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How to Avoid Missing or Incorrect Items

Not every order is perfect. Here’s how to avoid orders with missing or incorrect items.

4 min read
2/24/2022
Local restaurant owner in kitchen.

What is Missing or Incorrect Rate?

Sometimes, an order is missing an item or has an item that doesn’t correspond with their order. 

Missing or Incorrect issues occur when a customer places and receives an order, but something is missing or incorrect with it (i.e. missing main item or side item, incorrect item or quantity received, etc.).

What does my Missing or Incorrect rate mean?

Missing or Incorrect rate measures the percentage of delivered orders with at least 1 item marked missing or incorrect. The ideal Missing or Incorrect rate is less than 2.25%. 

How to reduce Missing or Incorrect items

Optimize your menu

A clear, concise menu leaves less room for customer confusion and can reduce accuracy errors by 20-50%. Here’s how to optimize your menu

  1. Ensure your menu is up to date by marking items out of stock via the Portal or by POS/Tablet

  2. Provide accurate item photos (for example, a “burger” item should only picture a burger, not a burger with a drink and fries) 

  3. Ensure menu items contain accurate descriptions with all standard included ingredients

  4. Simplify modifier choices

  5. Include the option to add or remove modifiers

  6. Get rid of the special request field when possible 

Attach and/or label multi-bag orders 

You can choose how, but attaching bags together with staples, stickers, or tape will help ensure Dashers get the entire order. You can also clearly label bags that are part of the same order. 

Check off items on the receipt as you pack 

Check off items as you bag them using a pen/highlighter and a printed expeditor ticket.

Label bags with the customer’s name

Write the customer’s name on the bag(s) to help ensure Dashers pick up the right order. 

Set up a dedicated space for order prep and bagging

Putting items within easy reach of your expo space is key. If space is extremely limited, add a pick-up rack for fast and easy Dasher handoff. 

Support a dedicated “digital make” line

With dedicated space for assembling and bagging digital orders, your staff is more efficient and less prone to error. If you can, set up a display system or printers so that each make line only displays either dine-in or digital orders. You can also set aside space specifically for digital order packing prep, and train your staff on the different processes.

Increase awareness of high-risk missing or incorrect items 

Certain items or categories of items are more prone to order errors than others — like combos, drinks, desserts, and sauces. Check the Operations Quality tab in the Merchant Portal to analyze what items are frequently reported as missing or incorrect at your store, then add in-store signage to draw attention to these items at the point in your process where errors may occur (e.g., the assembly line and expo station). If these are items that you wait to add until right before the Dasher handoff, consider adding reminders so that these items aren’t left out.

How to find your Missing or Incorrect Rate

missing and incorrect items merchant portal

Check View Error Charges in the Order Accuracy tile under Operations Quality in the Merchant Portal.

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