Switch your POS between two services
You can switch restaurant POS without closing for a day. We import your menu, modifiers, customers and staff, you train on a quiet afternoon, and you go live on a slow night. Your old sales history stays in your old system, so export it before you cancel.
Menu import: free
Menu import is free when you switch from another POS. Send your export or a photo of your menu and the menu build team does the work.
What moves, and how
| What | How it moves | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Menu and products | Export a CSV from your old POS, or send a PDF. We import items, prices, categories and photos. | Same day for most menus |
| Modifiers | Rebuilt as modifier sets with prices and forced choices. Most POS exports do not include them cleanly, so we check each set. | 1 to 2 days |
| Customers | Import names, phones and emails from a CSV. Reward point balances can be added as starting balances. | Same day |
| Gift card balances | Export open balances with card numbers. We load them as gift cards, or you honor old cards manually until they run out. | 1 day; test a few cards first |
| Stock counts | Enter opening stock after a count on your go-live day, so numbers start correct. | Count on go-live morning |
| Staff | Add each person with a role and a new PIN. Old PINs cannot be moved. | Under an hour |
| Reports and sales history | History stays in your old system. Export sales, tax and tip reports to spreadsheets before you cancel and keep them for your records. | Export before cancelling |
A switch, day by day
- Day 1
Sign up, create your business and send us your menu and old exports.
- Day 2-3
Menu, modifiers, customers and gift cards imported. You check the menu and kitchen routing.
- Day 4
Staff PINs, tables and printers set up. Train the team in a short pre-shift session.
- Day 5
Go live on your slowest service. Count stock that morning. Keep the old system ready as backup.
- Day 6-7
Fine-tune routing and modifiers, export your old history, then cancel the old system.
What actually moves when you switch restaurant POS?
Your menu, modifiers, customers, gift card balances and staff can move. Stock is recounted on go-live day. Your old sales history does not move into the new system. It stays in your old POS, so export your sales, tax and tip reports to spreadsheets before you cancel.
Owners sometimes expect years of history to carry over. In practice, every POS stores sales differently, and importing old transactions creates confusing reports. A clean start with your old reports saved as files is safer. Your accountant needs those old reports for taxes, so download them while you still have access. Many systems lock you out soon after cancelling.
Everything you use every day, the menu, the modifiers, your regulars, comes across. That is what matters on the first Friday. Before you cancel, download every report your accountant might ask for: sales by day, tax collected, tips by server and product sales. Save them in two places. Old reports are hard to recover once an account is closed.
- Menu, modifiers and customers move
- Gift card balances move with checking
- Stock is recounted
- Sales history is exported, not imported
When is the best time to switch?
Switch on your slowest service of the week, and before your busy season, not during it. A Monday or Tuesday lunch is ideal for many dining rooms. Check your old contract's end date and any early-termination fee first, so you know when you can leave without a penalty.
Owners often start looking after a bad night: the printer dies, tickets get lost, a tip dispute. That is a good reason to switch, but plan the date calmly. Give the team one short training session before go-live. Servers learn tables, ordering, firing and payment. Cooks learn the kitchen screen. Most staff are comfortable after one shift.
Keep the old system ready for the first service. Most owners never use it, but knowing it is there keeps everyone calm. After go-live, hold a short check-in at the end of the first week. Ask servers and cooks what slowed them down, then adjust buttons, routing and modifiers. Small fixes in week one save hours over the next month.
- Go live on a slow service
- Avoid the busy season
- Check your contract end date
- Keep the old system as backup for day one
Can I keep my card processor when I switch?
In most cases, yes. Our POS works with your processor's card terminal, so you can keep the processor or bank you have. If your current POS company is also your processor, you may need a new processing account. We help you check this on the demo before you commit.
Some big-vendor systems tie the software to their own card processing. Leaving the software means leaving their processing too. Ask them what happens to your merchant account when you cancel. If you need a new processor, open the account early. Approval can take several days, and you want the terminal in hand before go-live.
Card data stays with your processor. We never store card numbers on our servers, and we do not charge PCI or statement fees. If you have questions about your processing contract, bring it to the demo and we can read it with you. Ask your processor for the terminal model early, so it arrives before go-live.
- Keep your current processor in most cases
- Open a new account early if needed
- Card data stays with your processor
- We check your setup on the demo
Coming from a specific POS?
From Toast From Square for Restaurants From Clover From TouchBistro
Switching questions
Onboarding desk · usually replies within a business day
How long does it take to switch restaurant POS?
About a week for most independent restaurants, following the timeline above. Small menus can be faster. The longest steps are usually the modifier check and waiting for a new card terminal if you need one.
Is the menu import really free?
Yes, when you switch from another POS. Send an export, a PDF or photos and the menu build team builds items, modifiers and routing. You review the result before go-live.
Can I import my old sales history?
No. Old transactions stay in your old system. Export sales, tax, tip and product reports to spreadsheets before you cancel, and keep them for your accountant. Your new reports start on go-live day.
What happens to gift cards I already sold?
Export the open balances with card numbers and we load them as gift cards, after testing a few. If your old system cannot export them, keep a list and honor old cards manually until they are used up.
Will my regulars keep their reward points?
We can import customers with a starting points balance from your export. Your reward rules are set fresh in the new system. Tell regulars at the table that their points came across.
Do I need new printers when I switch?
Often not. Most ESC/POS receipt and kitchen printers work, including many already in restaurants. Some vendors use locked hardware that only works with their software. Bring your printer models to the demo and we will check.
What if I am still in a contract with my old POS?
Read the end date and early-termination terms first. Some owners set up and train during the last weeks of the old contract, then go live the day it ends. That avoids paying for both systems for long.
How do I train my staff on the new system?
Run one short pre-shift session on a quiet day. Servers practice opening a table, ordering with modifiers, firing and splitting a check. Each person can use the screens in their own language.
Can I run both systems side by side for a while?
You can, but most owners find it confusing beyond the first service. Keep the old one as a backup for go-live day only. Running two systems doubles the end-of-day counting.
Switch on a Monday, serve on Friday.
Send us your menu export. We import it for free and stay on the call for the first order.