Install FloCafe
Package choices, minimum requirements, first launch, updates, and platform-specific notes.
Installation guideDocumentation · FloCafe 2.9.0
Set up the restaurant workflow, then test the failure cases.
Use these guides in order for a first installation, or jump to the task that is blocking service. Packaged releases do not require Docker or Node.js.
Quick start
Get from download to a test order in five steps.
1. Install the packaged releaseChoose Windows, macOS, or Linux on the installation page. Restaurant users do not need the source-development toolchain.
2. Create the owner accountLaunch FloCafe and complete the first-run setup. Keep the owner credentials and Master PIN controlled by the restaurant owner or system administrator.
3. Load a small real menuAdd the restaurant name, tax configuration, categories, five common products, modifiers, prices, and at least one dine-in or takeaway workflow.
4. Complete the service pathPlace an order, send it to the kitchen, print the appropriate tickets, take a test payment, and confirm the order appears correctly in reports.
5. Back up and restoreCreate a manual backup, locate it outside the application, and rehearse a restore on a test device before live service.
Operator guides
Documentation organized by the job being done.
Each guide states what must be tested on your own operating system, printer, network, tax configuration, and release.
Menu and first order
Create categories, items, modifiers, taxes, tables, and a realistic test order before importing the full menu.
First-order checklistReceipt and KOT printing
Configure USB, network, or Bluetooth ESC/POS printers and diagnose queue, driver, paper, cover, or timeout errors.
Printer setupKitchen display
Pair a local device, confirm live ticket delivery, station routing, timers, and printer fallback.
KDS setupBackups and restore
Create, copy, verify, and restore the local SQLite data before the restaurant depends on it.
Recovery guideTroubleshooting
Capture version, OS, reproduction steps, hardware details, screenshots, and logs for a useful support request.
Diagnose a problemFirst-order acceptance test
Prove one complete transaction before loading everything.
- Create one category and five common items.
- Add a modifier, tax rule, discount, and out-of-stock item.
- Create a table or choose takeaway.
- Place the order and verify kitchen routing.
- Record a cash or external-terminal test payment.
- Print the customer receipt and kitchen ticket.
- Confirm totals in sales and payment reports.
Pass condition
The order, kitchen output, receipt, payment method, taxes, and report must agree. Repeat with the awkward order your staff handles most often.
Printing
Test Print should expose the real failure.
In Settings → Printers, select the exact queue or connection and run Test Print. For network printers, reserve a stable IP address. For Windows USB printers, use a queue that accepts raw ESC/POS output; a Generic / Text Only or manufacturer raw mode may work better than a page-rendering driver.
On macOS and Linux, verify the CUPS queue is enabled. Snap users may need sudo snap connect flocafe:raw-usb for USB access.
Record the modelPrinter make, model, connection, paper width, OS, driver or queue, and FloCafe version.
Test failure visibilityUnplug the printer, remove paper, open the cover, and verify staff can see and recover from the error.
Test duplicatesConfirm retry and reprint behavior does not create unexplained kitchen tickets.
Kitchen display
Pair on the local network and test the handoff.
Keep the FloCafe host and KDS device on the same trusted local network. Open the KDS or pairing view in FloCafe, then use the displayed LAN address or QR code from the second device.
- Send orders for every configured station.
- Check table, order type, modifiers, notes, and elapsed time.
- Move tickets through new, preparing, ready, and completed states.
- Restart the display and reconnect the network.
- Keep a tested KOT or paper fallback if service requires it.
FloCafe KDS
Main Kitchen · Dinner rush
Live
New3
2 x Cheeseburger
Extra cheese, no onion
- 1 x Veggie Wrap
- 1 x Fresh Lime Soda
1 x Margherita Pizza
Half olives, extra basil
Preparing4
3 x Chicken Pasta
One mild, two spicy
- 2 x Garlic Bread
1 x Steak Plate
Medium rare · sauce side
Ready2
2 x Masala Dosa
Chutney packed separately
1 x Brownie Box
Do not heat
Backup and recovery
A backup is complete only after a successful restore.
FloCafe keeps its SQLite database and backups in the operating system user-data directory, separate from the installed application. Use Settings → Database Tools → Backup before updates, hardware changes, or distribution-channel changes.
- Create a manual backup after representative test orders.
- Copy it to a separate device or owner-controlled storage.
- Restore it on a test installation.
- Verify menus, orders, configuration, users, and reports.
- Write down who owns the process and how long it took.
Do not start by deleting data
If FloCafe cannot start, preserve the database and logs. Restore a known backup through Database Tools where possible, then report the app version, OS, symptoms, and relevant log lines.
Troubleshooting
Make support requests reproducible.
Open Help → Open Logs Folder and collect the relevant lines around the failure. Do not publish customer records, credentials, tokens, full databases, or unredacted receipts.
IncludeFloCafe version, OS/version, installation method, exact steps, expected result, actual result, screenshots, and hardware details.
Try safelyRestart the affected component, test away from live service, preserve data, and reproduce with a small sample.
ReportUse GitHub Issues for reproducible bugs or support channels for setup help.
Developer reference
Source development is a separate installation path.
Development requires Node.js 22 or later. Clone the repository, run npm install, then npm run dev. Before contributing, run npm run lint, npm run build, and npm test. Architecture, API, tax-pack, Google Drive, release, and integration notes live in the repository’s docs directory.
FAQ
Common questions
Where should a new user start?
Install the packaged release for your operating system, create the owner account, add a small real menu, and test one complete order before configuring the rest of the restaurant.
Do I need Node.js or Docker?
No. Packaged FloCafe releases run as desktop applications. Node.js 22 or later is only required for source development; Docker is not part of the normal restaurant installation.
Should I use FloCafe live immediately after installation?
No. Test taxes, menus, staff permissions, printers, KDS, payments, reports, backups, and restore on the exact hardware and FloCafe release you intend to use.
No sales call. No card.
Install FloCafe and run the acceptance test
Install it, load a real menu, and run a full service before you trust it with a Friday night.