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For Cafes

Café POS built for the pace of
cafe life.

Fast ordering for high-volume service. Whether customers sit in or grab-and-go, SmakSpace keeps your cafe flowing smoothly.

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Built for cafe workflows

Perfect for the unique needs of cafes.

01

Quick Counter Service

A self-order kiosk at the counter sends each order straight to the barista screen, milk and extras included.

02

Order From the Queue

Customers order and pay on their phone before they reach the counter, then collect when it is ready.

03

Coffee Modifiers

Milk types, sizes, shots, temps - all the variations your customers expect.

04

Sit-In or Takeaway

Easily distinguish dine-in orders from takeaway cups.

05

Order Ready Alerts

The order page on the customer's phone shows when it is ready, and anyone who left an email gets a ready message.

06

Fast Payments

Guests pay on their own phone, with Apple Pay or Google Pay through Stripe. Keep the queue moving.

Peak hour ready

Survive the morning rush.

The 7-9am rush can make or break your day. SmakSpace helps you serve more customers, faster.

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Mobile ordering reduces counter congestion

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Orders placed from the queue spread the morning load

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KDS keeps baristas organized

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One less staff member taking orders = one more making coffees

Your menu, your way

All the customizations customers expect.

Set up your coffee menu with all the variations your customers expect. Fill in our CSV template, or point your phone at the board and let the AI put the list together for you to tidy — then we set up the milks, sizes and shot options with you.

Coffee Drinks

  • Espresso, Long Black, Americano
  • Flat White, Latte, Cappuccino
  • Mocha, Hot Chocolate
  • Iced Coffee, Cold Brew

Customizations

  • Milk: Full, Trim, Oat, Almond, Soy
  • Size: Regular, Large
  • Extra shot, Decaf
  • Syrup flavors

Food & More

  • Cabinet food, Pastries
  • Breakfast items
  • Lunch options
  • Retail beans & merchandise
Café FAQ

What NZ café operators ask before switching POS.

Fast service at peak (the 7-9am rush), modifier handling (milks, sizes, extra shots, syrups), phone and QR ordering so commuters skip the queue, native loyalty (punch cards or points), Xero sync with correct GST, and working alongside your NZ EFTPOS terminal. On SmakSpace, online and QR ordering, modifiers and Xero are on Starter (NZ$49/mo); the self-order kiosk, kitchen display and loyalty are on Professional (NZ$99/mo).
A customer scans the QR (a counter sign, the shopfront window or a table card) and orders on their phone, paying online or at the counter, whichever you allow. With orders set to confirm automatically, the ticket reaches the barista screen straight away, so they can walk in and collect without queueing. Especially useful for the 9am commuter wave that doesn't want to stand in line.
Yes. SmakSpace loyalty is native on Professional and Enterprise — digital punch cards ("buy 9 coffees get the 10th free"), points-per-dollar, tier rewards and birthday automation. No second subscription to Marsello or Regulr — see /marsello-alternative-nz if you're consolidating from a standalone loyalty app on top of your POS.
KDS routes eggs to grill, coffees to the bar, and sweet items to cold-prep automatically, by menu category. Tickets queue oldest first, each with a running timer that turns amber at 10 minutes and red at 20. If the 11am-1pm weekend brunch wave gets ahead of the kitchen, switch ordering off in your settings until you catch up, or turn auto-confirm off so each new order waits for a staff confirmation before it reaches the kitchen. SmakSpace does not cap incoming orders on its own.
A tablet or laptop for the counter, a kitchen / barista screen for the KDS (any tablet works), and your existing NZ EFTPOS terminal. No proprietary hardware — SmakSpace runs in any modern web browser, so you can repurpose what you already have rather than buying new tills.
Bustle is iPad-led café POS with paid add-ons for digital receipts and loyalty — see /bustle-alternative-nz for scope comparison. Lightspeed is the post-Kounta café POS with AUD billing and a 1.5% surcharge reported by many NZ operators — see /lightspeed-alternative-nz. SmakSpace is free to start (a hosted QR menu, NZ$0 forever), then bundles the same scope on flat NZD pricing from NZ$49/mo when you take orders — commission-free, no processing-fee markup.
Yes. Retail items live in the same menu structure as coffee — categorise as "Retail", "Beans" or "Merch", set stock (optional), and customers add them to a kiosk or QR order alongside food and drinks. Gift cards are a roadmap item — see /pricing for the up-to-date module status before signing.
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NZ comparison & migration resources

Comparing systems or switching from another POS? Start here.

Best Cafe POS — 7-system comparison Cafe POS in Auckland Lightspeed Alternative Shopify POS Alternative POS Software Built for Hospo How Much Does POS Cost in NZ?

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