Updated
Separate the two service journeys
Bring one counter example and one table example to your demo. The counter customer orders coffee and leaves with it. The table opens with drinks, adds sandwiches and asks for the bill later. Watch how staff find each order when the menu items overlap.
DeccanPro connects counter billing with table and kitchen workflows. A useful cafe evaluation includes both the cashier and whoever prepares drinks or food, because a label that looks clear on the counter may be hard to distinguish on a kitchen ticket.
Give similar drinks distinct menu names
Prepare a short menu with your actual sizes and variants written clearly. Compare the order screen, the printed KOT and the customer bill. Check long names and similar names side by side. This is especially useful when the kitchen needs to distinguish a food item from a drink with a similar abbreviation.
If you need custom modifiers or preparation notes, demonstrate the exact requirement before assuming it is supported. Use the menu-preparation worksheet to list the intended variants and ask how they should be represented in your setup.
Plan devices around a compact service area
A printer next to a loud coffee machine may be difficult to hear. A screen may be visible to the barista but not to the person preparing food. Test the position of the KOT printer or kitchen display from both workstations, with normal equipment running.
Optional voice announcements can draw attention to new orders, but the printed ticket or display remains the reference for the full order. Try actual menu pronunciation and a comfortable volume. For a cafe in Chennai, share the floor plan and existing equipment when arranging the ₹6,000 yearly DeccanPro software demo.
Decide what changes the price and what changes preparation
Before entering the menu, sort common requests with the person responsible for pricing and the person making drinks. A larger drink, a paid extra and a preparation instruction are different decisions. The record shown to the barista must preserve the distinction, and the receipt must reflect the actual charge. Use the table below to prepare questions; it does not assume that every modifier or note format is available in your installation.
Scroll sideways if needed to see all columns.
| Guest request | Decision to make | Check in the demonstration |
|---|---|---|
| A larger coffee | Define its actual menu name and price. | Cashier and barista distinguish regular and large without relying on memory. |
| An extra charged ingredient | Agree the extra price and how it is represented. | The current order and bill show the correct charge; the kitchen understands which drink receives it. |
| A preparation preference | Agree whether it changes the price and how staff record it. | Demonstrate the supported note or item procedure; the intended drink retains the instruction on the kitchen record. |
| Food now and coffee later | Agree who controls the later preparation handoff. | Staff can explain what to prepare now and what still needs an instruction; do not assume automatic timed release. |
Run two similar coffee orders without mixing the handoff
Outside live service, open training order A for a table: two regular coffees, one with a specified preparation preference. Open order B for takeaway: one regular coffee and one large coffee. Use your own menu prices and an agreed supported way to record the preference. Ask the barista to identify all four drinks, the instruction belonging to one drink and the two separate order references.
Represent the drinks with labelled empty cups. Deliver the table pair first while the takeaway pair remains at the counter. Have a different staff member identify the remaining order without asking the original cashier. Then add one more regular coffee to the table. Confirm that the fresh kitchen instruction is for that one addition and that the table record now contains three drinks; the takeaway order must remain unchanged.
Review the final bill for each reference and record the payment and collection steps separately. A receipt being printed does not prove that a drink was made or collected. If your cafe needs customer-facing token numbers, automatic drink routing or a payment-provider confirmation, request those exact demonstrations before relying on them. The exercise establishes what your staff can follow in the demonstrated setup, not a promised service time.
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Your checklist
- A takeaway coffee sale
- A seated order with a second round
- Similar drink names on a real printout
- A kitchen screen or printer visible from the preparation area
