Keep Catering Calls, Lose the Notebook
A catering order often starts with a phone call, then gets written on a page that disappears under delivery notes, supplier invoices and other paperwork. The call is useful. The notebook is where details get lost.
Nexara is a restaurant order and operations platform built in Amman, Jordan, for catering businesses that take orders by phone. Its call-center screen records the customer, address, items, payment choice and notes, keeps order history, supports CliQ payment links and sends Arabic tickets to the kitchen. It sits beside the till.
Figures in this post are illustrative examples, not a client's actual results.
What should replace the catering notebook?
The replacement is a single order record created while the customer is still on the phone. The agent searches by phone number, sees saved addresses and previous orders, and enters the new request on the call-center order screen. The record can carry delivery or pickup details, payment choice, customer notes and the order status.
Nexara keeps the phone as the customer's preferred channel. The change is where the information goes. The agent saves the caller's name, address and menu items against a customer record that the restaurant owns. The next caller with the same number can be recognised from the screen.
- Search the caller by phone number.
- Review saved addresses and past orders.
- Create the order while confirming the details aloud.
- Choose cash, card or the available CliQ option for a phone order.
- Send the order to the live order board and kitchen printing.
- Review the order later through order history and reports.
The call-center feature is available on Nexara's Pro plan. Current plan rates are available on request. There is also a free plan, followed by paid plans per branch in Jordanian dinar.
How does the call-center record protect the order?
Large catering requests contain details that are easy to mishear: the delivery date, number of meals, serving location, contact person, substitutions and payment status. A proper record gives the agent one place to confirm those details before saving the order.
Nexara's call screen can log complaints and abandonment reasons as well. That matters when a customer calls back and says an item was missing or the delivery address changed. The team can open the original order instead of asking the customer to repeat the entire request.
Customer records include addresses and order history. The restaurant can also export customer and order data as CSV. This keeps the useful history with the business rather than inside an employee's notebook or personal phone.
Support is available through WhatsApp and email during Amman hours, with Arabic and English communication. For a deeper look at the operator's workflow, see call-center order taking. The Nexara features page covers the wider order and operations layer beside the till.
Can a catering business take payment after the call?
Yes, the phone-order record includes a payment choice. The agent can record cash or card, and the call-center flow includes a CliQ option stored as an online payment choice. Nexara also supports payment links for phone orders, so the customer can receive a link instead of reading bank details over the phone.
The restaurant should confirm the payment status before preparing a large order. A useful call script is: repeat the total, confirm the delivery location, state the payment method, then mark the order according to the restaurant's process.
- Confirm the customer's name and mobile number.
- Repeat the items, quantities, modifiers and delivery time.
- Confirm whether the order is delivery or pickup.
- Choose the phone-order payment method.
- Send the payment link when the customer asks to pay by CliQ.
- Keep the order record open until the payment status is clear.
CliQ is not a checkout method on Nexara's branded storefront. Website customers use cash on delivery or pickup, card online through HyperPay when enabled, or pay at the counter for dine-in. The CliQ flow described here is for subscription billing and phone-order payment links.
Read the practical walkthrough for sending a CliQ payment link.
How does the order reach the kitchen?
Phone orders join the same live order board as website, app, table QR, Talabat and Careem orders. The order can then print as an Arabic kitchen ticket on a standard ESC/POS thermal printer. English can appear on the same ticket.
Tickets wait in the branch's print queue and print in order when the printer answers. If a printer stops responding, the ticket stays on the board. The team can re-route its categories from the dashboard, or use automatic failover to a configured backup printer.
The cashier can record the day's net sale and reconcile cash at close, while Nexara carries the order information, kitchen printing, customer history and operational status. Nexara does not require a proprietary terminal.
The kitchen receives a printed ticket rather than relying on a kitchen display screen. A branch needs a supported ESC/POS printer and the Nexara print agent on the branch computer. Bluetooth printers are not supported.
What does a catering manager check after the call?
The manager should check the order before the kitchen starts production and again before dispatch. Nexara provides order history, customer records, call-center reporting, delivery information, financial reporting and end-of-day reporting.
| Check | What to confirm | Where it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Customer | Name, phone and saved address | Prevents repeat data entry |
| Order | Items, quantities, modifiers and notes | Gives the kitchen one source of detail |
| Payment | Cash, card or phone-order CliQ status | Shows what remains to collect |
| Fulfilment | Delivery or pickup and current status | Keeps the team aligned |
| Follow-up | Complaint or feedback task | Gives the manager a record of the response |
For a catering team taking several large orders in a day, use one call, one saved customer record, one order status and one printed ticket. The exact order size, revenue and time saved will depend on the business. The numbers below are an illustrative example, not a client's actual figures.
Illustrative example: a catering branch receives 25 phone orders in one week. If each order is copied into a notebook and then rewritten for the kitchen, the team creates 50 manual entries. With a call-center order record and printed ticket, the agent enters the order once and the kitchen reads the saved ticket. This example describes a workflow, not a Nexara result.
A manager can compare the branch's actual call-center report, failed orders, customer records and cashier reconciliation at the end of the week.
Which Jordan catering workflows should you confirm first?
Start with the phone workflow, payment method and kitchen ticket. Nexara's Jordan deployments support Talabat and Careem order intake, Arabic and English printing, own-channel ordering without commission, customer records, delivery dispatch through Careem Express, TopDeliver and Nashmi, and branch-level menus and reports.
For compliance and back-office planning, confirm the boundaries before signing up. Nexara does not provide JoFotara e-invoicing compliance, Jahez or DHUB integrations, WhatsApp order notifications, accounting or ERP connectors, staff scheduling or an offline cash register. Its WhatsApp module is a conversation inbox for call-center roles, not an order-notification sender.
If the call center, payment link and kitchen ticket solve the immediate problem, the restaurant can add its own branded ordering site and other channels without abandoning the phone.
You can also review the illustrative workflow in the catering company case study.
What to remember
- Keep the phone call, but save the order in a call-center record.
- Use customer history to confirm addresses and previous catering orders.
- Use a phone-order payment link when the customer wants to pay by CliQ.
- Print the saved order in Arabic so the kitchen does not rely on a handwritten copy.
Questions people ask
Can Nexara keep phone ordering for a catering business?
Yes. The call-center screen lets an agent find a customer by phone number, view saved addresses and past orders, then create the new order during the call. The feature is available on the Pro plan.
Can a phone order use a CliQ payment link?
Yes. The call-center flow includes a CliQ option for phone orders and supports payment links. CliQ is not a storefront checkout method.
Will a catering phone order print in Arabic?
Yes. The kitchen ticket can include Arabic item names, modifiers and notes, with English on the same ticket when needed. It prints through a standard ESC/POS thermal printer connected through the branch print agent.
Does Nexara replace the cash register?
Nexara is the order and operations layer beside the till. It records orders, prints tickets and supports reconciliation, while the cashier records the day's net sale.
Does Nexara remember catering customers?
Customer records include phone numbers, saved addresses and order history. The restaurant owns the records and can export customer and order data as CSV.
Does Nexara send WhatsApp order notifications?
No. Its WhatsApp module is a conversation inbox for call-center roles. It is not an order-notification sender.