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FreePOS Product Manual

Before We Get Started – Is FreePOS Right For You?

FreePOS is a very powerful point of sale system for restaurants, bars & most other hospitality establishments. However, there are two primary types of business that FreePOS cannot be used in: 1. FreePOS is NOT a retail point of sale system. While you can have retail items in FreePOS, the program is not designed the way a retail-only shop would want. FreePOS is for restaurants & bars. 2. FreePOS is NOT (as of V5.5) recommended for a delivery only style restaurant. This is because FreePOS does not currently support caller ID, driver mapping or GPS integration. FreePOS is great if you have a… 1. Bar 2. Night club 3. Buffet 4. Drive Thru and/or Fast Food Place 5. Wine Bistro/Café 6. Coffee Shop 7. Sandwich/Smoothie shop 8. Self Service Kiosk 9. Hotel attached restaurant 10. Table Service Restaurant 11. Country Club (i.e. golf club w/ a restaurant) 12. AND ALMOST ANY KIND OF FOOD SERVING BUSINESS! Ready, Set, Go! If you have a concern about whether or not FreePOS will be right for you, please call Positive Feedback Software. We don’t want you to register FreePOS if it won’t work well for you. Now let’s get started

with installation!

Installing FreePOS

To install FreePOS, simply download the installer from our website to your Windows desktop. Then double click the installer and take all of the default settings by clicking OK or NEXT at each prompt. After installation finishes, you will have a folder called FREEPOS sitting on your C: hard disk drive. It is recommended that you configure and database your entire restaurant from the C: drive and only when you are ready to set up printers, credit cards and other stations that you copy the FREEPOS folder to your network file server. Transferring FREEPOS To A Server To take a “C: Drive” installation of FreePOS and move it to a file server, simply complete these steps:

1. On your file server computer, make a folder called SYS on the root of the server’s C: drive.

2. Share the SYS folder giving all users full permissions to the share. Call the share’s name SYS

3. Right click on the file server computer’s MY COMPUTER icon and set the file server computer’s COMPUTER NAME field to “SERVER”

4. Map each workstation’s S: drive to the SYS share. At this point, each workstation should be “looking at” the empty SYS folder you created on the C: drive of the file server.

5. Next, drag the C:\FREEPOS\ folder from the C: drive of the server into the root of the S: drive. The effectively moves the FREEPOS installation from C:\FREEPOS\ to C:\SYS\FREEPOS.

Transferring FREEPOS To A Server FreePOS is not copy protected and never updates the Windows Registry. Therefore, transferring FreePOS to a file server is simply a matter of copying a folder. Please note that drive letter S: should be mapped to the folder CONTAINING the FREEPOS folder. The screen shot below shows a properly mapped S: drive.

Making FreePOS FAST

If your server computer loads FreePOS quickly but the workstations load it slowly, be sure to run make a SizReqBuf entry in your file server computer’s registry.

1. On the "Server" computer, click START/RUN RegEdt32.exe 2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters

3. On the EDIT menu, create a new REG_DWORD value called (UPPER and lower case matters when you type this): SizReqBuf 4. Set the SizReqBuf value to 14596 DECIMAL (not Hexidecimal) 5. Reboot the server computer If you wish, review Microsoft article Q177266 for more technical information about why this makes the file server faster. There is no “g” in SizReqBuf – that’s a “q” not a “g”

If you are a reseller, run the FASTXP.BAT file on your reseller CD to automate this registry patch. The patch is only required on the server… it isn’t needed on the workstations.

Setting Up Each Workstation

Each workstation will generally have a receipt printer, a touch screen and possibly a magnetic stripe reader and/or cash drawer. Here is how these peripherals plug into the workstation:

� Power cable plugs in here The USB touch screen and MSR plug into the rectangular USB � ports. � Network cable plugs into “large telephone style connector” � Video cable plugs into the 15 pin Super VGA connector | These ports are for sound | and will not be used.

Important Notes: - The cash drawer will plug into the back

of the receipt printer.

- The receipt printer may be Parallel, Serial, USB or Ethernet.

- The cable that connects the cash drawer to the receipt printer is DIRECTION SENSITIVE. The drawer will not open if the cable is plugged in backwards.

- Touch screens will not operate until the DRIVER SOFTWARE that comes with them is loaded onto the computer.

Setting Up Each Workstation

Each workstation must be configured with an IP ADDRESS. Think of an IP address like you would a telephone number. Every house has a telephone number and when you dial a particular number, you know which house you’ll be connected with. An IP ADDRESS is the same thing as a telephone number except it is specified in a slightly different format than AREA CODE + PREFIX + NUMBER. An IP ADDRESS is in this format: 192.168.1. (a unique number from 1-255) For example, here are some good IP ADDRESSES: 192.168.1.201 192.168.1.235 Here are some bad IP ADDRESSES:

192.168.1.588 Why? Because 588 is too large. 192.1.203 Why? Because “168” is missing.

You’ll need to call a local computer person if you don’t know how to configure each computer with a static IP address. Assigning a static IP address to each workstation should take about 5 minutes per machine.

Cabling Computers Together The E-Z Way

If you are a “normal person” (or even if you aren’t) consider purchasing prefabricated category-5e patch cables from your local computer store. They are usually available in 6’, 10’, 25’, 50’ and 100’ lengths. It’s a lot easier to install prefab cables than to build your own. Ethernet Cabling Rule: “Run a category-5e cable from each computer to a central location where the cable will plug into an Ethernet switch.” Cabling The Computers Together – Without Prefab Cables You’re going to need: A spool of CAT/5e Ethernet Cable PLENUM A drill to make holes An RJ45 crimp tool & RJ45 ends First, pick a central location in your building and place an ETHERNET SWITCH in a convenient location that is out of the way of foot traffic. An ideal location might be a closet that has an electric outlet in it. A cable from each computer will run to the SWITCH. Use PLENUM CATEGORY 5E ETHERNET CABLE from each workstation to the SWITCH as shown below.

Be careful not to “knot up” the category five cable. You want to install clean, unbent cable runs from each computer to the switch. Also, stay away from fluorescent lights, 220V or high electric lines and anything with a motor or magnet in it. The color codes for the RJ45 connectors are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. They are:

Cable Installation (Watch Out For Knots) Notice in the diagram below the category-5e cable on top is run properly. The second cable has lots of knots and twists in it – which is bad for reliability. The third diagram shows that the turning radius (Rt) must never be less than 6 inches or 15cm.

Keep all category-5e data cables at least 6 inches away from 220V A/C lines, magnetic devices and fluorescent light fixtures.

Never run a category-5e longer than you have to. The shorter the

cable, the better it will work.

Wireless Security Measures

If you use a WIRELESS ROUTER/SWITCH you have a serious security problem unless you partition access. Never put a hotspot device on the same data circuit as the POS system. The reason security is very important with wireless access is that someone (a hacker) could get into your POS system over a wireless connection if it is not secured properly. To hook up a hot spot in a restaurant, send us an email and we’ll forward you a Quick Guide on the subject. The easiest way to set up a hot spot for your guests is to call your internet service provider and have them do it for you. Most of the time when you subscribe to business level internet service, they will even supply you with preconfigured equipment at a minimal charge. General Network Information When you are setting up a network, here are some values you should enter (as a rule of thumb): SUBNET MASK always enter: 255.255.255.0 GATEWAY IP always enter: 192.168.1.1 DNS always enter: 192.168.1.1 LINKSYS is a company that makes consumer grade routers & internet connectivity hardware. If you are using LINKSYS equipment, the values above will almost always work perfectly! Other brands of equipment (like DLINK and NETGEAR) tend to use 192.168.0.1 instead of the value 192.168.1.1 It’s six of one and a half dozen of the other – both will work fine as long as you are consistent!

Order Of Operations

Setting up a POS system is a large undertaking – especially if you have not come to one of our FreePOS Training Classes. The most popular question we get asked is “Where do I start?” Start off with the obvious – opening the boxes!

1. Unbox each computer system and place it on a utility table 2. Turn each computer ON and verify that it works. Sometimes computers will be DOA (dead on arrival) – turning them ON for a day or two gives you time to “burn in” a new computer. Get Comfy & Enter Your Menu/Seating Charts

Next, move onto installing FreePOS by downloading the installer & taking all the defaults. You might want to install FreePOS onto a laptop computer so that you can work at home, in the garage or wherever is most comfortable. Transfer Time

Once you’ve got your FreePOS installed & your restaurant’s database entered, it’ll be time to transfer the FREEPOS folder to your server. We just covered this topic in the previous pages. Set Up Printers & Kitchen Display Units

You have to be networked before you can set up printers… so complete this step last. We’ll cover printer setup in detail next. Test & Play

Before you go live, be sure you understand how FreePOS works from a SERVER, BARTENDER, MANAGER and CHEF level. Remember, there are tons of settings that can be toggled on & off. The best way to learn how FreePOS works is to mess around with it BEFORE you go live.

A Love/Hate Relationship With Printers

Printers are SIMPLE if you understand how they work… but if you don’t read this section carefully, you’ll be lost in a sea of confusion for sure. What Happens When I Print?

When you perform an action that results in something being printed in FreePOS, it is important to understand that FreePOS does not actually print anything directly to your printer. What??? Yes, it is true. FreePOS only generates a file with the print job in it. Another program called a “spooler” is responsible for the actual printing. Look at the diagram below to see what happens when you hit PRINT:

Every PHYSICAL PRINTER has a spooler program sending data to it. The spooler program’s only purpose is to monitor the contents of a folder (located in \FreePOS\Spooler\) and when a print job file is detected, send the print job to the printer. There are many different spooler programs, but they all do this same basic task.

DEBUGGING PRINTERS 101: What If A Printer Won’t Print?

If a nothing prints when you hit PRINT in FreePOS, it could be that the spooler is not running or has stopped running. To check for this condition, look in the \freepos\spooler\spoolname\ folder and see if jobs are accumulating. If so, the spooler isn’t running.

Meet The Spoolers

There are many different types of printers today. USB, RS232, Ethernet, Wireless, Parallel to name a few. Each of these printers plugs into a different port on your computer – and therefore it needs a different spooler software to drive it. FreePOS has these spoolers included in the registered edition: WINSpool Sends a print job to any LPT or NETWORK SHARE printer IPSpool Sends a print job to the Windows Default Page Printer Pspooler Sends a print job to any LPT port & redirects if the Printer is disabled or malfunctioning. COMSpool Sends print jobs to any COM (RS232) serial printer and Can redirect around failed devices. TCPSpool Sends print jobs to any ETHERNET print server KDS Sends print jobs to the Integrated Touch Kitchen Display MPKDS Sends print jobs to a MicroPlus hardware KDS

In addition, there are spoolers that duplicate & move print jobs but do not actually print anything: REDIR Moves print jobs in one spool to another MSPOOLER Duplicates print jobs in one spool into 1,2 or 3 other spools Finally, each spooler can print diagnostic information as it runs (LOUD SPOOLING) or run as a windows process (SILENT SPOOLING). In general, when you go into production, you’ll want to use SILENT SPOOLING so that no screen space is utilized. Summary

If You Have This Printer Use This Spooler

8.5”x11” printer IPSpool Serial RS232 Comspool Parallel PSpooler or WinSpool Ethernet TCPSpool Network Share Winspool USB WinSpool Kitchen Display KDS or MPKDS Any printer that uses a Windows Printer Driver can be written to using WinSpool. Winspool is not recommended on machines that are critical (ie. A kitchen printer) because WinSpool does not support any kind of redirection around a failed device.

What Type Of Printer Do We Use?

At Positive Feedback Software, we primarily use SERIAL (RS232) PRINTERS because of these reasons: 1. Restaurant staff are often careless with printers. Serial printers have cables which screw in. This makes them very unlikely to become unplugged. 2. Restaurants can be large. Serial cables can stretch hundreds of feet without any interference problems. 3. Serial printers are less expensive and therefore represent an excellent value. What Should A Novice Installer Use? If you are a computer novice, select a PARALLEL printer. These are the easiest printers to configure provided that your computer has a parallel port. The POS Store Says I Should Use A USB Printer Not in a restaurant. USB printers are limited to being 3 meters away from the computer they are attached to. They also have no cable clipping mechanism – which reduces their reliability in the field. Finally, USB printers are automatically detected by Windows Plug n Play. This means that if they come unplugged, PnP will redetect them. This can cause the printer to fail at a software level until you reinstall the Windows Driver Software. In short, ARG!

Write Out Your Printing Plan Here is what we recommend doing before setting up spoolers: fill in the chart below: At Station# I Have A Printer Called: Plugged Into Port:

Here’s an example chart after it has been filled in:

At Station# I Have A Printer Called: Plugged Into Port:

1 BAR COM2 1 REC1 COM1 2 REC2 COM1 3 REC3 COM1 3 KIT COM2 If you’ve got this information written out on a piece of paper, it is simply a matter of typing it into the POS Configuration screens. Most people have trouble because they make careless mistakes during data entry.

Golden Rules For All Spoolers Except WINSPOOL & IPSPOOL

FreePOS’s spooler programs write directly to the port that the printer is plugged into. If you load a Windows Printer Driver, the printer driver software will “hold the port open” which causes the FreePOS spooler programs to fail. The spooler programs expect to be the only software using a particular printer port. Golden Rules For IPSpool & WinSpool FreePOS can utilize any Windows recognized printer, however, it is important to load the correct driver for your printer. If you have trouble loading the printer driver that came with your printer, try using the GENERIC TEXT driver that ships with Windows. Load Balancing Print Jobs

FreePOS can sequentially send print jobs to multiple printers. For example, below the KIT spool is balanced on 2 printers named KIT1 and KIT2. The first order that arrives goes to KIT1, the second goes to KIT2 and then the process repeats.

Setting Up A Load Balancer

First, run POS-CFG / Printers / Build Printer Group. The following window will appear. Answer the questions as you see was done below. In this case we are building a group of printers call KIT which consists of 2 physical devices (KIT1 and KIT2).

When print jobs arrive at KIT, you can DUPLICATE them to KIT1 and KIT2 by running: \freepos\prg\mspooler.exe \freepos\spooler\kit.spl

or you can balance them onto KIT1 and KIT2 equally by running: \freepos\prg\balance.exe \freepos\spooler\kit.spl

Conventions

At Positive Feedback Software, we try to make the print spool names consistent from one installation to another. Here’s what we do: Station #1’s Receipt Printer REC1 Station #2’s Receipt Printer REC2 . etc, etc The BAR printer BAR The Kitchen Printer KIT The Salad Printer SALAD The Expediter Printer EXPO The Oven Printer OVEN The Delivery Printer DELIVERY Of course, you can name your print spoolers anything you wish (1-8 alphanumeric characters is the only limit). But try to keep these standard names in mind.

Starting ComSpool

Make a shortcut to this command to start REC1: \freepos\prg\comspool.exe \freepos\spooler\REC1.spl This command tells comspool to read the parameters in the \freepos\spooler\REC1.spl file (it’s just a text file) and start looking in the \freepos\spooler\rec1 folder for print jobs. If you’re not sure what the SPL file is, open one of them with notepad – each SPL file contains the information you keyed into POS-CFG / Printers / Print Spooler Setup. Remember, it is just a text file – nothing fancy! Starting PSpooler

Make a shortcut to this command to start REC1: \freepos\prg\pspooler.exe \freepos\spooler\REC1.spl

Starting WINSpool Make a shortcut to this command to start REC1 spooling to LPT1 \freepos\prg\winspool.exe REC1 LPT1 Make a shortcut to this command to start REC1 spooling to EPSON \freepos\prg\winspool.exe REC1 \\Server\EPSON \\Server\ indicates that the EPSON share is found on the computer whose name is “Server” Start A Workstation

Make a shortcut to this command to start STATION #1 or #2 \freepos\prg\freepos1.exe

\freepos\prg\freepos2.exe

Auto-Starting Any Print Spooler Or Program

When a computer is rebooted, it should automatically start print spooler software without user intervention. To do this, simply drag the DESKTOP SHORTCUTS you have made into the START/PROGRAM FILES/STARTUP folder. See the screen shot below:

� Remember that the shortcuts should indicate the DRIVE LETTER S: in multiple terminal environments that utilize a file server.

Integrated Credit Card Processing

FreePOS has the ability to send credit card transactions to any of these 3rd party software packages:

� X-Charge (CAM Commerce Solutions) � CreditLine (911 Software) � ICVerify (First Data) � CC/Positive (Positive Feedback Software)

Combined, these products allow FreePOS to communicate with almost every processor in the USA. CreditLine is recommended in higher volume fast food and table service/bar environments. It is an exceptionally easy to use product that allows you to negotiate the discount rate directly with your processor. It is priced at $799.95/site X-Charge is recommended for any environment that wishes to reduce upfront costs. X-Charge is freeware. X-Charge does not allow you to negotiate directly with your processor, therefore you must process on Global with CAM Commerce. ICVerify is supported by FreePOS but is no longer recommended for new installations. CC/Positive is a proprietary card processing interface which may be offered by your reseller. Reports are supplied online.

What’s My PIN?

FreePOS requires that a PIN (program identification number) is entered for your site before credit card processing functions are fully activated. A PIN generation fee may be assessed ($49 - $129) depending on which processor & software you are using. Mag Stripe Reader Formats The MSR (magnetic stripe reader) you purchase must be 2 TRACK compatible. 1 and 3 track readers WILL NOT work with FreePOS. It is highly recommended that you purchase your MSR equipment from Positive Feedback Software LLC for best results. Example Scan: %B43122417460512597^SIMPSON/HOMER^0905134000000885000000? ;43202345678997=09051234234585?

Sentinel codes are in bold. Please note that after each track of data, a Carriage Return Line Feed must be present. Magnetic stripe readers that do not natively output track data in this format can be programmed usually. If you need help programming sentinel codes, please contact the manufacturer of your magnetic card reader (commonly abbreviated: MSR or MCR)

How Do Credit Cards Work?

FreePOS generates transactions as you use the POS. These transactions are read by your 3rd party payment processing software. The payment processing software packages the transaction(s) in a format that is compatible with your processor. Then the payment processing software tells FreePOS whether or not the processor accepted or declined the request to process. See the diagram below to see how data flows from FreePOS to your processor:

It is important to note that:

1. Your CARD PROCESSOR determines how much you pay in transaction fees. 2. Your PAYMENT SOFTWARE is the program you will use to batch your transactions each night. � All PAYMENT SOFTWARE supports the acceptance of VISA, MASTERCARD, DISCOVER & AMEX as a minimum.

What’s On The Menu?

FreePOS requires that you organize your menu into four basic elements: 1. Categories A category is an organizational container for menu items. For example, a category called “SOUP n SALAD” would likely have all of your salads and soups in it. 2. Menu Items Items are stored in an “ITEM FILE”. The item file is located in the \FreePOS\Setup\ folder. Every menu item is “in” a category. You cannot create a category without menu items in it. You cannot create menu items that are not in a category. 3. Modifiers Modifiers are quick “phrases & words” which tell the chef how to prepare an item. “Medium Rare” is a modifier. 4. Forced Modifiers Forced modifiers are mandated question/answer scripts which are activated when an item is ordered. For example, if a server orders a steak, a forced modifier might prompt for the meat temperature. There can be up to 150 categories and each category can hold up to 120 menu items. Each category can have up to 90 “default” modifiers which pop-up when you press the MODIFIER key. Each item may have up to three forced modifiers, each with up to 120 choices.

Take The Test – Can You Spot The Modifiers?

In the example below: 1.00 HAMBURGER >> LETTUCE >> TOMATO >> SWISS 1.00 FRENCH FRY >> SMALL The elements of this order are:

HAMBURGER is an ITEM LETTUCE TOMATO Toppings are MODIFIERS SWISS FRENCH FRY is another ITEM SMALL is a FORCED MODIFIER because fries can be MEDIUM, LARGE or SUPER SIZE. Every time FRENCH FRY is ordered, the SIZE must also be entered.

Let’s Set Up A Small Menu

Here is a simple menu that we’ll program into FreePOS.

-Sandwiches-

Philly Cheese Buffy Burger

-Soups-

Soup De Jour Chicken Noodle

-Salads-

House Salad Chef Salad

-Dessert-

Apple Pie Ice Cream

First, let’s identify the elements of this menu: Categories: SANDWICHES, SOUPS, SALADS, DESSERTS Items: PHILLY CHEESE, BUFFY BURGER, SOUP DE JOUR CHICKEN NOODLE, HOUSE SALAD, CHEF SALAD APPLE PIE, ICE CREAM Modifiers: LETTUCE, TOMATO, ONION (PROBABLY MANY MORE) Forced Modifier: APPLE PIE should ask, “ALA MODE? YES, NO” SALADS should ask, “What type of dressing?”

Let’s Make Some Categories

To set up the four categories of our simple menu, click START, FREEPOS V5, POS Configuration (illustrated below).

When you do this, the POS Configuration tool bar will appear:

HINT:

� If you want to change the menu, operational characteristics, user names, or anything about FreePOS - the POS Configuration tool bar where you do it.

Now click on CATEGORIES and MAINTAIN to bring up the CATEGORY EDITOR. (Note: EDITOR is a “computer geek word” that means, “a place where you change stuff”)

Moving ‘Round The Item Editor

The category editor is divided into columns. Each column has a specific purpose. All of the “grids” in FreePOS are similar to Excel, in fact you can even use Excel or OpenCalc to edit your menu! Use the ARROW KEYS on your keyboard and your MOUSE to move the cell pointer. Pressing the ENTER key on your keyboard will move the cell pointer from LEFT to RIGHT. To ERASE A ROW/LINE, click the narrow LEFTMOST column. The block will turn BLACK which indicates that the row will be deleted when the category editor window is closed. You may undelete by clicking the BLACK BLOCK again… just incase you make a mistake!

Word To Your POS & Your POS Says…

Here’s what each column in the category editor is used for: CATEGORY NAME This is the name of the category as you’d like it to appear on the touch screen & reports. ITEM FILE This is the name of the file you would like to store this category’s menu items in. For example, if you enter an item file name of “BEEF”, a file called \FreePOS\Setup\BEEF.DBF will be created. ITEM FILES are particularly useful when you want to swap out one menu for another. For example, you could setup a WINTER MENU with item files that start with “W” and a SUMMER MENU with item files that start with “S”. When it comes time to change to a new menu, you could just change the FIRST LETTER of the ITEM FILE column and re- post the menu. MOD FILE This is the name of the file you would like to store the DEFAULT MODIFIERS for this category in. Often, you’ll only need a single MODIFIER FILE. But if you have a BAR you might want drink orders to pull up a different list of modifiers than food items. The MOD FILE is created in \FreePOS\Setup\MODS\ COLOR FIELDS Use any color a Kindergarten aged child would know. Orange, Red, Blue, White, Black are fine. Mohavi Dusk would not be valid. TIME FIELDS Determine (in military time) when this category is active. 0 – 2400 means “All Day”. 2200 – 0200 means “10:00p – 2:00a” DAY FIELDS Determine the days the category is active

So What Do I Type In?

Okay, here’s what your screen should look like – if you’re keying in the sample menu:

Next, you’ve got to enter menu items into each category. You do this by clicking MENU ITEMS and then MAINTAIN on the POS Configuration tool bar. The first question the ITEM EDITOR will ask is “Which category do you want to edit items in?” Just click a category and click the “EDIT ITEMS IN THIS CATEGORY” button. Easy!

| |__ click here to edit menu items

Let’s Add Some Menu Items Now

The menu item editor is shown below… let’s add the two desserts first (yes, we have a sweet tooth too!)

ITEM FILE NAME SHOWN HERE

The ITEM column is the name of the item you’d like to sell. The KITCHEN column is used for an ALTERNATE DESCRIPTION that prints only in the kitchen when the item is ordered. If your back of house staff speak Spanish, enter the translation. If you leave the KITCHEN column blank, the description in the ITEM column will print in the kitchen.

The PRICE column is self explanatory (we think!) It’s the price the item sells for. The CLS column is the ITEM CLASS. In the owner’s manual you’ll find a complete list of the CLS codes… but the main CLS codes used are: B for BEER, D for DRINK, F for FOOD, L for LIQUOR & W for WINE. PRINTER1 column is the print spooler you’d like this item to print at. The forced modifier fields (FMOD_1-3) are the names of the forced modifier script(s) you’d like to start when this item is ordered. If you’re ready, let’s get started on forced modifiers now!

Let’s Get Tricky – Forced Modifiers

Next, let’s set up the APPLE PIE and set it to automatically prompt the server (waiter=male, waitress=female, waitron=unisex) or tron: “Make this ‘a la mode’” And if the tron presses “YES” we’ll add $1.25 to the price. To do this, pull up the MENU ITEMS / MAINTAIN screen and select the DESSERT category. The following screen will appear:

Scroll over to the column that reads, “FMOD1_FILE”. In this column, make up a name for the “do you want it a la mode” dialog. In our example, we’ll call it ALAMODE. See the screen shot below:

� Make your screen look like this one.

Now Let’s Make A Forced Modifier Script

Next, let’s tell FreePOS what ALAMODE should do. To accomplish this task, select FORCED MODIFIER SCRIPTS and then MAINTAIN from the POS Configuration toolbar as shown below.

Type ALAMODE into the window – because that’s the value we entered next to the menu item:

Click OPEN to proceed to the next steps – which are defining the QUESTION to ask and THE CHOICES available.

Forced Modifier Questions & Choices

The first step is to enter the “question” you want the POS to ask and tell the POS how many choices should be accepted. See the screen show below:

Close the window by clicking the X and the screen below will appear.

Now it is time to enter the choices & prices.

Modifier Groups

Modifiers are quick phrases that are often used during a meal shift. Some of the typical modifiers you might use are: ROCKS, NO MAYO, ADD BACON or NO TOMATO. If you forget to enter a modifier, you can always use the TYPEWRITER key in FreePOS. Depending on which category the server is working in, the modifier group can change (remember the MOD_FILE column in the category editor?) You might use a modifier file of “MODS” on your food items and a modifier file of “DMODS” on your drink categories. To change the modifiers available in a category, make the selection shown below:

An “excel spreadsheet style” grid will appear. Enter the modifiers and their corresponding prices as shown below. Please note that modifiers always print to the printer defined by the ITEM they are modifying.

Repeat All These Steps As Many Times As Necessary

Basically, the rest of our example menu is just data entry. Continue adding menu items and when necessary create a forced modifier. After you’ve got the entire menu entered, it is time to POST the menu. POSTING is the process of sending the menu to all the POS stations. Until you POST (send) the menu, it won’t be active. Post The Menu Baby! FreePOS is designed to operate in a multiple touch screen environment. For this reason, FreePOS was designed to allow menu editing while the POS is in use. You can post/send the menu by selecting GLOBAL and then POST MENU from the POS Configuration tool bar as shown below.

If you have made data entry errors, the menu will not post. If you have done everything correctly it will post.

Some common mistakes people make are:

1. Creating a category but not putting any items in it 2. Creating a modifier group but not putting any modifiers in it 3. Putting a space (“ “) in the ITEM_FILE (CATEGORIES/MAINTAIN) 4. Mis-spelling or not defining a forced modifier script that is referenced by a menu item. All of the above mistakes will prevent the menu from posting but are easily corrected.

Putting Users Into The System

Before you can put the POS system into action, you must tell the POS who will be using the terminal(s). This is done from the POS Configuration toolbar as shown below.

When the USER RIGHTS option is selected, a grid will appear that shows each user’s name and corresponding access privileges. It should be noted that: User names in UPPERCASE are HOURLY and will appear on labor reports. User names in LOWERCASE are SALARIED and will NOT appear on labor reports.

User Rights & Lefts

User rights are “trusted functions” that you allow an employee to perform. Below is a list of the user rights & their meanings:

1. ORDER Is the tron allowed to place a food order or is he a kitchen worker?

2. SPLIT Is the tron allowed to split a check without a manager?

3. TRANSFER Is the tron allowed to transfer a table without a manager?

4. ACCEPT PAY Is the tron pursing their own tables? Don’t check this box if you have a dedicated cashier terminal. Otherwise put a check here.

5. DISCOUNT Can the tron freely offer discounts without a manager’s approval?

6. VOID Can the tron freely void items that have been sent to the kitchen?

7. EXCESS TIP Determines whether tips over 50% may be entered without a manager’s approval.

8. MANAGER Is the tron a manager?

9. REPRINT Is the tron allowed to print the check at any time?

10. EXIT Is the tron allowed to exit the POS system & get to the Windows desktop?.

11. NO SALE Cash drawer opening access.

12. CLOCK IN Is the tron allowed to clock in without a manager?

13. CLOCK OUT Is the tron allowed to clock out without a manager?

14. RUN TRON Is the tron allowed to run a tron report without a manager?

15. MANUAL CC Is this tron allowed to manually enter a credit card number?

16. END DAY Is the tron allowed to run end of day ?

17. IS ACTIVE Is this tron active or on “summer break” ?

18. JOB This is the job file which has in it a list of all jobs and pay rates for this tron. Generally, you’ll have a manager job group, a tron job group and a kitchen job group. The job group files are set up in the POS Configuration Toolbar.

� Just put a check in the user right box to enable permission. Uncheck the box to disable the permission.

User Jobs (Job Files)

When a user clocks into the POS, a JOB FILE is read and the user must select which job they will be clocking in on. The job selected determines the pay rate as well as the labor reporting category. � If each employee in your business is paid a different pay rate, you’ll need a job file for each user. � If you have a tiered pay rate structure, you will need one job file for each tier.

Below, you can see a job file for AMANDA who performs HOSTESS, BARTENDER and WAITRESS jobs.

� MMMMmmmm refers to an 8 digit G/L account number (G/L = General Ledger) or you can enter a labor report heading. All labor will accumulate under each heading. In the example above, the labor accumulated in the three SERVICE jobs are totaled together. � OT Hourly Rate is the OVER TIME rate. � HOURLY JOBS are specified in UPPERCASE letters.

HOW TO ORDER FOOD

1. PRESS CATEGORIES BUTTON TO GET TO THE MAIN MENU 2. PRESS THE CATEGORY YOU’D LIKE TO ORDER ITEMS FROM 3. PRESS THE ITEM YOU WISH TO ORDER

TRAINING POINT:

• NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE, PRESS CATEGORIES TO GET

BACK TO THE MAIN MENU OF THE ORDERING SCREEN

HOW TO FIX AN ORDERING TYPO

THE UP ARROW KEY IS USED FOR BACK SPACING OVER THE MISTAKE YOU JUST MADE. UP ARROW ONLY WORKS ON UNSENT FOOD. AFTER THE ORDER IS SENT, YOU MUST DO A VOID. YOU CAN TOUCH THE ITEM ON THE CHECK (ARROWS WILL POP UP NEXT TO IT) AND THEN PRESS VOIDS. SOMEONE WITH VOID USER RIGHTS (USUALLY A MANAGER) IS REQUIRED TO VOID SENT FOOD. A TRON (WAITER=MALE, WAITRESS=FEMALE, WAITRON=UNISEX FORM OF WAITER) MAY ONLY VOID UNSENT ITEMS.

ORDER ENTRY OVERVIEW

THE ORDER ENTRY SCREEN IS DIVIDED INTO 3 AREAS: THE CHECK PREVIEW AREA, THE ORDER ENTRY BUTTONS AND THE COMMAND BUTTONS.

THE CHECK PREVIEW AREA SHOWS ALL OF YOUR ITEMS AS WELL AS THEIR CURRENT STATUS (S=SENT FOOD, M=SENT MODIFIER, m=UNSENT MODIFIER, _=UNSENT FOOD, D=DISCOUNT, V=VOID) THE SEAT# WILL BE SHOWN IN THE NEXT COLUMN AFTER THE “S”. THE QUANTITY (1.00, 2.00 ETC) WILL BE IN THE 3RD COLUMN. PRICE IS SHOWN IN THE 4TH COLUMN. DESRIPTION IS SHOWN IN THE RIGHTMOST COLUMN. CHECK INFORMATION IS SHOWN JUST ABOVE THE CHECK PREVIEW. THIS INCLUDES SEAT#, SPLIT#, CHECK#, TABLE# AND THE NAME OF THE TRON WHO OWNS THE CHECK.

BUTTON REFERENCE

BUTTON WHAT IT’S

FOR

FREE

EDITION?

BACKSPACE

DELETES THE LAST UNSENT ITEM FROM THE CHECK.

YES

MORE

SHOWS MORE MENU ITEMS OR CATEGORIES

YES

SCRATCH PADDING

ALLOWS YOU TO DRAW A PICTURE (X-SEATING CHART)

YES

SEND

SENDS THE ORDER TO THE PREPARATION PRINTERS. FIRES THE ORDER TO THE KITCHEN.

YES

SPLITS

ALLOWS YOU TO SPLIT A CHECK

16 MAX, 48 WHEN YOU REGISTER.

TRANSFER

TRANSFERS A CHECK FROM ONE PERSON OR PLACE TO ANOTHER PERSON OR PLACE.

YES. MERGE TABLES IS TURNED OFF UNTIL YOU REGISTER.

VOIDS

ALLOWS ANYONE TO VOID UNSENT ITEMS. ONCE SENT, ONLY PEOPLE WITH VOID RIGHTS CAN PERFORM A VOID.

YES

DISCOUNT

DISCOUNT SELECTED ITEMS.

YES

PRINT CHECK

PRINTS THE CHECK SHOWN IN THE CHECK PREVIEW.

YES

PAY OUT CHECK

TENDERS THE CHECK SHOWN IN THE PREVIEW WINDOW.

YES

TAX EXEMPT

TOUCH SENT ITEMS IN THE CHECK PREVIEW AND THEN PRESS THIS BUTTON TO CHANGE THEIR TAX EXEMPT STATUS

NO

QUANTITY

TOUCH UNSENT ITEMS IN THE CHECK PREVIEW TO CHANGE THE QUANTITY ORDERED.

YES

EXIT

RETURN TO SEATING CHART

YES

MODIFY

PULLS UP POPULAR MODIFIERS FOR THE ITEM CATEGORY YOU ARE WORKING IN.

YES

CATEGORY SCREEN

BRINGS YOU BACK TO THE MAIN ORDER ENTRY SCREEN

YES

TYPE A NOTE

ALLOWS YOU TO ENTER A NOTE ONTO THE CHECK (USUALLY FOR THE KITCHEN TO SEE)

YES

OPEN PRICE

ALLOWS YOU TO KEY IN AN OPEN PRICE ITEM.

YES

CHANGE THE GUEST COUNT

CHANGES HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ON THIS CHECK.

NO

REORDER A ROUND

REORDERS THE ITEMS YOU’VE SELECTED IN THE CHECK PREVIEW.

NO

BUTTON WHAT ITS

FOR

FREE

EDITION?

RECIPE LOOK UP

SHOWS THE RECIPE BOOK ON FILE (DEFAULTS TO BAR TENDERS GUIDE)

NO

SEAT#

CHANGES THE ACTIVE SEAT# AND ALLOWS CHECK SPLITS BY SEAT#

NO

CHECK SUMMARY

SHOWS THE CURRENT CHECK TOTALS DUE

YES

ORDER SUMMARY

SHOWS THE CURRENT ORDER’S INFORMATION

YES

HOW TO SPLIT A CHECK

PRESS AND THEN YOU’LL SEE ALL OF YOUR CHECK SPLITS IN A 2 X 2 GRID AS SHOWN BELOW:

TO MOVE AN ITEM:

1. TOUCH THE ITEM(S) YOU WANT TO MOVE 2. PRESS MOVE 3. TOUCH THE � BUTTON OF THE DESTINATION SPLIT

HOW TO SPLIT A CHECK

TO PORTION AN ITEM (REGISTERED EDITION ONLY):

1. TOUCH AN ITEM YOU WISH TO PORTION (LIKE A BOTTLE OF

WINE) 2. PRESS PORTION 3. ENTER THE NUMBER OF PORTIONS 4. THE PORTIONS WILL NOW APPEAR ON THE FIRST CHECK

SPLITS AVAILABLE. HOW TO MOVE PAST 4 SPLITS:

PUSH THE NEXT � BUTTON HOW TO MOVE BACK 4 SPLITS:

PUSH THE � PREVIOUS BUTTON HOW TO DIVIDE THE CHECK EVENLY AMONGST A GROUP OF

PEOPLE (YOU MUST BE RUNNING V5.6 OR HIGHER):

1. PRESS THE DIVIDE BUTTON. 2. ENTER THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE 3. THE CHECK WILL AUTOMATICALLY DIVIDE ONTO THE FIRST

UNUSED CHECK SPLITS AVAILABLE. NOTE: YOU MAY DIVIDE A SINGLE SPLIT AT A TIME AS WELL AS MOVE ITEMS OR DIVIDED CHECK ITEMS AFTERWARDS.

HOW TO PAY OUT A CHECK

EXACT = PAY WITH EXACT CHANGE IN CASH NEXT = PAY WITH CASH (NEXT ROUND DOLLAR AMOUNT) ACCOUNT = CHARGE TO A VIP ACCOUNT BACK = RETURN TO ORDER ENTRY SWIPE CREDIT CARD #1, #2 = RECORD A CARD ONTO THIS SPLIT CHECK = PAY WITH A PERSONAL CHECK GIFT CARD/CERTIFICATE = PAY WITH A CARD OR CERTIFICATE COUPON = PAY WITH A COUPON AUTHORIZE = GET AN AUTHORIZATION USING THE INTEGRATED CREDIT CARD SYSTEM (YOU’LL ADD THE TIP AFTER THE AUTH IS OK) FINALIZE AND CLOSE = YOU ARE DONE ENTERING TENDERS. PROCESS THE PAYMENTS NOW.

SEATING CHART FUNCTIONS

CLOCK IN = PRESS THIS BUTTON TO CLOCK IN AND BEGIN GETTING PAID YOUR HOURLY RATE. CLOCK OUT = PRESS THIS BUTTON WHEN YOU ARE DONE CASHING OUT AND ARE READY TO LEAVE FOR THE DAY. OPEN DRAWER = OPEN THE CASH DRAWER W/O RINGING A SALE GC = GIFT CARD FUNCTIONS PAY IN/OUT = TAKE MONEY/PUT MONEY IN THE DRAWER BAR ORDER = SWITCH TO THE BAR ORDER MODE CARRYOUT ORDER = SWITCH TO CARRYOUT MODE TABLE ORDER = SWITCH TO SEATING CHART MODE FAST = ENTER A FAST FOOD (CASH N CARRY) ORDER

SEATING CHART FUNCTIONS

TABS = RUN A BAR TAB MESSAGES = VIEW TODAY’S MESSAGES FROM THE MANAGER MGR = ENTER MANAGER MODE OF THE POS EXIT = GET BACK TO THE WINDOWS DESKTOP TRON IN/OUT = STAY LOGGED INTO YOUR TABLES IF YOU SEE [Ok] ON THE TITLE BAR THEN YOUR PAYMENT PROCESSING SYSTEM IS VERIFIED. IF YOU SEE [Not verified] ON THE TITLE BAR THEN YOUR PAYMENT PROCESSING SYSTEM NEEDS A PIN# - PLEASE CALL TECH SUPPORT BEFORE USING THE INTEGRATED CREDIT CARD SYSTEM.

QUICK FIXES

User & Manager Override Fixes

If you get the message “MANAGER HAS DONE AN OVERRIDE” and it won’t go away:

1. Press MGR 2. Press RESET USER/MGR and click OK to each default

If you get the message “ANOTHER USER IS USING THIS USER ID AT ANOTHER STATION” and they aren’t, use the procedure above also. Printer Problems

Check that the printer has paper and that the modular plug is attached to the power supply properly. Remove the paper spool & reseat it (when the paper gets low, sometimes the paper detector fails) Cash Drawer Won’t Open

If the printer is turned OFF or doesn’t have paper, the cash drawer may not open. Criss-Crossed Credit Cards

If a tron has run Joes card on Bill’s check and Bill’s card on Joe’s check then you should go the back office and swap the amounts using X-Charge (ADJUSTMENTS / SEARCH) or CreditLine (VIEW MODIFY BATCH). Just swap the amounts & it’ll be ok!

How Do I Learn The Rest Of FreePOS? With over 2,500 features and configuration options, FreePOS is a big program that will take you time to understand fully. If possible, come to one of our FreePOS School seminars… we’d love to meet you! If you can’t get to a FreePOS School seminar, take a look at our website: you’ll find hours of video training, hundreds of tech support questions & answers, 50+ articles about the restaurant industry and the latest edition of the FreePOS Owner’s Manual. You may feel awkward about this next statement but… The best way to learn FreePOS is to “mess around with it” before you go live. Enter orders, run reports & see what happens. If you experiment with FreePOS, you’ll get comfortable with it pretty quickly. But I Have A Question When you have a question or two, send us an email (support is free via email) or give us a call at 540 243-0300. We’re here to help!