Managing Delivery Orders with Square and Orda

With Orda, delivery orders placed in your own branded app or website go straight into Square POS like any other order, and a driver is dispatched through DoorDash Drive or your own in-house team. Your kitchen works from one queue, your menu and prices come from Square, and customers get a tracking link instead of calling to ask where their food is.

This guide walks through how the flow works, how to set it up, and the operational habits that keep delivery orders accurate and on time.

How a delivery order flows

The customer orders. In your Orda app or web ordering site, the customer chooses delivery, enters their address (with address autocomplete on the web), and picks ASAP or a scheduled time slot within your store hours.
Square calculates and charges. The order is created as a Square order, so taxes, discounts and Square Loyalty rewards are calculated by Square, and the payment lands in your own Square account.
The order appears in Square POS. Your team sees it alongside in-store and pickup orders, with no second tablet to watch.
A driver is dispatched. With DoorDash delivery turned on, Orda requests a DoorDash Drive courier for the order. If you run your own drivers, you can use in-house delivery instead.
The customer tracks it. The order confirmation includes a delivery tracking link, and delivery status shows in the Deliveries section of your Orda dashboard.
Ready notifications. When staff mark the order as prepared in Square, the customer gets an "order ready" notification by push or SMS.

DoorDash Drive versus your own drivers

	DoorDash Drive through Orda	In-house delivery
Who drives	DoorDash couriers, dispatched per order	Your own staff
Best for	Restaurants that want delivery without hiring drivers	Dense neighborhoods, catering, steady volume
Your brand	Customer orders in your app or site, not a marketplace	Same
What to manage	Prep timing and handoff at the counter	Scheduling drivers, vehicles, insurance and routes

Many restaurants start with DoorDash Drive and add in-house drivers for specific times or areas once they see steady demand. If you use your own drivers, talk to your insurance provider and an accountant about vehicle coverage and how drivers are classified and paid, since the rules vary by state.

Set up delivery step by step

Clean up your Square menu. Your Orda menu syncs from your Square item library, so fix names, photos and modifiers there first. Hide items that do not travel well (fries that go soggy, drinks with foam art) from online ordering in the Orda dashboard.
Turn on delivery. In the Orda dashboard, install the DoorDash Deliveries or In-house Deliveries app and configure your delivery settings.
Set realistic prep times. Orda lets you set prep times per category. A sandwich shop might use 10 minutes for cold items and 20 for hot plates. Underestimating prep time is the fastest way to get cold food and unhappy drivers.
Set store hours and pause rules. Make sure online ordering follows your actual hours, and know how to pause online orders if the kitchen falls behind (paused orders resume automatically after 24 hours if you forget).
Test an order end to end. Place a real delivery order to your own address and watch every step: POS ticket, kitchen, handoff, tracking link and notifications.

Operational checklist for accurate, on-time delivery

A dedicated handoff spot. A shelf near the door, labeled for delivery, so couriers do not wander into the kitchen.
Seal and label every bag. Customer name, order number and item count on the outside. Tamper-evident stickers build trust.
Double check before sealing. One person reads the ticket aloud while another checks the bag, especially for modifiers and allergies.
Packaging that fits the food. Vented containers for crispy items, separate containers for sauces, cup carriers for drinks.
Watch the queue at peak. If tickets back up, extend scheduled times or pause online ordering briefly rather than letting every order run late.
Read the feedback. Orda's order success screen includes a feedback prompt, so review comments weekly and fix repeat issues.

Common mistakes

Offering the full dine-in menu for delivery, including items that do not travel.
Using one prep time for every item, so simple orders wait and complex ones run late.
Running delivery orders on a separate tablet that nobody watches during the rush.
Forgetting to mark orders as prepared in Square, so customers never get the ready notification.

Why delivery through your own channel matters

Marketplace apps bring discovery, but the customer relationship belongs to the marketplace. When customers order delivery through your own app or site, the order, the customer profile and the loyalty points live in your Square account, and you can reach that customer again with push notifications and offers.