Skip to main content

Cafe and coffee bar hardware guide for agents: what to recommend and the edge cases

The preferred Stackably hardware for a cafe or coffee bar: the P3 MIX on its swivel cradle, when to step up to a T3, cup labels without a network, when a barista printer brings Ubiquiti, and field edge cases.

A
Written by Aubrey Stuart

This guide is for agents quoting hardware for a cafe, coffee bar, bakery counter, juice bar or tea shop: a counter where orders are taken fast, drinks and food are made a few steps away, and tips matter. For the full catalogue of devices and the rules behind every quote, see Stackably hardware options and bundles (Sunmi).

The short version

  • Start with a P3 MIX on its swivel cradle. Built-in receipt printer, swivel to the customer for the tip prompt, no network required.

  • Cup labels or order tickets within reach of the counter: a label printer or network printer by USB. No Ubiquiti.

  • A ticket printer at a station a USB cable cannot reach is on our network, and that brings Ubiquiti. Only quote it when the bar or kitchen is truly away from the counter device.

  • Big menu, long line, or the owner wants a station: step up to a T3.

  • Line busting at the morning rush: a P3H, as an upsell.

The builds to quote

Preferred

Step up

Terminal

P3 MIX on swivel cradle

T3

Customer-facing / tip prompt

Swivel the device. Optional 6.7" CFD if they want a fixed customer screen.

11" CPad Pay or 10.1" CFD + P2 SmartPad, merchant's preference

Receipts

Built in

Built in

Cup labels / order slips at the counter

Label printer or network printer by USB (optional). No network.

Label printer or network printer by USB (optional). No network.

Cash drawer

Sunmi MAX or third-party drawer

Sunmi MAX or third-party drawer

Ubiquiti network

Not required

Not required

Best for

Most cafes. Compact counter, one or two people working, tips on every order.

Large menus with many modifiers, busy multi-barista counters, owners who want a fixed station with a big screen.

Upsell for either build: a P3H for line busting during the rush. Runs on the cafe Wi-Fi. Offer it; do not add it by default.

The network rule, in cafe terms

Cafes are where agents most often add a network they did not need. The rule is about where the printer sits, not which printer it is:

  • Printer at the counter, plugged into the terminal by USB → no Ubiquiti. Most espresso bars are within a cable's reach of the register. A label printer (cup labels) or a network printer (order slips) on USB at the bar end of the counter covers them.

  • Printer somewhere a USB cable cannot reach → Ubiquiti. A food printer in a back kitchen, a ticket printer at a bar on the far wall, or a KDS. Quote the network printer, the Ubiquiti network ($10 per month) and the 5G backup ($20 per month).

  • Label printer on the merchant's own router → no Ubiquiti, but our support team cannot remote into it. Setup may recommend Ubiquiti for that reason; the merchant can opt in.

Accessories for cafes

Swivel cradle. Ships with every P3 MIX. The merchant turns the device to the customer for the tip prompt and signature, then back. Most cafes need nothing else for the customer side.

6.7" CFD. Optional fixed customer display for the P3 MIX, at an additional charge. For cafes that want the customer to watch the order build and tip without the device moving.

Label printer. Sunmi 80mm label printer. Cup labels, order slips, bakery case tags, and receipts if needed. USB to the terminal or Ethernet to the merchant's router; no Ubiquiti. P3 MIX, T3, D3 Pro.

Network printer. By USB at the counter for order slips, no network. On our network only when the station it serves is out of a USB cable's reach; then Ubiquiti and the 5G backup go on the quote. P3 MIX, T3, D3 Pro.

Cash drawer. Sunmi MAX or the third-party drawer we resell (confirm the model with the Stackably team). The Mini is no longer offered. P3 MIX, T3, D3 Pro.

Scanner. Only if the cafe sells packaged retail (bags of beans, merchandise) by barcode. The label printer's built-in scanner covers it; otherwise the handheld scanner with base.

Scale. Brecknell 6702U-30 for selling beans or bakery by weight. P3 MIX, T3, D3 Pro.

Edge cases

"They want the barista to see orders without walking to the register." If the espresso bar is within a USB cable of the register, a label printer or network printer on USB at the bar end prints a cup label or slip per drink; no network. If the bar is across the room, that printer runs on our network and brings Ubiquiti.

"They have a small kitchen in the back making sandwiches." That is a network printer away from the counter: quote it with Ubiquiti and the 5G backup. Once the network is on the quote, a D3 Pro at the counter is also a natural fit.

"They want the customer to tip without the barista handing them the device." Add the 6.7" CFD to the P3 MIX, or step up to a T3 with CPad Pay or CFD + SmartPad.

"The morning line goes out the door." Upsell a P3H for line busting. Runs on the cafe Wi-Fi, no SIM. Orders taken on the P3H print to the same USB label printer at the counter or the same network printer.

"They want a station but the espresso bar is between the register and the customer." T3 with the 10.1" CFD + P2 SmartPad. The SmartPad is a separate device that can sit where the customer actually pays.

"They do a farmers market on weekends." Add a SIM card ($20 per month) to the P3 MIX, or sell a P3H + SIM as the market device. Orders still flow to the cafe's printers through the cloud if the cafe is on Ubiquiti.

"Their Wi-Fi drops." The P3 MIX cradle and the T3 can be wired by Ethernet. A P3H cannot; for a P3H the answer is a SIM card. Ubiquiti remains optional unless a printer is placed away from the counter.

"They want a D3 Pro." Fine, but it has no built-in printer. Add a network printer or label printer by USB beside it; no network needed. If a kitchen network printer is already on the quote, the receipt printer can live anywhere on that network too.

"They sell beans by the pound." Add the Brecknell scale to the P3 MIX or T3.

"Two cafes under one owner." One location, one quote. Each location gets its own devices; a network is quoted per location only where required.

Quick answers

Which terminal? P3 MIX on the swivel cradle. T3 for big menus or a fixed station.

Do cafes need Ubiquiti? Not unless a printer or KDS sits somewhere a USB cable to the terminal cannot reach.

Cup labels? Label printer by USB at the counter. No network required.

Tip prompt? Swivel the P3 MIX. Add the 6.7" CFD if they want a fixed screen.

Second device? Offer a P3H for line busting. Upsell only.

5G backup? Only when Ubiquiti is on the quote.

Did this answer your question?