1. What is Toast’s Offline Mode?
Toast POS devices automatically switch to Offline Mode if the restaurant experiences local network, ISP, or cloud-service disruptions. This enables restaurants to keep serving during unforeseen interruptions.
2. Orders, tickets, payments: no interruption
Even offline, staff can continue:
- Accept orders and print kitchen tickets or receipts (to configured backup printers) doc.toasttab.com
- Process credit and debit cards (recording encrypted card data for later authorization)
This ensures minimal disruption to front-of-house operations.
3. Offline card payments: what to know
Toast encrypts and stores offline payment data, submitting it when connectivity returns.
Best practice: reconnect within 24–72 hours to reduce chargeback risk.
Tip: Set offline transaction limits and enable manager approval—especially in quick-service environments.
4. Smart local sync keeps devices talking
With Offline Mode with Local Sync, one Ethernet-connected device acts as a local hub, maintaining communication among onsite devices — ideal during internet or cloud outages.
5. Clear visual cues & staff guidance
Toast uses color-coded banners (yellow for ISP issues, orange for cloud outages) and pop-up messages—after a 40-second buffer—to prompt staff with guidance like “What you can/can’t do”.
6. Best practices for smooth recovery
- Have staff use one device during offline periods and avoid reinstallation, cache-clearing, router resets, or log-outs.
- Print merchant receipts and consider a cellular backup stick.
- Post-outage: let Toast sync all data, including orders and payments.
7. Know the limits
Some features aren’t available offline:
- Guest data, gift cards, loyalty redemption
- Clock in/out from separate devices or shift reviews
- EMV chip-card processing
Though limitations exist, Offline Mode maintains service continuity—even during network or cloud issues.
8. Why it matters for your business
Maintaining service during outages safeguards guest experience and minimizes revenue loss. Toast’s Offline Mode is designed to let restaurants continue operating reliably, with intuitive visual alerts and clear do’s and don’ts.
9. Wrapping up
Connectivity hiccups happen—but they don’t have to stop your operations. Toast’s Offline Mode brings resilience to your POS system, protecting against short-term disruptions while you get back online.
If you’d like to explore how Toast’s Offline Mode could benefit your location—or want help setting it up—fill out our contact form and we’ll guide you through every step.
