Why Your Small Restaurant Still Needs Auto-Print for Online Orders
It's 7:23 PM on a Friday.
Your kitchen is slammed. Three tables just sat down. The phone's ringing. And somewhere in Gmail, there's a DoorDash order that's been sitting there for 9 minutes.
You find it at 7:41. The customer's already called. Twice.
Sound familiar?
Table of Contents
- The Real Problem Isn't the Orders — It's the Notification
- Why Email-Based Order Systems Still Exist
- The "I'll Just Check Gmail" Myth
- What Auto-Print Actually Looks Like
- Setup in 5 Minutes (Really)
- Real Talk: Who This Is For
- But What About Tablets?
- TL;DR
The Real Problem Isn't the Orders — It's the Notification
Most small restaurants get online orders via email.
DoorDash. Uber Eats. GrubHub. ChowNow. Toast. Square.
They all send order confirmations to your inbox.
And that inbox? It's open in a browser tab. On a phone in your apron. Or on a dusty laptop in the back office that nobody checks during rush.
The order arrives. The notification gets buried. The food is late.
This isn't a technology problem. It's a workflow problem.
Why Email-Based Order Systems Still Exist
Because they're cheap. And they work — kind of.
Fancy POS integrations cost money. Direct tablet setups mean monthly fees. And honestly, most small restaurants don't want another subscription.
Email is free. Email is everywhere. Email just... arrives.
The problem is: email doesn't announce itself in a kitchen.
Your line cooks can't hear a Gmail notification over the fryer.
The "I'll Just Check Gmail" Myth
You tell yourself you'll check every 5 minutes.
Then a rush happens. A server needs a refire. Someone's card gets declined. The dishwasher calls in sick.
And suddenly it's 45 minutes since you looked at your inbox.
Manual checking doesn't scale. Not when you're also:
- Managing the line
- Talking to vendors
- Counting inventory
- Pretending to smile at a difficult customer
You need orders to come to you.
What Auto-Print Actually Looks Like
With AutoPrintEmail, here's what happens:
- DoorDash sends an order to your Gmail
- Your kitchen printer immediately spits out the ticket
- You grab it, clip it, cook it
No tabs. No phones. No checking.
Just paper in your hand, like the old days — except it's 2026 and you didn't have to do anything.
We built a whole restaurant order printing solution around this exact workflow.
Setup in 5 Minutes (Really)
- Download AutoPrintEmail — it runs on any Windows, Mac, or Linux machine
- Connect your Gmail or Outlook — OAuth login, no passwords stored
- Create a filter for orders (e.g.,
from:no-reply@doordash.com) - Point it at your kitchen printer — USB, networked, whatever you've got
- Let it run
That's it. Every matching email prints automatically.
No code. No IT guy. No monthly fee after the $99 lifetime license.
Real Talk: Who This Is For
This isn't for chains with enterprise POS systems.
This is for:
- The family-owned Thai place with 12 tables
- The pizza shop that gets 30 DoorDash orders a night
- The taco truck with a mobile printer and a dream
- The bakery taking custom cake orders via email
If you're small, scrappy, and tired of missing orders — this is for you.
But What About Tablets?
Sure, tablets work. But:
- They cost $300+
- They have monthly fees
- They need WiFi that doesn't drop
- They get greasy, cracked, and ignored
A $50 thermal printer and a laptop you already own? That's a system that just works.
And unlike tablets, paper doesn't need charging.
TL;DR
You're already getting orders via email.
You're just not seeing them in time.
AutoPrintEmail fixes that. Orders print the moment they arrive — no checking, no clicking, no missing tickets.
- Works with DoorDash, Uber Eats, GrubHub, and any email-based system
- Connects to any printer your computer can see
- Runs quietly in the background
Just $99 for a lifetime license. No subscriptions. No per-order fees. Compare that to what you're paying for missed orders and angry customers.
Learn more about our restaurant order printing solution or see how we compare to other tools.
Your kitchen deserves better than a buried Gmail notification.
Let the printer do the yelling.
Start Printing Your Emails Today
Join thousands of users who have reduced their screen time while staying connected.
Local printing. Your emails are never sent to our servers.
Works on Windows, Mac, and web browsers
No need to open your browser or email client to manually print your emails.