Sending a Test Order

Overview

A test order is an order that is placed on a specific channel and does not impact order or financial data. You may need to place a test order during the various stages of your onboarding at Otter to test that your channels are working properly or to train your restaurant staff on the core functionality of the product. 

Learn more below about the different types of test orders and how to place them on corresponding channels.

Types of Test Orders

• Otter POS Test Order
  
  Testing could include managing POS orders, practicing applying a discount, voiding items, sending items to the kitchen, printing receipts, and making fake payments through the card reader in “trainer mode” without impacting real data.

  

• Direct Orders Test Order
  
  Testing could include placing a kiosk, dine in QR code, or direct orders website order on your Otter device or through the direct orders website to make sure the orders flow into Order Manager properly.

  

• Delivery App Test Order
  
  Testing could include the restaurant going on their delivery app store front, placing a pickup order, making sure the order flows into the Orders app, and cancelling the order.

  

   

Otter POS Test Orders

Otter POS test orders can be created by putting the Otter POS device in training mode. You should use Otter POS training mode to train your restaurant staff on how to use the core functionality of Otter POS.

Follow the steps outlined below to place an Otter POS test order in Otter POS Training Mode.

Step	Process	Image
1	Select the [Orders] app on the Otter POS homepage.
2	Click [+ New Order] at the top right of the Orders page.
3	Select [Options] from the cart.
4	Scroll down and select the [Enable training mode] button.
5	A blue banner will appear at the top of the screen indicating training mode is enabled.
6	Add an item to the cart. Click the [Pay] button at the bottom of the cart.
7	Select the [Card] payment method to simulate a credit card transaction without impacting the restaurant’s financial data.
8	Select the [Print] button to test payment receipts on the printer.
9	To disable training mode, click [+ New Order] again from the Orders page, then select [Options] from the cart.
10	Scroll down and select [Disable training mode].
11	Click [Exit] to confirm you would like to exit training mode.

Direct Order Test Orders

If you are using Otter Direct Orders product, you may need to place a test order to make sure your Direct Orders integration is working properly. Direct Orders test orders can be placed through your restaurant’s Online Ordering website by placing a real order using a credit card as payment and refunding the charge immediately after.

Real Payment Required for Direct Orders Test
A real card payment is required to test the direct orders platform, since the Otter POS terminal “Training Mode” is not available for Direct Orders. The charge can be immediately refunded from the order details page on your Otter POS or tablet or in the Otter Dashboard Financials report.

Follow the steps outlined below to place an Online Ordering test order and refund the order in Financials.

Step	Process	Image
1	Navigate to the Otter Dashboard.  Click on [Apps] and select [Direct Orders] from the dropdown list.
2	Under "Your Brands," click [View Stores] to see the list of stores associated with the selected brand.
3	For single-brand links, you can click [Open store link] and select [Delivery / Pickup] from the dropdown options.
4	A new tab will open with the selected brand’s direct orders website.
5	Click on an item to add a new item to the cart. Click the [Add to Cart] button.
6	Click on the [Cart] to begin the checkout process.
7	Click the [Continue to Payment] button.
8	Select the [Checkout as Guest] option.   Customer Email Signup Optional: For the sake of testing the order flow, you should select the [Checkout as Guest] option, but it should be a best practice to enter the email address for real direct orders.
9	Select the [Credit or Debit Card] payment method option by toggling on the setting. Enter your card information if you are comfortable being charged and immediately refunded.
10	The [Contact Information] section is required in order to place the test order. Enter the following information in the [Contact Information] section: Name: “Test Order” Email: “test@gmail.com” Mobile Number: “888-888-8888” Click [Place Order] to send the test order to your Otter device.
11	Once the test order has been sent, the Direct Orders Website should say [Thank you for your order!] and give you confirmation that the order went through.
12	Go to the Otter device. Click on the [Orders] app. Locate the test order in the order queue. Click on the order to open up the order details window.
13	Make sure the following information is being sent to the device for the test order: Order Number Customer Name Brand Fulfillment Mode Order Total If this information has been sent to the device successfully, the Direct Orders integration is working properly.
14	To refund the direct test order, open the Otter Dashboard. Click the top left [Apps] dropdown. Click on the [Financials] app.
15	Click on the [Direct Orders] tab in the Financials app. Click into the [Transactions] view at the top of the  Direct Orders page of the Financials app. Click on an order to open the order details.
16	Click the [Refund] button next to the Payment Info section in the popup window.
17	Enter a dollar amount into the [Refund Amount] field. Select the [Reason for Refund] option by toggling on the [Other] option and entering “Test” in the field below. Click [Refund] to process the refund.
18	To confirm that the test order has been refunded, you can click back into the order details and the [Payment Status] should say [Refunded].

Delivery App Test Orders

The process to place a test order for a delivery app partner can vary platform to platform. Sending a test order from a delivery partner platform is a good way to make sure the platform itself is working as expected, however is not a good way to test your Otter delivery platform connection.

To check that your delivery platform integration is connected properly, you should check your Otter Dashboard for connection alerts and reconnect if needed. If you still need assistance on your integration connection, use the Otter chat assistant for help.

Placing a Real Delivery Order as Test NOT Recommended
Placing a real delivery platform order to test your integration can increase your business’ cancellation rate for that platform. For this reason, it is not recommended to do this to test your connection.

Placing a Test Order Using Delivery App Process:

The 3 most commonly used delivery app partners, DoorDash, UberEats, and GrubHub all have different processes to send a test order within an your delivery app admin portal. Sending a delivery app test order is a great way to test if a delivery app has been activated and is working properly.

However, these delivery test orders do not flow into your Otter Order Manager or Otter POS terminal. Therefore, you can create test orders on your delivery app portal, but it is not the best way to test the status of your delivery integrations. 

If you are experiencing issues with your delivery app integrations, follow the troubleshooting steps here or reach out to Otter Support at 1(888) 681-8837.

FAQs

• Using the test order feature within your delivery app admin portals is not typically recommended for delivery app partners. Using 3rd party test order features can increase the cancellation rate for your delivery storefront. If you are experiencing issues with your delivery app integrations, follow the troubleshooting steps here or reach out to Otter Support at 1(888) 681-8837.
• The time it takes for a refund to be processed is dependent on the customer’s bank and that bank’s timeline for funds to be returned, but typically this process takes 3-5 business days.

Updated September 10, 2025 22:50