A POS migration checklist keeps a change from becoming a crisis. Work in weeks: contract and data first, then menu and settings, then devices, then people, then the go-live day, then the first week. Print the web version, tick items off and name one owner for each line.
How to use this list
The short printable version is on the checklist page. This article explains the reasoning for each week so you can adapt the list to your restaurant. Give each line one owner and a date.
Week 1: contract and data
Find the contract end date and the notice window. Write down what happens to the hardware. Export what you can: menu, guest list, gift card balances, sales history for the last year. Gift card balances matter most, because guests will expect them to carry over.
Ask the new vendor what data it can take in and in what form. Ask also what you can take out later. Terms for exporting your data should be in writing. Zorveta One is writing its own export terms and does not state them yet.
Week 2: menu and settings
Rebuild every item and modifier. Enter tax rates and check them with your accountant. Map printers and stations. Enter staff and roles with the rights each needs: who may void, who may refund, who may change a price.
Week 3: devices and network
List every device with its model and location. Check your internet speed at rush hour, not at midnight. Decide on a backup plan for an outage and write it down. Test each printer with a real ticket, and run a small card payment on each terminal.
Week 4: people
Book one training session per shift. Print a one-page guide for the five tasks most staff do. Choose a lead per shift. Tell regular guests the date. Name the person the team will call on day one.
Go-live day
Pick a quiet day. Staff an extra person. Keep the old system's reports available. Run the first orders slowly. Check that the first ticket reaches every station.
First week
Compare end-of-day totals with your old reports. Review voids and comps for odd patterns. Collect each shift's three biggest annoyances and fix them. Check that gift cards and loyalty balances moved correctly.
Read next
How to switch restaurant POS systems covers the reasoning, and the switch guide gives the week-by-week plan.