Internet outages frustrate every restaurant.
Orders may slow down, payments may need extra attention, and managers have to keep the operation moving while waiting for service to return. But one concern deserves special attention: making sure employees receive proper credit for tips entered while the system is offline.
Union’s Offline Tip Reconciliation report helps managers identify tips entered during an internet outage that may need a second review.
What happens when the internet goes down?
When a restaurant temporarily loses internet access, certain payment activity may be handled offline and synchronized later. During that period, a tip may be entered but require additional verification after the system reconnects.
Without a clear report, managers may have to search through transactions manually or rely on handwritten notes and memory.
Union gives managers a dedicated place to review these situations.
Review offline tips from one report
The Offline Tip Reconciliation report flags tips entered during an outage that may need attention.
From the report, a manager can:
- Identify tips entered while the system was offline
- Review the related transaction
- Determine whether a correction is needed
- Rekey an eligible tip directly from the report
- Complete the review within the available seven-day period
This gives managers a more organized way to reconcile tip information after service is restored.
Use “Hold Offline Transactions” during an outage
Union also recommends turning on Hold Offline Transactions in the Payments settings during an internet outage.
This setting gives tips an opportunity to synchronize before the transaction is finalized. It can help managers review the information while the details are still current.
As with any outage procedure, managers should follow their restaurant’s operating policies and review the transaction carefully before making corrections.
Important rekeying details
Managers should understand how different payment types are handled.
For credit-card transactions, a rekeyed amount is processed as a new charge. This means you should review the original transaction and the replacement charge carefully to avoid confusion or duplication.
Apple Pay, Google Pay, and cash transactions are not eligible for this particular rekeying process.
If you are unsure how to handle a transaction, contact Union support before making a correction.
Why tip reconciliation matters
Tips are not simply another line on a report. They represent the work and service your team provides.
A reliable reconciliation process helps managers:
- Reduce manual tracking
- Identify transactions that need review
- Correct eligible tip amounts promptly
- Give staff greater confidence in the payment system
- Maintain better records after an outage
The goal is simple: make sure the tip information entered during service is reviewed and handled correctly after the system comes back online.
A simple outage checklist for managers
If your restaurant loses internet service:
- Follow your restaurant’s outage procedures.
- Consider enabling Hold Offline Transactions in Payments settings.
- Continue recording important operational information.
- When service returns, open the Offline Tip Reconciliation report.
- Review any flagged tips.
- Rekey eligible credit-card tips within the permitted seven-day period.
- Check the transaction history carefully because a credit-card rekey creates a new charge.
- Contact Union support if a transaction is unclear.
Union helps managers stay organized when service is disrupted
No restaurant can prevent every internet outage. But you can prepare for what happens next.
Union’s Offline Tip Reconciliation report gives managers a more practical way to review tip activity after an outage and helps keep an unexpected technical problem from becoming a payroll or staff-trust problem.
When your restaurant is busy, your team should focus on serving guests—not reconstructing tip information from memory.
Have questions about Offline Tip Reconciliation or Union’s payment settings? Request a demo or contact Alan directly at (213) 841-9988.