Clover is easy to learn and full of small things nobody shows you. This is the working manual: the tasks that come up every day, each in a few steps. Device buttons vary slightly by generation; the app names and flow are the same on Station, Mini and Flex.
Where things are
| App | What it does |
|---|---|
| Register, or Dining on the Table Service plan | Ring sales, tabs, tables, split checks, discounts |
| Transactions | Find any payment: void, refund, reprint, add tip |
| Orders | Open, saved and completed orders; online orders |
| Inventory | Items, categories, modifiers, prices, tax, availability |
| Employees | Staff, roles, PINs, permissions, time clock |
| Reporting | Sales, items, tips, taxes, payments by tender, by period |
| Setup | Business info, receipts, tips, taxes, payments, printers, offline mode |
| Diagnostics | Printer status, connectivity, queue |
| Dashboard (web and phone app) | All of the above, plus exports and app management |
Sales
Ring a sale. Register, tap items (modifiers prompt as you add), tap Pay, choose tender. Card: the customer taps, dips or swipes on the customer screen or Flex and picks a tip. Cash: enter the amount tendered; the drawer opens.
Discount. In the order, tap the item or the order total, Discount, choose or enter one. Permissions can restrict who can discount.
Split a check. In Dining, or in Register on the order screen: Split, by item, by seat, by amount or evenly. Each split pays separately.
Start a tab. Register or Dining: start the order, tap the tab option, name it or swipe the card to pre-authorize (if enabled on your account), save. Reopen from open orders to add rounds. Close with payment and tip.
Hold and recall. Save an order to the open orders list; recall it from Orders.
Reprint a receipt. Transactions, select the payment, Reprint or Send (email or text).
Add a tip after the sale. Transactions, select the payment, Add Tip, enter, confirm. Only before the batch closes.
Void or refund. Transactions, select the payment, Void (before batch) or Refund (after). Full steps on Clover refunds and voids.
Menu and inventory
Add an item. Inventory, Items, Add: name, price, category, tax rate, attach modifier groups. Saves to every device within a minute or two.
Add a modifier group. Inventory, Modifiers, Add group (size, milk, temperature), add modifiers with prices, set minimum and maximum selections, then attach the group to items.
Change a price. Inventory, find the item, edit the price. For a whole category, use the dashboard’s bulk edit.
86 an item. Inventory, item, toggle availability off. Comes off register, kiosk and online ordering. Turn it back on the same way, from the phone app if you are off site.
Categories and printer routing. Categories organize the register; printer routing (Setup, Printers, or in the category settings) sends each category to the right kitchen printer or display.
Employees
Add an employee. Employees, Add: name, role, PIN. Roles: Employee, Manager, Admin, or custom roles with specific permissions.
Permissions. Edit the role: voids, refunds, discounts, opening the drawer, viewing reports, editing inventory. Cashiers should not have void and refund without a manager override.
Time clock. Setup, or the Time Clock app: staff clock in and out with their PIN; reports show hours.
Tip reports. Reporting, Tips, by employee and period, for payout.
Closing the day
Tips. Adjust any printed-slip tips in Transactions before the batch.
Batch. Closes automatically at the set time. To close manually: Transactions or Closeout, Close Batch, confirm.
Drawer. Cash app or Closeout: count the drawer, record cash in and out, note the variance.
Closeout report. Reporting, Sales Overview for the day: sales by tender, tips, tax, discounts, refunds. Email it to yourself from the dashboard.
Reports and exports
Reporting on the device shows the essentials. The dashboard has the full set: sales by period, item sales, category sales, employee sales and tips, taxes collected, payments by tender, refunds, discounts. Export any report to CSV. For automatic posting to QuickBooks, see Clover QuickBooks integration.
Settings you should know exist
- Receipts. Setup, Receipts: logo, header and footer text, tip line, email and text options.
- Tips. Setup, Tips: presets, percentage or amount, on the customer screen or printed slip.
- Taxes. Setup, Taxes: rates and which items they apply to; tax-inclusive items.
- Offline payments. Setup, Payments, Offline Payments: enable and set a limit. Details on Clover offline mode.
- Order types. Dine in, takeout, delivery, each with its own tax and printing behavior.
- Scheduled restart. Under device settings on newer firmware; a nightly restart keeps devices fast.
What Clover cannot do from any of these apps
Change your processing rate, explain a fee, find a missing deposit, or cancel your account. Those are your processor’s or dealer’s. The split of who handles what is on the Clover support page.