any questions or feedback, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at care@dines.co.uk, or use our Live Chat. We're eager to hear from you and assist in any way we can.