Switching from another system

What is moved over from your previous POS system, what is set up from scratch, and in what order to go live without losing a shift.

Switching usually sounds scarier than it turns out. Below is what is actually moved over and in what order to do it.

What we move over

categories and dishes with prices;
photos, if the source system has them;
modifiers — with a check: other systems often used them in place of portion variants, and the move is a good time to sort this out properly;
the product list, if one was kept.

The move is done in bulk with scripts, not by hand. All we need from you is an export from the old system — usually a file from its back office.

What is set up from scratch

recipes: even if you had them, it is worth rebuilding them — it is the only way to trust the cost;
stock balances: starting balances come from the first stock count;
staff and permissions: everyone’s set of roles is different, it takes half an hour;
receipt and printer settings.

Variants instead of modifiers

If a “large portion” in the old system was a modifier with a price, it is better to turn it into a dish variant when moving. Then each portion gets its own cost and its own margin — that is what the switch is for.

Go-live order

We move the menu over and you check it by eye at the register.
Set up printers and stations, print a test kitchen ticket.
Add staff and give out PINs.
Work one shift in parallel with the old system — sales only, no stock.
Compare the Z-reports of both systems for that shift.
Switch over fully, keep the old system read-only for a month.
After a week or two, take on the stock: recipes, a stock count, tracking.

What not to do

move the sales history. It stays in the old system, and that is fine: reports for past periods are viewed there, new ones here;
go live on a Friday evening. The first shift on the new register should be a quiet one;
turn on the stock on day one. Sales first, then tracking — otherwise two new tasks add up to one big one.