F&BosTrain staff by role in short, hands-on sessions: cashiers on billing and payments, captains on tables and KOTs, the kitchen on tickets, managers on voids, day end and reports. Let new staff practise without touching live sales, give everyone their own login, and run a simple opening and closing SOP every day.
Most POS problems are training problems: missing modifiers, shared logins, unrecorded delivery orders and day ends that never get run. This guide fixes that. If you're setting up a new system, start with our plan for switching restaurant POS; for the basics, our restaurant POS system guide.
Watch: setting up a POS
Two short demos of the setup every team needs before training starts, using F&Bos as the example: building the menu and creating staff with roles.
Training plan by role
| Role | What to learn | Practice task |
|---|---|---|
| Cashier / counter | Billing, modifiers, takeaway and delivery orders, split payments, reprinting bills, when a manager is needed for discounts and voids | Bill five sample orders, including a split bill |
| Captain / server | Opening tables, adding items with notes, sending KOTs, courses, transferring and merging tables, requesting the bill | Run a mock table from seating to payment |
| Kitchen | Reading KOTs or the kitchen display, station routing, marking items done, recalling a ticket, flagging items that run out | Work through a rush of test orders |
| Manager | Voids and discounts, day-end reconciliation, reports, stock counts, staff logins, printer and internet troubleshooting | Close a test day and explain each number |
| Owner | Daily reports and alerts on the phone, weekly food cost and variance, menu and price changes | Review a day's reports from your phone |
Captains taking orders on phones or handhelds? See our guide to captain apps and handheld POS. For kitchen tickets and screens, see KDS vs KOT printer.
How to train so it sticks
- Keep sessions short and by role. Teach only what each person uses.
- Practise on test orders, not real guests. Use a training or practice mode if your POS has one.
- Put a one-page cheat sheet at each station: how to add a modifier, split a bill, reprint a KOT.
- Shadow a shift. New staff work alongside an experienced colleague before working alone.
- Check understanding: ask each person to show you their key tasks, not just describe them.
- Retrain after menu changes, new features or repeated mistakes.
Daily POS SOP checklist
Prints as a clean document, without the site menu or video.
| # | Task | ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | ||
| 1 | Terminals, printers and router on; POS app logged in | ☐ |
| 2 | Test print a bill and a KOT | ☐ |
| 3 | Cash float counted and recorded | ☐ |
| 4 | UPI QR and sound box working; card machine charged | ☐ |
| 5 | Unavailable dishes marked in the POS | ☐ |
| 6 | Staff logged in with their own IDs | ☐ |
| During service | ||
| 7 | Every order entered in the POS, including delivery orders | ☐ |
| 8 | Modifiers and notes added to every special request | ☐ |
| 9 | Voids and discounts only with a manager | ☐ |
| 10 | Tables closed after payment | ☐ |
| Closing | ||
| 11 | All tables and orders closed | ☐ |
| 12 | Day end run in the POS | ☐ |
| 13 | Cash counted and matched to the POS; differences noted | ☐ |
| 14 | UPI and card totals checked against the day-end report | ☐ |
| 15 | High-value stock counted (if it's a count day) | ☐ |
| 16 | Printers cleaned, paper restocked, devices charging | ☐ |
Weekly routine for managers
- Review voids, discounts and cancellations by staff member.
- Count high-value stock and check variance.
- Update prices and availability, and remove dishes you've stopped making.
- Clean printers and check cables.
- Check the reports every owner should check.
Quick fixes during service
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| Printer not printing | Check paper and power, then the cable or network; reprint from the POS. Keep a spare roll at every printer. |
| Internet down | Keep billing if your POS works offline; switch to the backup hotspot; confirm UPI payments on the sound box or phone. |
| Wrong item billed | Ask a manager to void it with a reason; don't delete bills. |
| Guest wants to split the bill | Use split by item or by guest, then take each payment separately. |
| UPI payment not showing | Don't let the guest leave until the payment is confirmed; check the sound box, the merchant app or the bank SMS. |
| Dish has run out | Mark it unavailable in the POS so captains and online orders stop selling it. |
New joiners and leavers
- Create a personal login with the right permissions on day one.
- Pair new staff with a colleague for their first shifts.
- Remove or disable a login the day someone leaves.
Small café owners will find more practical routines in our 10 tips for running a small café.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to train staff on a restaurant POS?
Most counter and floor staff learn billing and order-taking in a single short session by role, followed by a supervised shift. Managers need longer for day end, reports and stock. Retrain whenever you add a feature or change the menu.
What should a restaurant POS SOP include?
An opening checklist (devices on, test prints, cash float, payment devices, unavailable dishes), service rules (every order in the POS, manager approval for voids and discounts) and a closing checklist (close tables, run day end, match cash, UPI and card, restock printers).
How do I train new staff without affecting live sales?
Use your POS's training or practice mode if it has one, so new staff can bill test orders without touching real sales, stock or reports. Then let them shadow an experienced colleague for a shift.
What are the most common POS mistakes staff make?
Sharing logins, forgetting to enter delivery orders, missing modifiers, voiding bills without a reason, and not closing tables. A clear SOP and daily checks of voids and discounts fix most of them.
Should every staff member have their own POS login?
Yes. Personal logins with the right permissions make every order, void and discount traceable, and let you remove access the day someone leaves.
Related POS guides
How to switch restaurant POS
A launch plan that keeps your data.
Read the guide → REPORTS12 POS reports every owner should check
Daily, weekly and monthly routine.
Read the guide → SETUPRestaurant POS hardware setup checklist
Printers, network, power and go-live checks.
Read the guide →