POS API: Webhook events for order creation and item updates (KDS integration)
Use Case:
We're developing a Kitchen Display System (KDS) integration with the MEWS POS API. A KDS needs real-time notifications when:
- A new order is created
- Items are added/modified on an existing order
- Orders are merged
Current Limitation:
The available webhook events don't cover order creation or item additions:
- order.state.updated - Only fires on state changes (e.g., open→paid), not on initial creation
- order.status.updated - Fires on fulfillment status changes, but not triggered when order is created
- order.total.updated - Only fires on tip/correction changes
- order.payments.added - Fires when payment is added (too late for kitchen workflow)
Testing Results:
- Created new order → No webhook fired
- Added items to open order → No webhook fired
- Merged orders → No webhook fired
- Paid order → order.state.updated fired (works, but too late for KDS)
Requested Events:
- order.created - Fires when a new order is created
- order.items.added - Fires when items are added to an order
- order.updated - Fires on any order modification (alternative to granular events)
Current Workaround:
Polling GET /v1/orders?filter[createdAtGt]=... every few seconds, which increases API load, adds latency, and counts against rate limits (200 requests per 15 minutes).