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Offline POS: what happens when the internet drops

When the internet drops, each Salo device keeps taking orders, printing tickets and accepting cash on its own, saves every action locally, and syncs it once the connection returns.

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Task by task, during an outage

Some things keep working on the device, some wait for the connection, and one needs hardware we have not shipped yet. Here is each one.

What each task does during an internet outage
Task
Take orders and add itemsKeeps workingSaved on the device right away and queued to sync.
Print kitchen tickets and order summariesKeeps workingOn a printer the device can reach over USB, Bluetooth or the local network.
Take cash and record counter paymentsKeeps workingCash is always available. The bill closes on the device.
See table timers and the floorKeeps workingAs this device knows it. Other devices catch up after reconnect.
QR Ph paymentsWaits for internetNever marked paid offline. Paid only after the provider confirms it.
Guest QR ordering and waiter callsWaits for internetNeeds internet. Guests order through staff until it returns.
Owner reports and menu changesWaits for internetUpdate after the devices sync.
Kitchen screens receiving orders from other devicesNeeds Branch HubNeeds the planned Branch Hub. Until then, print from the ordering device.

How sync keeps orders from doubling

Salo saves every action on the device first and sends it later with a unique ID, so a weak connection can slow sync down but cannot duplicate an order or a payment.

  1. 1

    Saved on the device first

    Every order, item and payment is written to the device before anything is sent. The screen updates right away, online or not.

  2. 2

    Sent with a unique ID

    Each action carries its own ID. If a weak connection makes the device send it twice, the server records it once. Retries cannot create duplicate orders or payments.

  3. 3

    Caught up on reconnect

    When the connection returns, the device sends its backlog in order and pulls whatever changed on other devices.

  4. 4

    Conflicts are shown, not hidden

    If two devices changed the same thing, Salo asks staff to resolve it. It never quietly overwrites someone's work.

The honest limit: devices do not talk to each other during an outage yet

Today, each Salo device works on its own when the internet is down. A waiter's phone and the kitchen screen only share orders through the cloud, so during an outage the kitchen screen will not see new orders until the connection returns.

Branch Hub is our planned fix: a small device on your local network that lets phones, tablets and kitchen screens in one branch keep sharing orders with no internet at all. It is not available yet.

During an outage today

Until then, the reliable path to the kitchen during an outage is a printed ticket from the device that took the order, or a runner.

Printer fallback

Salo treats the kitchen printer and the kitchen screen as backups for each other, so one failing does not stop the kitchen.

  • Screen down or unreachable: print tickets from the ordering device.
  • Printer jammed or out of paper: tickets stay on the kitchen screen and any ticket can be reprinted.
  • Common 58 mm and 80 mm thermal printers. We confirm your model during setup.

What we test before a restaurant goes live

Before any pilot restaurant runs real service on Salo, we test these conditions and do not go live until they pass.

  • Retries on a bad connection never create duplicate orders or payments.
  • Staff can keep taking orders through an 8-hour internet outage on the same device.
  • Reconnect sync works with a large backlog and with conflicts.
  • Payment confirmations can be replayed and reconciled.
  • Restore and rollback work.
  • Printer and kitchen screen fallbacks are written down for your team.

Start with a free pilot: Salo in your restaurant for 60 to 90 days.

We are taking two or three design partner restaurants. You use Salo in real service and tell us every week what works and what does not.

Email us about the pilotWhat the pilot involves

[email protected]. Placeholder address until our domain is live.

  • No card needed
  • No commission on your sales
  • Your data stays yours
Start with a free pilotNo card needed