A delivery order comes in while the phone is ringing and the counter is busy. Your team needs to know what to make, where the order came from, and when it should be ready.
September’s Avocado release brings more of that work into one place. Through our Stream integration, delivery and connected voice AI orders can reach your kitchen display. We also shipped catering invoice deposits, shared loyalty balances across locations, more resilient AI reporting, simpler kiosk checkout, and improvements for teams using an iPhone.
Here is what changed and how it helps during a real shift.
1. Bring delivery and voice AI orders straight into your kitchen
Your kitchen should have one place to track preparation, even when guests order in different ways. Avocado’s integration with Stream brings connected ordering channels into the kitchen display system, or KDS.
For delivery orders, staff can identify DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub tickets by their source. Delivery details such as estimated arrival times, driver information, and handoff instructions appear when provided by the connected platform. Your team can see the information it needs alongside the order it is preparing.
Connect restaurant voice AI ordering through Stream
The integration also opens a path for AI phone ordering for restaurants. Through Stream, you can connect voice AI ordering platforms so orders taken by a connected AI agent flow into Avocado’s kitchen workflow.
Stream lists Yelp AI, Hostie, Bytes AI, Certus AI, and Vox AI among its available voice AI integrations. Explore Stream’s voice AI integration directory to see the current options, and contact our team about connecting your restaurant.
For your staff, the useful part is what happens after the guest orders: the ticket reaches the kitchen without someone having to re-enter it. Whether an order starts in a delivery app or with a connected AI phone agent, the team can work from the same kitchen display.
Send the ready status from the kitchen
When all KDS tickets for a Stream order are marked done, Avocado sends the ready status back through Stream. That connects the kitchen’s completion step to the delivery workflow and helps coordinate pickup.
If you are deciding how delivery fits into your operation, our guide to third-party delivery versus in-house delivery covers the tradeoffs.
2. Collect catering deposits and track the remaining balance
Booking a catering event often means buying ingredients and setting aside staff time before the event happens. Avocado’s catering invoicing tools now let you collect a deposit upfront and set the event date when the remaining balance is due.
Choose a fixed dollar amount or a percentage of the invoice total. For a $2,000 catering invoice, you could request a $500 deposit now and show the remaining $1,500 as due on the event date. The invoice summary updates as you enter the deposit.
The customer’s payment page shows what is due next: the deposit first, then the remaining balance after the deposit is paid. In your dashboard, invoices show Deposit due, Balance due, or Overdue, and you can sort them by event date. The balance stays a customer payment, with follow-up managed by your team.
We also made repeat catering work easier. Duplicate an existing invoice to reuse its customer and line items, recall a previously invoiced customer by phone number, and check the business details that will appear on the invoice before sharing it.
3. Give regulars one loyalty balance across your locations
A regular who visits two restaurants in your group should be able to build progress with the same business. Avocado now shares a customer’s loyalty account across restaurants in the same group.
That means one points or punch balance across participating sibling locations, with reward progress calculated using the program at the restaurant the customer is visiting. Programs sharing a balance use the same earning type, so points remain points and punches remain punches.
We also improved reward availability online and at the register. Available rewards now reflect items that can actually be redeemed in that ordering channel. A reward eligible for an in-store item can remain available to the cashier even when that item is hidden from the online menu.
For a closer look at repeat visits and reward costs, read our restaurant loyalty program ROI analysis.
4. Keep AI reports running through a refresh
Some restaurant reporting questions take longer to answer than others. September’s update lets longer AI reports run in the background while the dashboard shows progress.
If you refresh or navigate away within the same browser tab, a pending report can resume when you return. You can also stop a report explicitly when you no longer need it.
This makes reporting easier to fit around the workday. You can request a report, handle another dashboard task, and return to its progress without starting the same request again.
5. Let kiosk guests check out without a phone number
Restaurants now have more control over the information guests enter at a self-service kiosk. A per-device setting lets you make the customer phone number optional.
When that setting is disabled, a guest can continue with a first name alone. The phone field is labeled optional, and any number a guest chooses to enter is still checked for validity.
Phone collection remains required by default. Your team can choose the checkout flow that suits each kiosk and service setup.
6. Make everyday tasks easier on an iPhone
We improved smaller-screen layouts across the Avocado app for teams working from an iPhone. Order history now opens details in a separate pane with a clear way back to the list, preserving the list’s position and payment filter.
Scheduling fields stack vertically, prep-time controls are easier to tap, sales tables can scroll horizontally, and cash-drawer actions fit the narrower screen. These changes make routine tasks easier to handle while moving around the restaurant.
Smaller improvements that reduce daily friction
September also brought several practical updates to the dashboard and day-to-day operations:
- Clearer payout emails: Breakdowns distinguish current-period funds, balance adjustments, instant payout fees, and the amount sent to your bank.
- Remote control for open tabs: Manage the “Store cards to open tabs” setting for a device from the dashboard.
- Easier customer texting: Customer phone links in the dashboard open an SMS conversation.
- Clearer AI menu saves: The editor surfaces save failures and blocks blank item names, so your team can see when a change needs attention.
Explore September’s Avocado updates
Already using Avocado? Explore the new invoice controls and device settings in your dashboard. For help connecting delivery or voice AI ordering through Stream, setting up loyalty across locations, or configuring kiosk checkout, contact our support team.
If you missed the previous release, catch up on August’s restaurant POS updates.
Looking for a restaurant POS that connects ordering, payments, loyalty, and kitchen operations? Book an Avocado demo and see how the workflow fits your restaurant, café, or food truck.
