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Every NowOS location runs in one mode: restaurant mode or retail mode. The mode is chosen in the backoffice when the location is created, and does not change afterwards. It determines how a sale flows on the register and adapts the backoffice vocabulary.
The mode is set per location. If you run several establishments, each one has its own mode.

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Restaurant mode

Built for counter and table service: you build the order over the course of the meal, send work to the kitchen, and collect payment at the end. On the register, the main tab is called Menu. The typical flow:
1

Build the order

Add items from the menu. New lines stay pending, visible only to you, until they are sent.
2

Send to the kitchen

Tap Send: the lines go to preparation and the kitchen tickets print. You can keep adding items and send several times on the same order.
3

Collect payment

Tap Pay once at least one send has happened. For a table paying separately, tap Split first.
What is specific to restaurant mode:
  • Dine-in / takeaway: every order carries a type, which you can toggle mid-order. It can affect the VAT applied.
  • Splitting the check: evenly or by item. A guest can pay their share and leave while the table stays open. See Payments.
  • Covers and the kitchen note: you can record the guest count and a note printed at the top of the kitchen tickets. See Managing an order.
  • Kitchen tickets: each send prints on the configured kitchen printers. See Receipts and printing.
The register also shows a Tables tab: the floor plan and table management are available. See Tables & reservations.

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Retail mode

Built for counter sales: you fill a cart, then collect payment in one go. On the register, the main tab is called Catalog, and there is no Tables tab. The typical flow:
1

Fill the cart

Add items by touch, by search, or by scanning their barcode with the iPad’s camera. Every successful scan gives a beep and a vibration.
2

Collect payment

Tap Pay: choose Cash or Card, enter the amount, and the sale is complete. You can combine both (for example half cash, half card).
What is specific to retail mode:
  • No kitchen send: nothing stands between the cart and payment.
  • One check per order: no splitting the check.
  • No dine-in / takeaway: orders have no type to choose.
  • Barcode scanning: the camera reads common product labels (EAN, UPC, Code128).

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What stays the same

Whatever the mode, the foundation is identical:

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In the backoffice

The backoffice adapts its sections to the location’s mode:
  • In restaurant mode you manage your menu; in retail mode, your catalog of products. See Menu and catalog.
  • The Tables section only appears in restaurant mode.
  • Printer configuration targets kitchen printers in restaurant mode, the receipt printer in retail mode. See Devices.