Complete Setup Guide for a Coffee Shop
Your coffee shop runs on speed and repeat customers. People come in every morning for the same latte, grab a pastry on the way out, and you need them to keep coming back instead of trying the new place down the street. This guide walks you through setting up OtoPoint for a coffee shop from scratch — menu, service points, loyalty program, promotions, and team.
By the end, your customers will scan a QR code at the counter or table, order on their phone, earn points on every visit, and unlock rewards that keep them loyal.
A complete coffee shop setup takes about 1-2 hours if you have your menu and prices ready. You can go live with just the menu and one service point, then add loyalty features later.
Step 1: Menu Setup
Your menu should be organized into categories that match how customers think about your offerings. For a coffee shop, four categories cover most setups.
Recommended Categories
Go to Menu Management and create these categories in order:
Hot Drinks
| Item | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | $3.00 | Single shot of our house blend |
| Americano | $3.50 | Espresso with hot water |
| Cappuccino | $4.50 | Espresso, steamed milk, foam |
| Flat White | $4.50 | Double espresso, velvety steamed milk |
| Chai Latte | $5.00 | Spiced chai with steamed milk |
Cold Drinks
| Item | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Iced Americano | $4.00 | Espresso over ice |
| Iced Latte | $5.00 | Espresso, cold milk, ice |
| Cold Brew | $4.50 | 12-hour slow-brewed, served over ice |
| Lemonade | $3.50 | Fresh-squeezed, house-made |
| Iced Matcha Latte | $5.50 | Ceremonial grade matcha, cold milk, ice |
Pastries
| Item | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Croissant | $3.00 | Butter croissant, baked fresh daily |
| Chocolate Muffin | $3.50 | Dark chocolate, fluffy center |
| Cinnamon Roll | $4.00 | Glazed, warm on request |
| Banana Bread | $3.50 | Walnut-studded, house recipe |
Snacks
| Item | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Avocado Toast | $7.00 | Sourdough, smashed avocado, chili flakes |
| Granola Bowl | $6.00 | Greek yogurt, house granola, seasonal fruit |
| Ham & Cheese Sandwich | $6.50 | Toasted ciabatta, smoked ham, aged cheddar |
Option Groups
Create these option groups and attach them to the relevant items:
Milk Choice (attach to all milk-based drinks)
- Regular Milk (default, +$0.00)
- Oat Milk (+$0.50)
- Almond Milk (+$0.50)
- Soy Milk (+$0.50)
Size (attach to all drinks)
- Small (default, +$0.00)
- Large (+$1.00)
Extras (attach to all drinks, allow multiple selections)
- Extra Shot (+$1.00)
- Vanilla Syrup (+$0.50)
- Caramel Syrup (+$0.50)
- Whipped Cream (+$0.50)
Upload a photo for every menu item. Customers are significantly more likely to add items when they can see what they are ordering. Use the Asset Library to upload all your images first, then assign them when creating items.
See Adding Menu Items and Options & Extras for step-by-step instructions.
Step 2: Service Points
A typical coffee shop needs two types of service points: a counter for quick pickup orders and tables for customers who want to sit down.
Counter (Pickup Only)
- Go to Service Points and click Create Printer
- Name it Counter
- Set delivery mode to Pickup only
- Print the QR code and display it at the counter or on a stand near the register
Customers who scan the Counter QR code can only select Pickup — they order, pay, and collect at the counter when their name is called.
Tables 1-8 (Table Service)
Create 8 service points for your tables:
- Create a new service point for each table: Table 1, Table 2, ... Table 8
- Set delivery mode to Table Service (you can also enable Pickup if you want customers at tables to have the option of picking up at the counter)
- Print QR codes and place them on each table — use a stand or laminated card
Use the QR Code Templates feature to brand your QR codes with your logo and colors. A branded QR code on each table looks professional and encourages scanning.
See Setting Up Service Points for detailed instructions.
Step 3: Merchant Settings
Before going live, configure your basics in Settings > Merchant Settings:
| Setting | Recommended Value |
|---|---|
| Business Name | Your coffee shop name |
| Categories | Coffee |
| Delivery Modes | Pickup + Table Service |
| Payment Methods | Cash + Card |
| Working Hours | Mon-Fri: 7:00-19:00, Sat-Sun: 8:00-17:00 |
| Currency | Your local currency |
See Merchant Settings for all available options.
Step 4: Loyalty Program
Coffee shops live and die by repeat customers. A well-configured loyalty program turns occasional visitors into daily regulars.
Points Configuration
Go to Settings > Merchant Settings > Points Settings and configure:
| Setting | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Auto Points | Enabled | Customers earn automatically on every order |
| Rate | 10% | A $5 latte earns 0.5 points — 10 lattes earns a reward |
| Minimum Order | $0 | Even a single espresso earns points |
| Max Points/Order | 50 | Prevents abuse on unusually large orders |
At 10%, a customer spending $5 per visit earns about 0.5 points. After 100 visits ($500 total), they have 50 points. Set your voucher costs accordingly.
See Points System for details.
Welcome Voucher: Free Latte
Create a voucher that new customers receive when they first sign up:
- Go to Loyalty > Vouchers and click Create Voucher
- Configure:
- Name: Welcome Latte
- Type: Free Item
- Target Item: Flat White (or your signature drink)
- Cost: 0 points (free for new customers)
- Limit per User: 1
- Save and activate
This gives every new customer a reason to try your best drink for free. Once they taste it, they are more likely to come back and pay full price.
See Creating Vouchers for the full walkthrough.
Challenge: Visit 5 Times
Create a challenge that rewards consistent visits:
- Go to Loyalty > Challenges and click Create Challenge
- Configure:
- Name: Coffee Regular
- Description: Place 5 orders and earn 50 bonus points
- Goal: 5 orders
- Reward: 50 points
- Active: Ongoing (no end date)
- Save and activate
50 bonus points after 5 visits is a strong incentive. At your earning rate, those 50 points are equivalent to $500 in spending — you are giving them a shortcut that rewards loyalty.
See Creating Challenges for details.
Battle Pass: Daily Coffee
A battle pass creates a seasonal progression that keeps customers coming back over weeks:
- Go to Loyalty > Battle Pass and click Create Battle Pass
- Configure:
- Name: Daily Coffee — Spring Edition
- Duration: 30 days
- Tiers (3 tiers):
- Tier 1 (5 orders): 20 bonus points
- Tier 2 (15 orders): Free Croissant voucher
- Tier 3 (30 orders): Free drink of choice voucher
- Save and activate
Customers see their progress through the tiers in the app, which encourages daily visits to reach the next milestone.
See Creating a Battle Pass for the full guide.
Step 5: Promotions
Happy Hour: 3-5 PM Cold Drinks Special
Drive traffic during the slow afternoon hours:
- Go to Marketing > Promotions (automatic promotions)
- Create a new promotion:
- Name: Happy Hour
- Discount: 20% off
- Applies to: Cold Drinks category
- Schedule: Every day, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
- Recurrence: Daily
- Save and activate
Customers ordering cold drinks between 3 and 5 PM automatically see the discounted prices.
Weekend Pastry Special
Boost weekend pastry sales with a promo story:
- Go to Marketing > Promo Stories
- Create a promo group:
- Name: Weekend Pastry Special
- Recurrence: Weekly (Saturday + Sunday)
- Hours: 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
- Add a story with an image of your pastry selection and text: "Weekend treat — all pastries 15% off before noon"
See Promo Stories for the story editor guide.
Step 6: Team Setup
A typical coffee shop team for OtoPoint:
| Person | Role | What They Access |
|---|---|---|
| You (owner) | Owner | Everything — settings, menu, reports, loyalty |
| Barista 1 | Waiter | Order dashboard, table view, award points to customers |
| Barista 2 | Waiter | Same as Barista 1 |
| Kitchen staff (if separate) | Kitchen | Kitchen display only — sees what to prepare |
Inviting Your Team
- Go to Settings > Team Management
- Click Invite Member for each person
- Enter their email and select the appropriate role
- Share the invite link or QR code
Your baristas use the Waiter role because they need to see orders and interact with customers, but they do not need access to settings or menu management. If you have someone dedicated to food preparation (pastries, sandwiches), give them the Kitchen role so they only see the kitchen display.
See Team Management for the complete guide.
Setup Checklist
Use this checklist to track your progress:
- Created menu categories: Hot Drinks, Cold Drinks, Pastries, Snacks
- Added all menu items with prices and photos
- Created option groups: Milk Choice, Size, Extras
- Set up Counter service point (Pickup only)
- Set up Tables 1-8 (Table Service)
- Printed and placed QR codes
- Configured merchant settings (hours, payments, delivery modes)
- Enabled auto points at 10%
- Created Welcome Latte voucher
- Created Visit 5 Times challenge
- Created Daily Coffee battle pass
- Set up Happy Hour promotion
- Created Weekend Pastry promo story
- Invited baristas and kitchen staff
What to Do Next
Once your coffee shop is live:
- Monitor orders on the Kitchen Display to see incoming orders in real time
- Check loyalty engagement to see how many customers are earning points and redeeming vouchers
- Rotate promo stories weekly to keep the app content fresh
- Adjust point rates after a month based on redemption patterns — if too many customers are redeeming too quickly, lower the rate; if nobody is redeeming, raise it or lower voucher costs
The first week is a learning period. Watch how customers interact with the QR codes, ask for feedback on the ordering flow, and adjust your menu item descriptions and photos based on what you observe.