Getting started

CafeTally works best when the store, stock forms, supplier receipts, and menu products are connected early. The first setup pass should create enough structure for the dashboard to show useful work instead of empty sections.

Setup checklist

1. Create an account and verify the email address.
2. Open the dashboard and create your first store.
3. Add the store name, slug, contact details, and any notes managers need.
4. Build at least one stock form for the items the team counts most often.
5. Add products and recipes for the menu items where margin accuracy matters most.
6. Connect Square if you want catalog, sales, or inventory automation.
7. Connect Plaid if you want bank-backed finance reporting.
8. Invite team members after the first workflows are ready.

Choose a starting workflow

Start with stock checks if your team is missing items, over-ordering, or relying on chat messages to know what is low. Start with products and recipes if you need accurate COGS, menu prices, or margin reviews. Start with receipts if supplier prices are changing or invoices are not making it back into costing. Start with finance if you need a monthly view of cash flow, P&L, and operating categories.

Store structure

Each store has a public slug that is used by store-specific dashboard routes and stock check links. Use a slug that staff can recognize and avoid names that may conflict with reserved product routes. Multi-location teams should create one store per operating location so stock counts, Square locations, finance data, and team workflows remain separated.

Day-one validation

After setup, open the dashboard and confirm that the feature overview points to the workflows you expect to use. Open Stock to confirm the store and forms are visible. Open Products to confirm recipe setup can begin for the selected store. Open Integrations before relying on Square or Plaid data.