A café POS built for the counter, not retrofitted from a table service till
Cafés run differently from restaurants: the guest orders at the counter, pays now, takes a token and collects when called. Dines has a counter lane built for exactly that flow, with a kitchen ticket and token slip printed from the same order, and an optional QR menu so guests can browse from their seat.
It is the same cloud restaurant POS that full-service restaurants use, switched into a mode that fits a café, a bakery counter or a juice bar, on the phone or laptop you already have.
- Counter orders with pay now
- Token slips
- Sizes and add-ons
- QR menu for tables
- One printer for tickets and bills
How a café order works in Dines
Order, pay, token, cook, call. The whole thing is one record from the first tap.
- Step 01Take the order
At the counter, on a phone, tablet or the PC. Pick the dish, its size and any add-ons; the price updates as you go.
- Step 02Collect payment
Cash, card, UPI, a split or other. The order is born paid and the tender is recorded, so the drawer and the report are right without a second step.
- Step 03Ticket and token
The kitchen ticket prints for the barista or kitchen, and a token slip with the order number prints for the guest.
- Step 04Food ready
Mark the order ready at the counter and call the token number. Guests who ordered from a table QR see it on their order tracker too.
Cafés that let regulars run a tab can switch the counter lane to an open bill instead: the order is taken and cooked first and the bill is settled before the guest leaves, which is the same one-open-bill model dine-in tables use.
Everything a café counter needs, nothing it does not
A dedicated counter screen with pay-now orders and token slips, separate from the table floor, so a café never has to pretend it has waiters.
No waiter accounts, no kitchen screen required. The counter marks food ready and the guest is told to collect.
Variants such as small / regular / large and add-on groups with their own prices, single- or multi-choice, on every dish that needs them.
Takeaway orders use the same pay-at-placement flow with their own numbering and packing charge where you set one.
A QR per table that opens the live menu in the browser. Allow ordering from it, or keep it view-only and take orders at the counter.
QR orderingToday’s sales, popular items, the cash drawer and expenses in one dashboard the owner can check from anywhere.
AnalyticsWhat a café needs to run Dines
- A phone, tablet or laptop at the counter with a browser. Nothing to install on it.
- A Windows PC running the Dines Print Agent, which can also be the counter screen.
- One 80 mm thermal printer with a Windows driver for tickets, token slips and bills.
- A printed QR per table if you want guests to browse or order from their seat.
- An internet connection. Counter orders on the agent PC keep printing if it drops briefly.
- About an afternoon to enter or import the menu and set sizes and add-ons.
How tickets reach the printer, and what happens when the printer or the internet fails, is covered on the KOT software page. How counter tenders flow into the cash drawer is on the restaurant billing software page.
What to look for in a POS for a café
Most POS products were designed for table service and sell a “quick service” mode as an afterthought. When comparing café POS software, including Dines, check that:
- Counter orders can be paid at placement without creating a table.
- A token or order number prints for the guest from the same printer as the ticket.
- Sizes and add-ons are real variants with their own prices, not separate dishes.
- It can run without waiter or kitchen screens, and add them later if you grow.
- Cash and UPI are both recorded at the counter, including splits.
- It works on the device you already have at the counter.
For the wider checklist that applies to any restaurant, read the restaurant POS buyer’s guide.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need waiters to use Dines in a café?
No. Dines has a self-service mode for restaurants without waiters: orders are taken at the counter or from a table QR, the counter marks food ready, and the guest’s order tracker tells them to collect. Waiter accounts are optional.
What is a token slip?
A small printed slip with the order number that the guest keeps until their food is called. Dines prints it from the same thermal printer as the kitchen ticket, for counter orders that are paid at placement.
Can guests order from the table in a café?
Yes. Each table can have a QR code that opens the live menu in the guest’s browser. A café can allow ordering from it, or print a view-only menu QR so guests browse and then order at the counter.
Can I take cash and UPI at the counter?
Yes. Counter orders record the tender at placement: cash, card, UPI, a cash + UPI split or other. The cash share goes to the cash drawer automatically.
Does it handle sizes and add-ons, like a small, medium or large coffee?
Yes. A dish can have variants such as sizes and add-on groups such as extra shots or syrups, each with its own price, chosen at the counter or by the guest on the QR menu.
What hardware does a café need?
A phone, tablet or laptop at the counter, and a Windows PC with an 80 mm thermal printer for tickets and bills. Many cafés run the counter screen on the same PC that drives the printer.
The product this café setup is a mode of.
Tenders, GST and the cash drawer at the counter.
How the counter ticket reaches the kitchen.
The QR menu guests browse from their seat.
If you also seat and serve tables.
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See the counter flow with your own menu.
Book a demo. We set up your sizes and add-ons, take a counter order, and print the ticket and the token.