Cafe and restaurant software: the questions asked most

What is POS (adisyon) software and what does it do?

POS software (adisyon programı in Turkish) keeps an order at a table or counter in one record until it is paid. The server or cashier enters an item once; the order goes to the kitchen, the bill stays open and closes when payment is taken. Good software also links that record to stock, the checkout report and customer details. In kafeOS, tabs run in the same system as table QR ordering, the server tablet, the touchscreen checkout, the kitchen display and the loyalty programme.

What drives the price of POS software?

Price usually depends on the number of branches and checkouts, the modules chosen, setup, training and hardware. Pricing models vary: monthly subscriptions, yearly licences and one-off setup fees. When comparing, look at the total yearly cost and what the package includes. kafeOS has no public price list. A written proposal is prepared based on the number of branches, the modules chosen and the publishing scope of the branded mobile app.

Does free POS software make sense?

For a simple business with one checkout it can be enough at first. Free versions usually limit the number of checkouts, branches or features. Before choosing, ask whether you can export your data, whether you get support and what happens when the internet drops. kafeOS has no free version. Instead it is trialled in a pilot at one or two branches, with the duration and acceptance criteria in writing.

What is the best POS software for a cafe?

There is no single best option for everyone; the right choice depends on how the business serves. A restaurant with table service needs something different from a coffee shop that sells over the counter. kafeOS is designed for businesses that want to keep the customer relationship in their own branded app and run tabs and loyalty in one system. These questions help narrow the choice:

• Which orders do you take: table, pickup or takeaway?
• Can you keep selling when the internet drops?
• Can your bank card terminal and cash register connect to the software?
• Under whose brand, and in whose hands, do customer data and the loyalty programme stay?
• Are stock and recipes tracked in the same system?
• If you have several branches, are permissions and reports separated by branch?

Does POS software keep working when the internet drops?

It depends on how the software is built. Cloud-only software cannot take orders once the connection is gone. Software that keeps local records or works in hybrid mode carries on selling in a limited way and syncs the data when the connection returns. The kafeOS Mac checkout app keeps taking cash sales when the internet drops. When the connection is back, the sales are sent to the server automatically and the same sale is never written twice.

• Offline, only cash sales are accepted; wallet, card, gift and member payments require a connection
• Staff must have signed in online on that terminal before; offline operation lasts at most 24 hours
• If a price or shift conflict occurs, the sale is not deleted; it is flagged for review
• The checkout screen opened in a browser works with an internet connection

Can a bank card terminal connect to POS software?

It can, but this needs integration software approved by the bank and the device maker; not every model works with every program. Without an integration, the cashier keys the amount into the card terminal separately and records the payment in the software by hand. In kafeOS, the groundwork and a test environment for a bank card terminal link are ready. The real link is made during setup, using a device model chosen with the business's bank and the bank's software kit. Until then card payments are recorded at checkout. Such a record is not a bank approval.

Can customers pay by card from the QR menu or the app?

This requires the business to have a virtual POS or payment institution account. In kafeOS, online payment has been built to run through iyzico. The amount is calculated on the server, the payment screen opens at iyzico, and the order is not treated as paid until the result is verified with iyzico. To switch the feature on, the business's own iyzico merchant account is set up and tested before going live.

Is the Z report the same as the end-of-day report?

No. In Turkey, the Z report is the fiscal report a cash register (ÖKC) produces at the end of the day. The card terminal's end of day closes the card transactions on the bank's POS device. The checkout closing report in POS software helps you compare the two, but it replaces neither. In kafeOS, an immutable closing report is created whenever a cash drawer is closed. It shows the opening float, expected and counted cash, the difference, and the breakdown of card and other payments.

How do you find and prevent a cash shortage?

A cash shortage means the counted money is less than the amount the system expects. To find it, keep the opening float, sales, refunds and every amount paid in or out separate for each shift. That way you can see in which shift and in which movement the difference arose. kafeOS tracks each drawer's opening and closing counts, cash movements entered with a reason, and transfers between drawers separately. Actions such as refunds and price changes require manager approval, depending on the business's settings. A wrong entry is not deleted; it is corrected with a reversing entry.

How is the cash drawer handed over at a shift change?

The person handing over counts the drawer, the person taking over checks the count, and the amount is recorded under both names. With a paper form this step is easy to skip. In kafeOS the handover happens at checkout: responsibility for the drawer changes, the count and any difference are recorded, and a manager approves on the spot if needed. A handover done wrongly is corrected with a reversing entry, without changing past records.

Is e-Adisyon mandatory?

Not for every business. Under the rules added to Tax Procedure Law General Communiqué No. 509 by Communiqué No. 526, e-Adisyon (the electronic tab document) is optional. The Turkish Revenue Administration (GİB) selects businesses by their annual or monthly sales revenue and notifies them in writing or by an announcement on ebelge.gib.gov.tr. These businesses get at least three months to prepare; after that, they must issue tabs as e-Adisyon documents. kafeOS does not issue e-Adisyon documents today; it has the groundwork to issue e-Arşiv invoices through an integrator. If you have received a notice from GİB, we review it together before setup.

Source: Turkish Revenue Administration (GİB), Tax Procedure Law General Communiqué No. 526

How does ordering from the table with a QR menu work?

The guest scans the QR code on the table with the phone camera and the menu opens in the browser; no app download is needed. For orders to arrive with the table number, every table needs its own QR code. In kafeOS, the order lands on the kitchen display and on the table's open tab. The guest can add new orders to the same tab and use the “Call server” and “Request the bill” buttons. A business that only wants to show its menu switches ordering off, and the menu becomes read-only.

Do you need a separate device for a server call system?

No. Wireless buttons on the table are a common solution, but a button in the QR menu does the same job. In kafeOS, the guest taps “Call server” or “Request the bill” in the QR menu and the call reaches the server's screen with the table number. No batteries or extra hardware go on the table; the guest's phone is enough.

How is a bill split in a restaurant?

A bill can be split into equal shares, by person or by item. Splitting by item is often the fairest, because everyone pays for what they ordered. In kafeOS, every item on the tab is separated unit by unit; each person pays for their own units, paid units show as closed and the rest stay open. The same bill can be settled with cash, card, wallet and gift card together. Moving an item to another table or person requires manager approval, depending on the business's settings.

What is a pickup order, and how is it managed alongside table service?

With a pickup order, the customer orders ahead and collects it from the counter when it is ready; there is no table service. A business that offers both must never mix up which order goes to a table and which to the counter. In kafeOS, table service and pickup are switched on or off separately for each branch. A pickup order gets a pickup number, and even if the setting changes later, an accepted order keeps the way it is to be fulfilled. For pickup orders placed in the branded app, the collection time can be set up to seven days ahead.

How do you let customers in a self-service cafe know their order is ready?

The usual methods are vibrating pagers, a queue-number screen and a notification on the customer's phone. Pagers have to be handed out, collected and charged; a screen and the phone remove that chore. In kafeOS, a ready order appears with the customer's nickname and order details on a small Wi-Fi screen on the counter. The customer is not told “ready” until every part of the order is finished. Customers who ordered in the app also see the status in the app.

• The screens are ESP32-based and are connected to the business's local network at setup
• The screen's text, colour and orientation (portrait or landscape) are set in the admin panel

Can restaurant reservations be managed in the POS software?

They can, so a reserved table shows as taken before any tab is opened. In kafeOS, reservations are kept in a calendar. When guests arrive they are seated, no-shows are marked, and the reservation closes once completed. Customers cannot book online by themselves in kafeOS today; staff enter the reservation.

What is a kitchen display (KDS), and does it replace the kitchen printer?

A kitchen display shows orders on a screen instead of paper tickets and tracks how far each one has got. A screen and a printer are not either-or; many businesses use both. In kafeOS, the business defines preparation groups such as bar, kitchen and desserts, and each item goes to its own group. A group can send to a screen, a printer or both. The cook marks the order “Preparing” and “Ready”. Item notes and options such as milk choice or an extra shot appear on the screen and on the ticket.

How do you print the customer's name on a coffee cup label?

You need a thermal label printer and software that can send the order to a label. The label shows the customer's name, the drink, the options and any note, so the barista hands the cup to the right person. In kafeOS, labels are designed in the admin panel. Field positions, font size, logo and order QR code are set in millimetres, and a draft is never printed until it is published. If a long note does not fit on the label, the system warns before printing. Paper and alignment are set up for the printer model at installation.

How does stock go down by recipe, and how is item cost calculated?

A recipe defines how much of each ingredient an item contains; as the item sells, those quantities come off stock. Item cost is found by adding up the unit costs of the ingredients in the recipe. That cost divided by the selling price gives the item's cost percentage (food cost). In kafeOS, recipes are defined per item and variant, with unit conversions such as kilograms to grams. Stock goes down on a sale and comes back on refunds and cancellations; waste, adjustments and transfers between branches are recorded as separate movements.

• The panel estimates recipe cost from current purchase prices; menu analysis shows which items earn the most
• Options such as milk choice or an extra shot change the price, but do not deduct extra ingredients today

Can suppliers and purchasing be tracked in the POS software?

When stock and purchasing live in the same system, goods that were ordered enter stock in the right quantity when they arrive. In kafeOS, a purchase order is raised for the supplier; when the goods arrive they are received, and stock rises with that receipt. A cancelled order is never counted as received. Branch expenses are recorded with date, amount and description. Supplier payments and invoicing happen outside kafeOS, in your accounting system.

Coffee loyalty card or digital app?

A paper stamp card is cheap, but it gets lost, can be copied and tells you nothing about the customer. A digital card keeps the same rule on the phone and shows which customers come back and how often. In kafeOS you can set up a stamp rule such as “buy 8 coffees, get 1 free”, or points, tiers and a reward catalogue. Stars are earned automatically from eligible paid sales, and staff cannot add stars by hand. An item given as a gift or reward does not earn stars again. At checkout, the reward is applied to the right item by scanning the customer's QR code.

How do you run a birthday campaign in a cafe?

The simplest way is to set up a gift item that is valid on the customer's birthday; giving an item instead of a discount makes it clear what the customer gets. In kafeOS, the business picks the gift item, the options allowed, the branches where it is valid and how many days the gift lasts in the admin panel. Each customer qualifies once a year. The gift is redeemed once at checkout with a QR code, and stock goes down only when the item is actually handed over. Customers save their date of birth once and cannot change it later.

Can a customer gift a coffee to a friend from the app?

In kafeOS, yes. The customer chooses one or more items with their options, adds a message and finds the recipient by phone number; the gift can also be scheduled for a later date. The recipient sees the bundle in the app's gift box and redeems it at checkout with a single QR code. The bundle is fixed to the items and options chosen when it was sent. Charging for the gift in the app depends on connecting the online payment account, which is settled at setup. There is also a suspended (askıda) item feature, where a customer leaves an item for a stranger.

How do you set up a monthly coffee subscription for a cafe?

With a subscription, the customer pays in advance for a set period and gets item credits; the business collects the money before handing over the product. When setting one up, decide from the start which items are included, how many credits each period brings and what the refund rule is. In kafeOS, subscription plans are defined by item or category. The customer redeems credits at checkout with a QR code and tracks what is left in the app. Selling subscriptions by card in the app depends on switching on the online payment account.

Should cafe app membership use SMS verification?

Phone verification cuts down fake accounts and sign-ups made with someone else's number, which matters for valuable credits such as loyalty rewards and gifts. In kafeOS, sign-up, sign-in and password reset are verified with a one-time code sent to the phone. The code is valid for 5 minutes. At most three codes a day are sent to the same number for each action, and wrong attempts are limited. SMS messages are sent through the business's own Verimor account; verified sign-up stays closed until that account is set up.

Who keeps customer data, and what is recorded for KVKK (Turkey's data protection law)?

In kafeOS, the customer list, order history and loyalty records are kept in the business's panel, and the app is published under the business's brand. Membership and privacy documents are stored with their versions, and the system records which version of which document each customer accepted. Mandatory terms, the privacy notice and optional marketing consent are collected separately. Customers can export their data and delete their account. These records make the business's KVKK obligations easier to meet, but they are not a substitute for legal advice.

How are the menu, stock and checkout managed centrally in a multi-branch business?

The menu and prices should be defined centrally, items should be switchable per branch, stock should be kept separately in each branch, and staff should see only their own branch. In kafeOS, which branches sell an item, and whether table service and pickup are offered, are set per branch. Stock moves between branches by transfer, staff permissions are separated by branch, and reports compare branches. In a franchise set-up, royalties and franchise invoices are tracked from the panel too.