25 questions to ask in a restaurant software demo

A restaurant software demo should answer a practical question: can this system support the way our people serve, cook, bill, and recover from exceptions? A feature tour rarely answers that on its own. The most useful demos follow a written scenario from a real shift and include the people who will work with the system every day.

Use these questions as a starting point, not a scoring shortcut. Ask suppliers to demonstrate answers where possible. Note what the product does today, what needs configuration, and what remains an unsupported request. For kitchen-specific evaluation, see how to choose a kitchen display system.

Questions about guest and ordering workflows

1. Can a guest browse the menu without creating an account or installing an app, if that is our intended experience?
2. How are tables, counter orders, takeaway, and delivery contexts kept distinct?
3. What does the guest see when an item is unavailable or needs confirmation?
4. How are modifiers, notes, and controlled options shown to staff and kitchen?
5. Can staff assist or take over an order without losing the guest’s context?
6. What tells the guest that an order is received, pending, or needs help?
7. How are menus, prices, and availability published across outlets?

Ask the demonstrator to perform a complete order, including a change. A beautiful menu page is not enough if the correction path is unclear. The service observations in how to audit the restaurant ordering journey help turn known friction into demo scenarios.

Questions about kitchen and floor operations

8. How does an order reach each kitchen station?
9. Can the team see modifiers, timing, table context, and course information together?
10. How are holds, recalls, cancellations, and item unavailability handled?
11. What happens to tickets when the network or a device is unavailable?
12. Can the floor see a usable status without creating misleading promises for guests?
13. How are runners or expediters told where an item belongs?
14. Which alerts can the team configure, mute, or distinguish during a noisy shift?

Request a rush simulation, not only a single ticket. Ask a kitchen lead to narrate what they would do at each screen. If an important action is hidden behind a demo-only shortcut, have the supplier show the normal service route.

Questions about billing, permissions, and records

15. What fields appear on a receipt, and how are they configured?
16. How are split payments, discounts, cancellations, and refunds represented?
17. Which roles can edit prices, reopen a bill, or apply a discount?
18. Is there an approval or event record for sensitive actions?
19. How are outlet identity and user permissions managed as staff change?
20. Can authorised users export or review the reports the business requires?

Do not treat the vendor’s answer as tax or legal advice. Ask your qualified adviser to review the records and configuration your business needs. The restaurant billing software checklist gives a more detailed way to prepare those discussions.

Questions about implementation and support

21. What is the recommended rollout sequence for an operation like ours?
22. Which data can be imported, who verifies it, and how is a correction handled?
23. What training is offered for floor, kitchen, cashier, and manager roles?
24. What are the documented support channels, hours, response expectations, and escalation route?
25. What is the contingency plan if a key device, integration, or connection fails during service?

Demo evidence	Why to request it
Live scenario walkthrough	Shows handoffs rather than isolated feature screens
Role-based login	Confirms the permission model is usable
Sample receipt and report	Lets your reviewers examine actual outputs
Offline or failure explanation	Reveals operational boundaries
Training plan	Clarifies who will be able to run the system

Score fit after the demo, not during it

Assign one note-taker to record evidence and open questions. Immediately after the meeting, ask each participating role what was clear, what felt awkward, and which unanswered risk would disrupt a normal shift. Separate “we liked the interface” from “we saw our workflow work.”

Use a simple rating scale: demonstrated, described but not demonstrated, requires configuration, unclear, or unsupported. Avoid converting a promise into a confirmed capability until the team has seen it in a relevant scenario.

Bring this final checklist

• Provide the supplier with a written service scenario before the demo.
• Invite a floor, kitchen, cashier, and manager representative.
• Ask for a rush, exception, and correction—not just a happy-path order.
• Capture evidence for every important claim.
• Review receipt and record requirements with qualified advisers.
• Confirm training, support, and fallback responsibilities.
• Compare suppliers on demonstrated fit, not a generic feature count.

The strongest demo leaves your team with fewer operational mysteries. It does not need to answer every future question, but it should make the next implementation decision concrete.