Singapore restaurant POS: frequently asked questions
These are the questions Singapore F&B operators ask most when evaluating MakanCloud — pricing and trials, setup time and hardware, GST/IRAS and PDPA compliance, offline resilience, rostering and multi-outlet operations, data isolation and support. Every answer reflects capability that is live in the product today.
Product overview
- What is MakanCloud?
- MakanCloud is an all-in-one restaurant POS and operations platform for Singapore F&B chains. It brings POS checkout, QR self-ordering, central kitchen, delivery and staff scheduling into one system, with GST/IRAS and PayNow support.
Pricing & trial
- How much does a restaurant POS system cost in Singapore?
- Pricing is transparent across four plans, from S$59/month (Starter) to S$299/month (Enterprise), chosen by outlet and POS-terminal scale. A 14-day free trial is included and no credit card is required.
- Is there a free trial, and do I need a credit card?
- Yes — there is a 14-day free trial and no credit card is required to sign up. You can create an outlet, add products and start selling right away, then pick a plan any time before the trial ends; subscriptions and invoices are handled by Stripe.
- Which plan should I choose for 3 outlets?
- For 3 outlets, Pro (S$129/month) is the right fit — it covers 5 outlets and 10 POS terminals. Beyond 5 outlets, move to Growth (S$199/month, 15 outlets / 30 terminals), or Enterprise for unlimited scale. Plan limits are enforced by the system and you can upgrade at any time.
- Do you charge per outlet or per terminal?
- You pay one flat monthly plan fee — there is no separate per-outlet or per-terminal surcharge. Each plan includes a set number of outlets and POS terminals, and adding more within that allowance costs nothing extra.
Getting started & hardware
- How long does it take to go from sign-up to taking my first order?
- After self-serve sign-up you can create an outlet, add products and start selling in about 5 minutes; higher plans include guided onboarding and on-site printer installation.
- What hardware and printers do I need?
- MakanCloud runs in the browser with no proprietary terminal; it connects to standard network receipt and kitchen printers (ESC/POS) via a local print bridge, and supports cash drawers and barcode scanners.
- Do I need to install software, and does it work on a tablet?
- No installation is needed — MakanCloud runs in the browser, so any computer or tablet with a modern browser can act as a till. The only component installed on the shop machine is the print bridge that talks to your local network printers, and it ships with a one-click Windows installer.
- Can I keep using my existing receipt printer?
- Yes, if it is a network printer that speaks ESC/POS you can keep it — no hardware swap required. Receipt printers, kitchen station printers, cash drawers and barcode scanners all connect through the local print bridge, and you can route different stations to different kitchen printers.
- Will someone come to my shop to set it up?
- Higher plans include guided onboarding and on-site installation at your shop, covering printer wiring and static IP setup. We also support remote troubleshooting, so common printing and network issues can be diagnosed and fixed without a site visit.
Singapore compliance
- Is it GST/IRAS-compliant and does it support PayNow?
- Yes. Receipts follow IRAS requirements with a dynamic GST number and exportable monthly GST reports; electronic payments support PayNow QR and card terminals via YeahPay.
- Can I export a GST report for my filing?
- Yes — the system produces an IRAS-aligned monthly GST report with CSV export. Receipts carry your own GST registration number dynamically, and sales, payment methods and tax amounts can be summarised for any month.
- Where is my data stored, and is it PDPA-compliant?
- Your data is stored on servers in Singapore and operated by a local team. Personal data of customers and staff is handled under the PDPA framework, with multi-tenant row-level isolation and an audit log covering account actions.
Day-to-day operations
- Does it work for multi-outlet chains and central kitchens?
- Yes. MakanCloud supports multi-outlet ordering, central-kitchen purchasing and production, sorting, dispatch and outlet receiving as one flow — all outlets in one back office, with row-level data isolation per tenant.
- Can customers scan a QR code at the table to order themselves?
- Yes. Guests scan a table QR to self-order without logging in; after payment the order flows to the kitchen display and prints. Both counter checkout and table-service modes are configurable per outlet.
- Can it keep taking orders if the internet goes down?
- Yes. The POS keeps taking orders and payments offline; a local queue syncs automatically once back online using idempotency keys, with no duplicates or lost orders.
- Does it integrate with GrabFood or Foodpanda?
- MakanCloud includes its own built-in delivery dispatch and driver management for end-to-end tracking of your own deliveries. Direct integration with third-party aggregators such as GrabFood and Foodpanda is on the roadmap and not yet available.
- Can it handle staff rostering?
- Yes — a built-in scheduling solver generates monthly rosters automatically from skills, staffing requirements, holidays and working-hour rules. Staff get their own portal to view published shifts and submit leave or shift-swap requests, which managers approve before publishing.
- What kinds of F&B businesses is it built for?
- MakanCloud is built for F&B brands running multiple outlets, or a central kitchen supplying those outlets, and it supports both counter-service and table-service setups. A single shop can start on the Starter plan and simply move up as outlet count grows.
- Can I rent out cold-room space to a third party?
- Yes. The platform supports third-party cold storage: products, outlets and accounts can be tagged by owner, and the third party gets a dedicated portal showing only their own stock, receipts and orders — never your business data. This is an advanced option enabled per merchant.
Data & support
- Is my data isolated from other merchants?
- Yes. The platform uses multi-tenant row-level isolation with a security audit every sprint, verified for zero cross-tenant data leakage.
- Is my data backed up automatically?
- Yes — the system backs up automatically every night and keeps 14 days of history. On top of that, orders taken while the POS is offline are stored locally and replayed with idempotency keys once connectivity returns, so nothing is lost to a network drop.
- Does it support both English and Chinese?
- Yes — the entire system switches between English and 中文 with one tap, so each staff member can work in their own language. Printed picking sheets and order slips are always bilingual, so English- and Chinese-speaking staff can share the same document.
- How do I get support when something goes wrong?
- An AI support assistant is built into the product for instant answers on features and how-tos, and it hands over to a human when it cannot help. Human support comes from the local Singapore team, or you can email [email protected] directly; higher plans include priority and dedicated support.
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