A new café setup checklist: from hardware to the first order

In short: setting up a café system goes through five stages: hardware and network, then the menu and its options, then how you work (order types, stations, charges), then staff and permissions, then a full trial day. Allow three days before opening, and never skip the last stage however tight time gets.

Stage 1: hardware and network

• ☐ A device for the main POS (an Android tablet or a Windows PC) on a fixed stand.
• ☐ A thermal receipt printer, tested on its actual paper. See the thermal printer guide.
• ☐ A cash drawer, if you take cash.
• ☐ A router that covers the whole place, with a network for devices separate from guest Wi‑Fi.
• ☐ A small UPS for the router and the POS — a power cut is worse than an internet outage.
• ☐ Optional: a tablet as a bar/kitchen screen, and a phone for the waiter if you have tables.

Stage 2: the menu

• ☐ Item groups as the guest sees them: hot coffee, cold drinks, pastries, desserts.
• ☐ Every item with its name, price and photo. The photo shows for the cashier and on the QR menu.
• ☐ Option groups — the heart of a café: size (required), milk type (optional), extra shot (with a price difference), sugar level. Start with your ten best-selling drinks, then do the rest.
• ☐ Check every price difference is right: “large +3”, “oat milk +2”.
• ☐ Seasonal items: enter them and mark them unavailable, rather than deleting and re-adding.

Stage 3: how you work

• ☐ Order types: a café with no waiters? Switch on counter and takeaway only. Add dine-in when you need it.
• ☐ When does a counter guest pay? Before preparation (the usual in cafés) or after.
• ☐ Stations: even a small café gains from two: the bar, and the kitchen/oven. Route drinks to the first and pastries to the second.
• ☐ Service charge: if any, on dine-in only. Details in service charge and tips.
• ☐ Tax: the rate, and whether your prices include it. A mistake here repeats on every bill.
• ☐ Start of the business day: if you close after midnight, set the day-start time so a late evening’s sales are not split across two days.
• ☐ If you have tables: draw the floor plan and generate QR codes.

Stage 4: staff

• ☐ A user per employee — no shared account. See employee permissions.
• ☐ A PIN for everyone working on a shared device.
• ☐ A discount ceiling per role, and who approves above it.
• ☐ Who opens the shift, who closes it, and with what opening float.
• ☐ An hour of training per employee on the actual device, not a verbal walkthrough.

Stage 5: the trial day — do not skip it

The day before opening, run the place as if it were open, with your team and friends as guests:

1. Open a shift with a real opening float.
2. Enter at least twenty varied orders: different sizes, extras, takeaway and dine-in.
3. Check every order showed up at the right station.
4. Cancel an item after sending it, give a discount, split a bill.
5. Unplug the internet for five minutes and carry on.
6. Close the shift with a cash count and compare with the system.
7. Review the day’s reports: do the numbers make sense?

Every problem that shows up today would have shown up tomorrow in front of a real guest.

In Sahl

When you create an account with “Café” as the business type, the restaurant module is switched on automatically, and currency and tax are set from the signup form. The account portal then walks you through four steps: floor and stations, item options, installing the app, and watching open bills. The trial is free, so you can finish this whole checklist before paying anything.