How Are You Handling Table Flags?

[SwitchyardBeer]

We are wanting to use table flags to bring customers their food --- is anyone else out there doing this? 

Workflow:  Customer comes to bar  - they order food, we give them a table flag with a big number on it -- our kitchen expo/runner looks for the number, delivers the food, takes the table flag, wash rinse repeat 

There are a few ways to do this from my experience, but I want to know if there are any better ideas out there:

1) amend the table flag number to the guest tab (ie: CUMMINGS, KURTIS FLAG 7)
2) start the tab, then go to the table map where there is a bunch of "tables" that are really just table flags (see attached)  - this assigns the ticket to a "table" ---- but, what happens when we deliver the food, take the flag back -- now it can't be reused until the customer closes their tab because that number is assigned to a active tab 

[rcmck]

Don't use them personally but I would agree using the tables would probably not be a good idea, using the tab works but takes extra steps and typing.  What about just a menu group of "Flags" set to $0  that could just be added to a check like any other menu item?

[LisaSwoboda]

We used to do this . We are a fast casual restaurant so we don't have tables set up in Toast, but we just put the flag number in as the tab name. It worked fine for us. We now use pagers for people to come pick up their food and we also put that in the tab name.