The way to bring order to food and drink sales in an internet cafe or gaming cafe is for the player to order by QR code without leaving their seat, for the order to reach the kitchen or bar display directly, and for the check to be kept by table or PC number. Splitting the bill with partial payments happens in the same system.
This article covers the food and drink side that you can use alongside your PC time and session management software: what the problems are, the solution flow, setup steps, payment and bill splitting, promotions and what to check when choosing. Time management, meaning turning PCs on and off, charging for time and memberships, is a separate need handled by a separate program; Genu takes care of the food and drink sales, check and QR menu side described here.
Why is food and drink sales hard in an internet cafe?
In a gaming cafe the customer sits in the same seat for hours and does not leave the screen. In a tournament or an intense match they do not want to walk to the counter; but they get hungry and thirsty, and they order. This behaviour differs from a restaurant and creates these problems:
- The player does not leave the seat: Orders are given by voice or hand signals. Staff have to walk from seat to seat and some orders are missed.
- Orders get mixed up: A player with headphones shouts an order, staff mishear it, and the wrong product goes to the wrong PC.
- Bill splitting: A five-person team plays at the same table on different PCs; everyone pays for what they ate, sometimes a shared pizza is ordered, sometimes one person pays for everyone's drinks.
- Night shift: From midnight to morning one or two people run the place; orders, register and hygiene are on the same people. The register is hard to balance at shift change.
- Promotion management: Student discounts, cheap drinks at night, tournament-day bundles are forgotten or applied wrongly when done by hand.
The solution flow: order by QR, order lands on the screen
The solution has four links and each closes one of the problems above:
- Every gaming seat is defined as a table. A table is created for each of PC 1, PC 2, PC 3 and so on, grouped into zones (Main Hall, Tournament Area, VIP). Each seat gets its own QR code.
- The player scans the QR code with their phone. The menu opens with photos and prices, the player builds a cart and sends the order. Nobody has to type or shout, and prices and contents do not get confused.
- The order reaches the register and the kitchen. In Genu every table order waits for waiter or manager approval; once approved it appears on the kitchen or bar display and the kitchen ticket prints. A wrong or fake order does not go straight to the kitchen.
- The check follows the PC number. All orders from that seat are collected on one check. When the player leaves, the bill is closed at the register.
The basic parts of this flow are the QR menu, the kitchen display and the register screen. Below we look at each from an internet cafe point of view.
QR menu: the player orders from the seat
The QR menu is the most critical part for an internet cafe because it takes the order without moving the player. In Genu a separate QR is generated per table; the order from a player who scans the code of PC 7 is written to PC 7 automatically. The menu has product photos, descriptions, options (ice level, sauce, size) and a note field. Several people connected to the same table can add items to a shared cart from their own phones, which makes ordering as a team easier.
There is a safeguard too: if someone outside tries to scan the QR and order while the table has an open check, approval is requested from the current guests or the waiter, which prevents an order from being written to another player's check. The business chooses the table ordering mode: only show the menu, enable waiter calling, or take orders from the table. There is no online payment at the table; payment is taken at the register.
Kitchen and bar display: orders do not get mixed up
Even in a small internet cafe, the kitchen (toasties, pasta, snacks) and the bar (drinks, coffee, energy drinks) can be separate jobs. In Genu the kitchen display works per station: the bar display sees only drinks, the kitchen display sees only food. Each order card has a live elapsed-time counter; as time passes the card turns yellow and then red, so on the night shift you can see at a glance which order has been waiting. Items in an order are taken into preparation one by one, and when the whole table is ready the waiter is notified with one tap.
For small businesses that prefer not to use a screen, a kitchen ticket also prints on the thermal printer. Screen and ticket can be used together or separately. No separate hardware is needed for the kitchen display; it opens in the browser on a tablet or screen.
The check follows the PC number
A check tied to the table number (here, the PC number) is the most useful feature in an internet cafe. A player orders three times in two hours and everything is collected on the same check. Staff can see at the register how much each PC owes. If a player moves to another seat, the check is moved to the new place with table transfer. If a team gathers at one seat, two checks can be merged. A free-text note can also be added to the check, for example "PC 12 tournament team, bill with the captain".
The check holds only the food and drink spending of that seat; that is the amount you collect at closing.
Payment and bill splitting
People search for internet cafe bill splitting for a reason: in team games the bill is always shared. Genu has three splitting methods:
- Equal split: The total is divided by the number of people and collected in turn.
- Split by item: Each player selects the items they took and pays only for those.
- Free amount: Part is paid in cash and the rest by card.
Change is calculated for cash; card is charged on the business's own POS device and recorded in Genu as a payment method. Details are on the split payment page. A house account can also be opened for regular customers and teams; the food and drink spending of a team that pays monthly is written to the account.
Calling a waiter
Not every player wants to order; sometimes staff just need to come over: water, napkins, a wrong product, a request for the bill. The "Call waiter", "Request bill" and "Ask for water" buttons in the menu send a notification to staff with one tap. A cooldown prevents repeated fake calls from the same table. Staff see calls on the waiter screen or as notifications. When one person works the night shift, seeing which table called by its name greatly reduces the need to walk around. See the call waiter page for details.
Promotions: happy hour and student discount
The customers of an internet cafe are largely students and young people, so promotion management directly affects sales.
- Happy hour: A discount that switches on automatically on certain days and time ranges. It is defined by category or product, exempt products can be set, and a seasonal date range can be given. Rules such as a drink discount from 02:00 to 06:00 or a toastie deal on weekday afternoons are set up once and applied to every sale automatically. See the happy hour page.
- Student discount: A discounted price list applies to customers verified through e-Devlet or a student document. See the student discount page.
Because promotion prices are shown in the menu and at the register using the same calculation, there is no argument about a different price on screen and at the register.
Night shift and end of day
Shift handover causes trouble in a business that stays open at night: how much cash should be in the register, who sold what, which check was left open? In Genu the end-of-day report shows cash, card and house account totals separately; the opening cash is entered, the register is calculated live, and at closing the counted cash is compared with the expected amount. Open checks can be put on hold. Staff clock-in and clock-out times are kept in the shift and timesheet records. An offline register is also available so you can keep selling when the connection drops; data syncs when the connection returns (Genu Desktop must be installed).
Setup steps
- Define the seats. In the panel, create zones (Main Hall, Tournament, VIP) and a table for each PC.
- Build the menu. Group products into categories; add photos and options. If you have a paper or PDF menu, you can import it with AI.
- Generate and place the QR codes. Put each seat's QR on the desk, the edge of the monitor or the mouse pad.
- Choose the ordering mode. If you take orders from tables, keep waiter approval on.
- Separate the stations. Assign drinks to the bar and food to the kitchen; place the display at the bar or kitchen counter.
- Connect the register and printer. Connect the thermal printer to the register computer for kitchen tickets.
- Define promotions. Enter the happy hour rules and the student price list.
- Add staff. Create users and permissions for the night and day teams.
- Run a one-day trial. Start with a few PCs, then roll out to the whole hall after feedback.
For general selection criteria for cafe-type businesses, see how to choose a cafe POS. For regulation topics such as indoor areas, see the indoor smoking ban for cafes and restaurants guide.
Selection checklist
- Can the player order without leaving the seat? Does every seat have its own QR code?
- Does the order go straight to the kitchen or bar display, or does staff have to pass it on?
- Can the kitchen and bar work as separate stations?
- Is the check kept by PC or table number? Are transfer and merge available?
- Can the bill be split equally, by item and with a free amount?
- Are happy hour and student discount applied automatically?
- Is there a call waiter and request bill button?
- Does the end-of-day report separate cash, card and house account?
- Does the register keep working if the internet drops?
- Is the plan scope and price clearly written? For Genu see the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Does Genu do internet cafe time and session management?
No. Genu does not turn PCs on and off, charge for time or manage memberships; that is the job of your time management software. Genu takes care of food and drink sales in the same business: QR menu, kitchen display, checks and bill splitting.
What happens when a player orders from the QR menu?
The order is written to the table for that seat and waits for waiter or manager approval. Once approved it appears on the kitchen or bar display and the kitchen ticket prints. Payment is taken at the register; there is no online payment at the table.
Do I need a separate QR code for each computer?
Yes, each seat is defined as a table and has its own QR code, so the order is written to the right PC's check automatically. With the QR design and print studio you can get a bulk PDF and take it to a print shop.
How do I split the bill in an internet cafe?
At the register you can divide the bill equally by the number of people, let each player select their own items, or collect with a free amount mixing cash and card. Details are on the split payment page.
Can one person run the place at night when orders are few?
Yes. Because orders come by QR, staff do not need to walk around; the counter on the kitchen display shows waiting orders and the call waiter button signals only the seats that really need help. With the offline register, sales do not stop if the internet drops.
How do I apply the student discount?
The student customer is verified through e-Devlet or a student document; the student price list is then applied in the menu and at the register for the verified customer. See the student discount page for setup.
If you want to try Genu in your own hall, you can try it free for 30 days; see the pricing page for plan scope.