Staff training for cafes and restaurants
Turn your menu, display case and website into daily two-minute drills. Allergen answers tracked separately. Station sign-offs a manager can act on.
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The short version
Trainseed is staff training software for independent cafes and restaurants. You photograph your menu or display case, approve the draft it writes, and your team answers up to six questions in a phone browser before each shift. Allergen questions are required, scored separately from streaks, and kept as a per-person record.
- Status
- Open now
- Daily ritual
- The pre-shift drill: up to six questions, under two minutes
- Where it runs
- Any phone browser, no app to install
- Compliance
- Allergen questions required, scored separately, per-person record
- Price
- $29 or $49 per location per month See pricing
Who this is for
Trainseed is built for independent cafes, bakeries, delis, coffee bars and full-service restaurants with one to five sites and five to fifty staff. No trainer on payroll. The owner or GM is the training department.
The problem it fixes
Turnover runs above 60 percent a year. The menu changes with the season. The person who knew every ingredient just gave notice. Training lives in a binder nobody opens, and the allergen question gets answered with a guess.
What Trainseed builds from your material
What you upload
- A photo of the display case or menu board
- Your menu PDF
- Your website (we read it, we do not change it)
- Prep sheets, recipe cards and opening checklists
How the vocabulary adapts
Stations are the coffee bar, counter and floor, kitchen prep, and till and open/close. Items are menu items with ingredients, allergens and prices. When something is 86'd, the drill knows.
The daily ritual: The pre-shift drill
Questions your team gets
- Roleplay A guest asks if the miso toast has sesame. What do you say?
- Photo identification Which of these three pastries has tree nuts?
- Roleplay A regular orders a cardamom bun. What do you suggest with it?
- Order of steps Put the steps for closing the espresso machine in order.
Compliance, kept separate
Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Rhode Island, Virginia and Maryland require allergen awareness training for restaurant staff. Illinois now wants it within 30 days of hire. Trainseed keeps allergen questions required, scores them separately from streaks, and keeps a per-person record you can pull up when someone asks.
Cafes and restaurants questions
Anything missing? Ask us.
Do I need allergen training for my restaurant staff?
In some states, yes. Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Rhode Island, Virginia and Maryland require allergen awareness training for restaurant staff, and Illinois wants it within 30 days of hire. Trainseed keeps allergen questions required, scores them separately from streaks and points, and keeps a per-person record. Check the current rules for your own state and city; Trainseed is a training record, not a certificate.
Does this work for a bakery or a coffee bar, not a full restaurant?
Yes. A photo of the display case is a perfectly good source; you do not need a printed menu. Stations cover the coffee bar, the counter and floor, kitchen prep, and till and open/close, so a counter-service shop fits as well as a dining room.
What happens when someone new starts mid-season?
Invite them by text or email and they can learn the menu and how you greet people before their first shift. Their starter plan covers Day 1 and their first five shifts, each block opening when the last one is done. You can also assign by role or station so they start with the part of the menu they will actually serve.
What does it cost for one cafe?
$29 a month for one location with up to 20 team members, or $49 a month for one location with unlimited team members, role and station assignment, and scored roleplay. No setup fee and no annual contract. The 14-day trial starts when you sign up, with no card needed.
Can we do this in the pre-shift huddle?
That is what it is for. Up to six questions, under two minutes, one-handed, in any phone browser. It keeps working offline once it has loaded. The weekly huddle pack gives a manager something to print or read out.
Other industries
Retail clothing and specialty
Fabric, fit, care and the story behind each label, drilled before doors open.
Get notifiedBeverage retail
Varietal, region, pairing and the right substitute, for bottle shops and wine bars.
Get notifiedDispensaries
Cultivar, format, onset and dosing, kept current between annual certifications.
Get notifiedGet your first drill out before the next menu change.
Start a 14-day free trial. No card, no setup fee. Photograph your menu and the first drill drafts itself.
Start your free trial
14 days free, no card needed. Pick Solo or Shop when it ends.
Already have an account? Sign in