How do I see how many of each item are due for a specific day in Square?

Square doesn't offer this natively. You can export orders to a spreadsheet and filter by pickup date, or use CafeKit which shows preorder counts per item automatically for any date you select.

Why do my Square preorders show up on the wrong date?

Square records orders on the date they were placed, not the pickup or fulfillment date. If a customer orders on Monday for Friday pickup, it appears in Monday's sales. CafeKit attributes orders to the fulfillment date so your production list reflects when items are actually due.

Can Square separate preorders from walk-in sales?

Not in standard reports. Square combines all sales regardless of whether they were preordered or purchased in person. CafeKit separates preorders from walk-in sales so you can see exactly what was pre-sold versus what walked in.

What software works with Square for bakery preorder tracking?

CafeKit connects directly to your Square account and organizes preorders into daily production lists. It shows per-item totals for any date, attributes orders to the fulfillment date instead of the order date, and separates walk-in sales from preorders.

How do I make a daily production list from Square orders?

You can export orders to a spreadsheet and manually tally items per day, or use CafeKit which automatically generates a production list showing total quantities per item for any date you select.

Does CafeKit work with Square Online orders?

Yes. CafeKit syncs all Square orders including Square Online orders with pickup, delivery, and shipping fulfillment types. Preorders with future fulfillment dates appear on the correct day automatically.

Do I need to change how I take orders in Square?

No. CafeKit reads your existing Square orders using read-only access. You don't need to change your workflow, create special categories, or modify how you take orders.

How far in advance can I see preorders?

Any date. If a customer places an order today for pickup next month, it shows on that future date in CafeKit. You can look ahead as far as you have orders.

Guide

Do You Use Square to Track Bakery Preorders?

Here's How to See What's Due Each Day

If you take preorders through Square, you've probably noticed there's no easy way to see what's due for a specific day. Bakery owners on the Square Community have been asking for better preorder tracking for years.

Written by Zech Campbell, founder of CafeKit and former Square engineer. Read his story. · Published Mar 28, 2026

What Bakery Owners Are Saying

From the Square Community forums — bakeries asking for the same thing.

"you can't get a report to print to tell you how many of a specific item is due for a specific day."

— lenjobakes · Square Community

"it would be ideal to have a consolidated printed report listing qtys/order pars for each day."

— tulanejeff · Square Community

"a printable report that has customer name (or receipt number when name is missing), items pre-ordered, and quantity."

— TheRogueNRaven · Square Community

"My entire business is pre-order now [...] we have a paper system [...] carbon copy order form"

"For holiday pre-orders, I will export the orders to an excel spreadsheet."

— sugarlab (Sugar Lab Bakeshop) · Square Community

"I've been managing this by defaulting to changing the pick up times on the orders [...] I really wish square would add a pre-order date option."

— weredoughcookie (We'reDough Bakery) · Square Community

"Obviously, it would be super helpful if Square created an easier way to manage this!"

— mksavage (Savage Goods) · Square Community

The common thread: Square handles the sale, but not the "what do I need to make today?" question. Here are 3 ways to solve that.

The date problem most bakeries don't realize

Square records a preorder on the day it was placed, not the day you need it ready. If a customer orders Monday for Friday pickup, that sale shows up on Monday's report. Your Friday production numbers are missing orders, and your Monday sales look inflated.

Filter Orders in Square Dashboard

The most basic approach is to log into Square Dashboard and manually check your orders. No extra tools required, but it doesn't scale.

1 Log in to squareup.com and go to Orders
2 Filter by fulfillment status (Pickup, Delivery)
3 Open each order individually and note the items
4 Tally quantities by hand or on paper
5 Repeat for each new order that comes in

Best for

A handful of preorders per week

Limitations

One order at a time
No per-item totals
Orders show on wrong date
Breaks down with 5+ orders

Export Orders to a Spreadsheet

Square lets you export your orders as a CSV. With some spreadsheet work, you can build a daily production view — but it requires manual effort every time.

1 In Square Dashboard, go to Orders and filter by date range
2 Export your orders as a CSV file
3 Open in Excel or Google Sheets
4 Filter rows by pickup/fulfillment date
5 Use SUMIF or a pivot table to group by item name and sum quantities

Best for

Weekly planning, spreadsheet-comfortable owners

Limitations

Manual process every time
Easy to miss new orders
Requires re-exporting
Two places for orders

Use CafeKit for Automatic Production Lists

CafeKit connects directly to your Square account and organizes your preorders into daily production lists — automatically. No exports, no counting, no spreadsheets.

1 Connect your Square account to CafeKit (one-click, read-only)
2 Orders sync automatically every night (or refresh anytime)
3 Select any date and see preorder counts per item

Best for

Bakeries with regular preorders

What you get

Per-item totals across all orders
Orders on the correct fulfillment date
Walk-in sales shown separately
Automatic sync with Square
Multi-location support

Example: preorders due Friday

Without CafeKit (counting across orders):

Order #1: 2 Cookies, 1 Brownie

Order #2: 1 Brownie

Order #3: 1 Scone, 1 Brownie

... count across all orders ...

With CafeKit (one production list):

Friday Preorder List

Brownies: 3

Cookies: 2

Scone: 1

Side-by-Side

Comparison Table

Feature	Manual in Square	Spreadsheet Export	CafeKit
See item totals per day	No — open each order	Yes, with pivot tables	Yes, automatically
Orders on correct date	No — shows order date	Possible with manual filtering	Yes — shows fulfillment date
Walk-ins separated	No	Manual	Yes
Time per day	15–30 min	10–20 min	Instant
Updates with new orders	No — have to re-check	No — have to re-export	Yes — syncs automatically

Which Method Is Right for You?

The right choice depends on how many preorders you take and how much time you want to spend.

A Few Preorders

You have a handful of preorders per week and don't mind opening each order to check.

Use: Square Dashboard

Spreadsheet Comfortable

You're comfortable with Excel or Google Sheets and have time to export and build your view.

Use: Spreadsheet Export

Ready for Automatic

You want to open one screen and know exactly what to make — without any manual steps.

Use: CafeKit

Stop Counting Preorders by Hand

CafeKit turns your Square preorders into a single production list, organized by the day you need items ready. No spreadsheets, no manual counting.

Free early access. No credit card required.

Related Guides

How to Print Square Orders: 3 Methods Compared · CafeKit + Square POS Integration

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about tracking Square preorders for bakeries.