Testing a POS system: the trial evening

The best way to test a POS system is twice: on a quiet morning to set it up, and on a trial evening with your team, alongside your current till and with test data. With Servire this costs nothing: when you sign up, your first restaurant tests Servire Max for 14 days, with no payment details. You only take real sales once a TSE is active, from Solo at €39 a month.

Every till feels good in a demo. Whether it fits your business only shows when it gets busy: one table wants to pay separately, the kitchen is waiting for the second course, and someone at the bar asks about a voucher. These are exactly the moments you play through beforehand.

The quiet morning: set up

Pick a weekday morning when little is going on. Your old till simply keeps running.

• Create your account: in the POS app on iPhone, iPad or Android, or in the Web desk in your browser.
• Import your menu: upload a photo or PDF, the AI creates dishes and prices. Check the result line by line (guide).
• Set up your floor plan: areas and tables as they really are (guide).
• Connect printers and devices: receipt printers for kitchen and bar, plus the devices your team will hold in the evening.
• Add your team: everyone with their own login and the permissions they need.

Account, menu and floor plan are ready in under an hour. Still, plan the whole morning so there is time to try things out.

The trial evening: play it through

Choose an evening just before opening or a rest day. Two or three people from your team are enough: one plays the guest, one serves, one works in the kitchen or at the bar. Only book test data.

Work through this list:

• Open a table, order drinks and food: the tickets arrive correctly in kitchen and bar
• Courses: starter right away, main course on call
• Void an item, with a reason
• Discount on one item and on the whole bill
• Split the bill: everyone pays their own, the next table pays together
• Guests move to another table
• Redeem a voucher that does not cover the full amount
• Card payment with a tip, via your terminal as a payment method
• Internet off: take orders, accept cash, print
• Close the shift with cash count and Z report

On "internet off": without internet, Servire lets you take orders, accept cash and print on your own network. Card payments, the kitchen display and device sync need a connection.

What the trial evening does not show: TSE and exports

The trial does not include a TSE. You therefore check signed receipts, the DSFinV-K export and the tax office registration only once you have booked a plan and set up the TSE:

1. Delete your test data so the till starts clean (guide).
2. Book a plan, Solo for one till or Pro for several, and set up the TSE in the Web desk.
3. Take your first real sale, once by card too, and check that the TSE details are printed on the receipt.
4. After the first closing, download the DSFinV-K export and send it to your tax advisor.

From Pro, Servire registers the till with the tax office under § 146a AO for you; with Solo you register it yourself. How that works is explained in the guide Registering your POS with the tax office.

After the evening: an honest review

Sit down briefly with your team afterwards. These questions help:

• Could everyone take orders without explanation?
• Did every ticket arrive at the right printer?
• Where did someone search or have to ask?
• Are menu, prices and VAT rates correct?
• What did you miss, and do you really need it every evening?

If your team feels confident after one evening, plan the switch. How to move cleanly from your old system is explained in the guide to switching POS systems. What other providers cost is shown in the POS comparison.

Conclusion

One evening played through tells you more than any demo. Set up calmly in the morning, play through the tricky moments with test data in the evening, and check TSE and exports only once you have booked a plan. Then you know before your first real guest whether the till fits your business.