A typical day
A typical day in this kind of shop runs roughly like this. Hungary's official list of venue types includes Büfé among others (see the NTAK hospitality info page); for how the software and the legal e-cash register divide the work, see the FAQ. This is about counter shops with fast service and lots of takeaway; drive-through and self-service kiosks are not covered.
- Opening: categories, specifications and item records are ready; book in basic stock if needed.
- Order and pay at the counter: enter the order quickly from a short menu, take payment on the spot, then start the next one.
- Takeaway / eat-in marking: takeaway and counter service dominate; seating usually does not need tables moved or merged.
- Serving: orders go into preparation or the core kitchen task queue and are handed over once a pickup number is shown or called.
- Wrong orders: return items or void them under the authorisation policy, then look up and audit them in the order centre afterwards (refunds are not posted in the back office).
- Close: business day / cash report / daily close, then follow up NTAK report status once online and synced.
How it works with the till
These tasks use general restaurant till features, not a POS built specially for a büfé. The features involved:
- Quick counter ordering, takeaway / pickup: Ordering and tables.
- Pay-as-you-order, mixed payment and receipts: Checkout, payments and receipts.
- Preparation tasks and multi-terminal registration: Core kitchen tasks and terminal coordination (the kitchen display is a plugin).
- Item records and basic stock: Inventory and item master data (not full WMS / multi-warehouse / purchasing).
- Daily close and NTAK status: Fiscal and NTAK (not a substitute for a legal e-cash register).
- Returning items from wrong orders, voids and order lookup: Members, order centre and after-sales.
Less of a fit
- Sit-down dining rooms where moving and merging many tables is the main job; see A day in a table-service restaurant.
- Needing a drag-and-drop floor plan; expecting a kitchen display in the core.
- Needing certification backing or a replacement for the legal e-cash register; expecting the software to come with acquiring hardware.
- Stores that need quick-service chain (QSR) processes such as drive-through or self-service kiosks.
Related features
- Ordering and tables · Checkout, payments and receipts · Core kitchen tasks and terminal coordination · Inventory and item master data · Fiscal and NTAK · Members, order centre and after-sales
- Overview: Features · List of store types: Store types · See also: A day in a cafe or dessert shop
No installation, training or on-site service
Installation, training and on-site service are not promised. To find out more, see the feature pages above, the FAQ, or use the email address on the About us page (info@merx.hu).