{"title":"Configure open orders","slug":"configure-pos-open-orders","url":"https://support.storeconnect.com/articles/configure-pos-open-orders","url_markdown":"https://support.storeconnect.com/articles/configure-pos-open-orders.md","subtitle":null,"summary":"Turn on open orders for a POS store with the pos.open_orders.enabled store variable, rename the memo label, and see what changes at the register once it is on.","type":"Help_Documentation","video_url":"","keywords":"open orders, pos.open_orders.enabled, pos.memo.label, memo label, enable open orders, table service, hospitality, store variable, pos configuration, tab, room number","last_modified":"2026-10-25T22:50:31+0000","body_markdown":"Open orders let an operator keep a sale open on the store, identified by a memo such as `Table 12`, and submit items to it as the customer orders. Turn it on for table service, or any counter where a sale is built up over time and paid at the end.\n\nOpen orders are off unless you turn them on. Everything below is set with store variables on the **Store** record, so no code change is involved.\n\n## Before you start\n\n- You need edit access to the **Store** record and its **Store Variables** related list.\n- POS reads these values on its next store sync, so plan the change for a quiet period. See [manage POS data sync](manage-pos-data-sync).\n\n## Turn on open orders\n\n1.  Open the **Store** record and go to the **Store Variables** related list.\n2.  Click **New**.\n3.  Enter a **Name** that makes sense to your organization, such as `POS open orders`.\n4.  Enter `pos.open_orders.enabled` in **Key**. Keys are case sensitive.\n5.  Enter `true` in **Value**. Any other value leaves the feature off.\n6.  Save the record.\n7.  Sync the register, or wait for the next store sync.\n\nAt the register, a cart with items in it now shows a **Create order** button, and the **Orders** list gains a **Memo** column. The **Order type** filter already offers `Open`, whether or not the feature is on.\n\n## Rename the memo label (optional)\n\nThe memo is the operator's handle on an open order, so name it after whatever your staff actually call it: a room, a job, an appointment.\n\n1.  Add a second store variable with the **Key** `pos.memo.label`.\n2.  Set **Value** to the label you want, such as `Room`.\n3.  Save, then sync the register.\n\nThe new label replaces \"Memo\" everywhere it appears: the **Create open order** screen, the cart header banner, and the **Memo** column heading on the **Orders** list. The stored value is unchanged, so renaming the label does not affect existing orders.\n\n## What open orders changes at the register\n\n| Where | What appears |\n|---|---|\n| Cart with items, no order linked | **Create order** button |\n| Cart linked to an open order | Memo banner with **Edit**, **Submit** in place of **Create order**, **Order actions** in place of **Cart actions** |\n| **Order actions** menu | **Cancel**, **Save order \u0026 clear cart**, and the memo editor, in place of **Park cart** and **Empty** |\n| Cart lines | Lines already sent to a fulfillment station, grouped under **Previously submitted** with their preparation status once new lines are added alongside them |\n| Line actions | **Cancel** on submitted lines, which keeps the line for the audit trail, in place of **Remove** |\n| Checkout | **Submit \u0026 exit** as the exit for an open order (**Save \u0026 exit** once any payment is taken), and no **Park cart** |\n| **Orders** list | A **Memo** column, second after **Reference number**. Filter **Order type** by `Open` to list them |\n| POS layouts | Any layout field set to the `open_orders_enabled` condition |\n\nA custom `order_list` layout that defines its own fields takes control of the columns, so it only shows the memo if you add a `memo` field to it. See [POS layouts](pos-layouts).\n\n## Open orders or parking\n\nBoth free up the register, but they are not alternatives to each other.\n\n| | Park | Open order |\n|---|---|---|\n| Where the sale is held | On the store, as a **Cart** record | On the store, as an **Order** record |\n| Who can pick it up | Any register in the store, including one at another outlet | Any register in the store, including one at another outlet |\n| Reaches a fulfillment station | No | Yes, on each submit |\n| Identified by | Its entry in the **Carts** list | Its memo, such as `Table 12` |\n| Suits | Stepping away from one customer to serve another | A sale that is added to over time, such as a table |\n\nParking stays available on any cart that is not linked to an open order. See [park an order](pos-parking-orders).\n\nOnce the store has synced, create a test open order at the register and confirm it appears in the **Orders** list under the `Open` filter with its memo shown."}