A Clover install is mostly done before the device is unboxed. The hardware is simple; the account behind it is where the work is. This is the checklist we run on every install, in order, and the training plan that follows it. Owners setting up on their own can use it as is.
Before install day
1. Account and plan. Merchant account approved, Clover plan selected (Essentials, Counter Service, Table Service, Retail Growth or payments-only), dual pricing or interchange-plus configured at the processor.
2. Menu or inventory. Import from the old system’s export or a spreadsheet: items, prices, categories, cost where tracked, UPCs for retail. Build modifier groups (size, milk, temperature, sides, protein) with prices where charged. Combos. Daypart menus and happy hour schedules. Sold-out defaults.
3. Taxes. Rates by jurisdiction, by item where different (prepared food vs packaged), dine-in vs takeout if it differs, tax-inclusive items where used.
4. Employees. Each person with a PIN or fingerprint, roles with permissions: who can void, discount, refund, open the drawer, see reports. Time clock on or off.
5. Printers and kitchen display. Receipt printer on each register. Kitchen printers or Clover Kitchen Display by station, with categories routed (grill, fry, bar, expo). Pickup shelf printer for online orders. Test tickets from every station.
6. Receipts. Logo, business name and phone as the customer will recognize it, return policy line, tip line on printed slips if used, email and text receipt options on.
7. Tips. Customer-screen tip prompts with presets (percentages or amounts), tip pooling rules, tip reporting by employee.
8. Offline mode and connectivity. Offline payments enabled with a per-transaction limit; LTE enabled on Flex and Mini; Station on Ethernet with Wi-Fi backup. Details on Clover offline mode.
9. Dual pricing. Percentage set at the processor, customer display verified, receipt format verified, menu line and signage printed for the entrance and register, staff script written. Details on dual pricing on Clover.
10. Integrations. Online ordering page and delivery integrations, gift cards, loyalty, QuickBooks connector mapped with the bookkeeper, booking app for services. Only the ones you will use.
11. Cash. Drawer starting amount, cash-in and cash-out logging, end-of-day counts.
Install day
- Quiet window: between lunch and dinner, or before opening.
- Hardware placed, powered, connected; devices sync the prebuilt account.
- Test transactions: a card sale, a cash sale, a refund, a tip, a split check, a kitchen ticket from each station, an online order.
- Old system stays available until the first live transactions settle the next morning.
- We stay through the first service.
Training by role, about an hour
| Role | Covers |
|---|---|
| Cashiers, servers | Ring an order, modifiers, combos, split and merge checks, tips, close a sale, reprint receipt, the dual pricing sentence |
| Bartenders | Tabs, pre-auth, transfer, close with tip |
| Kitchen | Display bump and recall, or printer tickets |
| Managers | Voids and refunds, discounts, employee management, 86 items, daily close, reports, dashboard on phone, offline mode behavior |
| Owner or bookkeeper | Dashboard reporting, QuickBooks sync check, statement reading |
The dual pricing sentence, for everyone: “We show a cash price and a card price; the card price covers the processing cost. Which would you like?”
The week after
Check the first settlements against sales. Confirm the QuickBooks entries. Adjust modifier order and printer routing from what the kitchen says. Review tip reports. Confirm offline mode synced correctly if it was used. One follow-up visit or call is standard.
Cost
Setup and training are included with a placed Clover through us. On clover.com the account build is yours to do. The pricing comparison is on the Clover pricing page.