Recover and Get Back Online After an Outage or Disruption

Last updated: Mar 9, 2026, 1:04 PM

Learn how payments are handled when your device comes back online, and what steps to take after an outage or service disruption.

In this Article:


Payment Authorization & Reporting After Offline Mode

Credit and debit card authorizations that were processed in the background will be automatically captured as each device regains connectivity to the Toast cloud. 

 

Do not select the Capture button in Close Out Day. Triggering this function manually may cause some authorizations still processing to be missed, resulting in deposit discrepancies.

 

Keep merchant copies of receipts signed by guests as records for payments taken offline in case the payment is lost, any tip adjustments are needed, or in case of a chargeback. 


You can view the status of payments in Toast Web after an outage (or even during an outage) by navigating to Reports > Payments > Payments.

  • During a payment processing outage, the report will list the payment status as Processing.
  • After the outage has ended and before payments have been fully captured, if a payment is approved, Toast Web will show an approved payment status as Authorized.  
  • If the payment is denied, the payment status will show as Denied.  

 

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Offline Mode Recovery Checklist

Follow these steps when your devices come back online after an outage or disruption:

Device & networking

  1. If your network connection has returned, but your Toast devices aren't reconnecting and you're still in Offline Mode, try closing the Toast app and reopening it:
    1. Swipe from the bottom of the screen toward the top.
    2. Swipe the Toast app off the screen to close it.
    3. Then, select the Toast POS icon from your device's home screen to open it.
    4. Log in, enter your POS access code, and the Offline Mode notification bar should disappear. Do not turn off the device or uninstall the Toast app, as stored data and payments may be removed.

  2. If payments still show as processing but the device is online, log out and log back in to the Toast app on that device. Keep the device online at all times. Do not resync data on this device. If the payments haven't resolved after 3-5 days, chat with Customer Care.

Open checks

  1. Reconcile open checks with denied or errored payments. These cannot be retried. Choose one of the following options:
    • Recommended: Create an "other payment option" to close affected checks to specifically track sales from the outage. This is the optimal option to try to retain accurate sales figures, track checks with missed payments, as well as retain tip and gratuity information. Learn more: Set Up Other Payment Options.
    • Void the check. This may cause discrepancies in sales figures if these items were made. Learn more: Void Items, Payments, and Checks.
    • Discount the check and close. A new discount can be created for tracking. This may cause discrepancies in sales figures. Learn more: Discount Items and Checks.

Shift reviews

  1. After an outage, if shift reviews are required, the following steps should be taken:
    1. A manager will need to create a time entry for affected employees on the day of the outage for the relevant times. If a time entry was already created and has an end time, it will need to be edited to remove the end time as noted in the Reopen an Employee's Shift From Previous Days article.
    2. The staff member can then log in to the POS and complete their shift review by navigating to the Shift Review page and deselecting Filter to Today to view previous shifts.
    3. From there, the employee can select the outage day and any of the checks closed on that day for the server should appear there.
    4. The employee can then complete the shift review as normal.

  2. If shift reviews are not required for any particular employees, confirm employee time clock entries are accurate. During Offline Mode, your employees should be clocking in and out on the same device. When this doesn't happen, discrepancies may occur. Check the accuracy of your Time Entry Management report for the offline time period and update any inconsistencies. Learn more: Edit Employee Time Clock Entries.

Online orders & loyalty

  1. Handle any online orders that came in during Offline Mode.
    1. When internet service is restored and Toast devices go back online, any online orders that came in during Offline Mode will appear in the Orders Hub (Learn more: Manage Off-Premise Orders with Orders Hub). Here, you can Approve the orders. Once approved, orders can be voided or processed (this decision might come down to the order's original timing, your current volume, and what the guests would like to do).
    2. Without first approving these orders, they will be "stuck" on your device, even when an auto-fire device is enabled. This is to prevent a large influx of (possibly) outdated orders that would get sent to your kitchen when you come back online.
      • Note: Any unapproved orders will not fire and cannot be closed without first manually approving the orders.

  2. Make any manual adjustments to guests' loyalty accounts. Loyalty points cannot be accrued or redeemed in Offline Mode, so you may need to make a manual adjustment to a loyalty account. Learn more: Manually Add and Adjust Rewards Balances.

 

Subscribe to Toast status notifications (email or phone) in case Toast has a future outage that takes your devices offline with the Toast cloud: Toast System Status.

 

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Additional Resources

 

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