Built for cafes · Free Windows download
Free POS for cafes. Built for the 8am line.
A free POS for cafes and coffee shops with size, milk and shot modifier groups and a tap-only checkout for the morning rush.
In 60 seconds
If you run a coffee shop
Square's free plan charges 2.6% + 15¢ on every in-person card payment. On a busy cafe that is $200 or more a month, and you never see it on the POS bill.
One touchscreen behind the bar. Tap latte, tap 12oz, tap oat, tap plus shot. Charge. Done in a few taps.
Free, on Windows. Bring whatever card reader you already have.
How a cafe menu sets up
- Make a Drinks category, Espresso, Latte, Americano, Cappuccino, Cold Brew, Tea.
- Add a Size modifier group, 8oz, 12oz, 16oz, configured to suit your price list.
- Add a Milk modifier group, Whole, 2%, oat, almond, soy.
- Add a Shots modifier group, +1 shot, +2 shots.
- Pastries category, Croissant, Banana Bread, Muffin. Flat prices.
- Tips, sales tax and discounts are broken out in Reports.
- End-of-day drawer count at close.
A real shift
Open the POS. First customer at the counter.
Tap drink, tap size, tap milk, tap shots. Charge. Repeat.
Line out the door. Every drink is a few taps, with no prices to remember.
Reports, Hourly. See your real rush window.
Drawer count. Backup. Lock up.
How do cafes take orders faster with a POS?
Cafes take orders faster by turning every drink into a fixed tap sequence: item, size, milk, shots, charge. Preset modifier groups remove typing and guesswork, so the barista never leaves the order screen. On a single counter touchscreen, a practiced barista rings up most drinks in a handful of taps.
The bottleneck in most cafes is not the espresso machine, it is the conversation at the register. A customer asks for a 12oz oat latte with an extra shot, the cashier repeats it, hunts for the upcharge, and thirty seconds disappear. With modifier groups the same drink is four taps, every option already set up, so there is nothing to remember during the 8am line.
Pastries and bottled drinks ring up as flat price items in one tap each, and receipts print on a USB or network ESC/POS printer with a template you control.
Small counters do not need a second terminal. One Windows touchscreen beside the grinder covers ordering, payment, receipts, and the end of day drawer count. If you also serve food at tables, the same download handles full service. The free restaurant POS system page covers tables, delivery orders, and recipe inventory.
Cafe math
$8k a month, 80 percent on card.
| POS | Software | Card cut | Total / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timeline Restaurants POS$0 pick | $0 | ~1.5% | ~$96 |
| Square for Restaurants | $0 | 2.6% + 15¢ | ~$301 |
| Toast | Check Toast | Check Toast | Software + card fees |
| Loyverse + SumUp | $0 to $25 | ~1.95% | ~$125 |
$6,400 a month on card. Timeline figure assumes a 1.5% bank rate; the Square figure assumes about 900 card payments a month (an average ticket near $7). For Toast, Loyverse and SumUp, check each vendor's current pricing.
Cafe questions
Can it handle drink size and milk modifiers?
Yes. Set up Size, Milk and Shots as modifier groups to suit your menu. Tap a Latte, tap 12oz, tap Oat, tap plus shot, and the drink is on the order.
Will it work on a single touchscreen at the bar?
Yes. It is designed for that. One Windows touchscreen handles counter ordering, payment, receipt, and reports. No second device needed.
Does it handle tips?
Reports break out tips alongside sales tax and discounts. A tip prompt with preset percentages is not a listed feature of v2.0.0, so if you want customers prompted for a tip, use a card reader that asks for it.
Can I print receipts at the counter?
Yes. Receipts print to a USB or network ESC/POS printer, and you control the receipt template. A name-on-cup field for the barista is not a listed feature of v2.0.0.
How fast is checkout during the 8am rush?
As fast as your barista taps. With modifier groups set up, a drink with size, milk and shots is a handful of taps and no typing, and menu search stays instant past 500 items. Speed depends on your menu and staff, so we do not publish a ring-up time.
Why is a POS faster than a cash register for a cafe?
A register makes the cashier remember prices and add upcharges in their head. The POS puts the menu on screen with modifier prices built in, so a complicated drink comes out right in a few taps. Less thinking per order is what shortens the line.
Free download
Tomorrow morning, $0 in software fees.
Free Windows POS, built for cafes.