Café POS setup in a day: menu, tables, modifiers and your first shift

A café lives on speed. Counters, takeaway cups, a handful of tables and a menu full of small variations: oat milk, extra shot, less sugar. The best time to move to a POS is before a busy season, and the good news is that a single quiet day is enough.

This is the plan we use when we set up a café on Navalyst POS.

1. 1

   Morning: bring in the menu

   Import your existing menu from a photo or PDF instead of retyping it. Review the detected names, prices and categories, fix what needs fixing, then import.

2. 2

   Late morning: add modifiers

   Set up the variations guests ask for every day, such as milk type, size, extra shots and sugar level, so staff tap rather than type notes.

3. 3

   Midday: lay out the floor

   Add your tables and rooms. Staff will see free and busy tables at a glance and can open or add to an order in one tap.

4. 4

   Afternoon: staff and roles

   Create accounts for baristas, cashiers and managers. Each role sees only what it needs, and financial pages stay protected.

5. 5

   Late afternoon: print the QR codes

   Every table gets a QR code that opens your menu on the guest's phone. Orders land on the same kitchen ticket as a waiter's order.

6. 6

   Evening: run a practice shift

   Take a few orders, split a bill, pay half in cash and half online, then close the shift and look at the cash drawer and the day's report.

What to check before opening the doors

• Prices and VAT or service charge match your menu board.
• Every item is in the right category so the barista screen reads cleanly.
• The kitchen or bar screen is open on a device that stays plugged in.
• Your cash drawer opening amount is entered before the first sale.

When the day is done, you have a menu, a floor, trained staff and a QR menu guests can open without installing anything. If you would like us to walk through it on your own menu, book a short demo.