What Works When the Internet Goes Down

Café QR runs in the browser, so it needs the internet for most things. But a dropped connection in the middle of a lunch rush shouldn't stop you selling. The till keeps taking cash and your own payment types while you're offline, and catches up by itself when the connection comes back.

What keeps working offline

• Ringing up sales on the till, paid in cash or with your own payment types (for example "card on our own machine").
• A receipt number for every sale. Offline sales get a provisional receipt number starting OFFLINE, so you can still hand a guest a receipt.
• Uploading by itself. When the connection returns, the till uploads the offline sales on its own. Anything odd is flagged for a manager to look at rather than lost.

The till has to have been opened online on that device at least once before, so it has your menu and prices saved. A brand-new tablet can't start selling offline.

What waits for the connection

These need the internet and resume as soon as it's back:

• Card payments on a connected card reader, and Raast, JazzCash and Easypaisa.
• Tabs, gift cards and anything that needs a manager PIN approval.
• Kitchen tickets for offline sales. Offline sales don't send a ticket to the kitchen screen or printer, so call or hand the order through while you're offline.
• QR table ordering, your online order page, the self-order kiosk and the kitchen screen. Guests' phones use their own mobile data, but the orders can't reach you until your venue is back online.

How to prepare

1. Open the till on every device before service, while you're online. That's what lets it work offline later.
2. Add your card machine as a payment type if you take card on a separate bank terminal. Your own payment types keep working offline; a card reader connected through Café QR doesn't.
3. Keep a backup connection. A phone hotspot is the quickest fix: connect the till tablet to it and most things carry on as normal.
4. Agree a kitchen plan. While offline, the kitchen won't see till orders. A written ticket or a shout through the pass works for a short outage.

When the connection comes back

• Leave the till open. Offline sales upload by themselves within moments.
• The kitchen screen catches up on its own with every order placed online.
• If an offline sale is flagged, a manager looks it over. A sale that couldn't upload says so on the till, with a way to try again.

Common questions

Does Café QR open the cash drawer? Yes, if the drawer is plugged into a USB receipt printer connected to the till (in Chrome or Edge, through Printer and drawer on the till). It opens when a sale takes cash, offline too, since the printer is attached to the device. Without a printer, use a drawer that opens with a key or a button. See the POS hardware you need.

Will I lose sales if the tablet dies while offline? Offline sales are saved on the device until they upload. If the device is wiped or lost before it reconnects, those sales can't be recovered, so plug it back in and reconnect as soon as you can.

How do I know the till is offline? The till says No connection and reminds you that you can keep selling cash and your own payment types. Receipts get an OFFLINE number until the connection returns.