What can come over from Aloha (NCR)
Every restaurant is different, so treat this as a planning map, not a promise. Where a row says “Confirm with your rep,” we could not verify it on a primary Shift4 source.
| What | How it usually moves | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Menu items and prices | Rebuild by hand | Take what your system or dealer can export, then load and review it through Shift4 menu programming. Confirm with your rep what is readable directly. |
| Modifiers (add-ons and choices) | Rebuild by hand | Modifier rules and nesting are captured and rebuilt, then tested item by item. |
| Employees, jobs, and permissions | Rebuild by hand | Jobs, pay rates, and permissions are entered from your records. PINs move through a secure method. Nobody gets broader access than you approve. |
| Customer records | Confirm with your rep | Customer data moves only with your consent and a scope you approve. Ask your rep what can be loaded. |
| Gift card balances | Confirm with your rep | Balances are money you still owe customers. Export the balance report and ask your rep whether and how they carry over. |
| Loyalty points | Confirm with your rep | Points programs rarely map one for one. Decide how existing points are honored and confirm what can move. |
| Reporting history | Export and keep a copy | Past sales and tax reports stay with the old system. Export the ones you need for taxes and audits. |
Menu items and prices
Rebuild by hand
Take what your system or dealer can export, then load and review it through Shift4 menu programming. Confirm with your rep what is readable directly.
Modifiers (add-ons and choices)
Rebuild by hand
Modifier rules and nesting are captured and rebuilt, then tested item by item.
Employees, jobs, and permissions
Rebuild by hand
Jobs, pay rates, and permissions are entered from your records. PINs move through a secure method. Nobody gets broader access than you approve.
Customer records
Confirm with your rep
Customer data moves only with your consent and a scope you approve. Ask your rep what can be loaded.
Gift card balances
Confirm with your rep
Balances are money you still owe customers. Export the balance report and ask your rep whether and how they carry over.
Loyalty points
Confirm with your rep
Points programs rarely map one for one. Decide how existing points are honored and confirm what can move.
Reporting history
Export and keep a copy
Past sales and tax reports stay with the old system. Export the ones you need for taxes and audits.
What to gather before you switch
- Your contract end date and any early termination fee in the current agreement
- A recent processing statement (the monthly bill from your card processor)
- Who owns the hardware: bought outright, leased, or financed, and what happens to it if you leave
- Every integration in use: accounting, payroll, reservations, delivery apps, and loyalty
- Your online ordering setup and the web addresses customers use today
- Gift card liability: the total balance customers still hold, and how it is tracked
- Who sells and services your Aloha system, and what access you have to its programming
- Any franchise or corporate agreement that sets which POS you must use
- A list of custom workflows, reports, and feeds that people rely on
Typical timeline from Aloha (NCR) (planning estimate, varies by setup)
Step 1. Gather your records: About 1 week
Exports, screenshots, statements, and contract dates. Varies with how organized they are.
Step 2. Map and approve: 1 to 2 weeks
Match old settings to the new system and approve taxes, pay rates, permissions, and prices. Varies with menu size.
Step 3. Configure and test: 1 to 2 weeks
Shift4 programs the system, then you run test tickets, payments, printers, and reports. Varies with Shift4 scheduling and hardware delivery.
Step 4. Parallel run: A few days to 1 week
Run slower shifts on the new system while the old one stays available. Varies.
Step 5. Cutover day: 1 day
Pick a slow day, freeze changes in the old system, and switch. Plan for hiccups.
Step 6. First weeks live: 2 to 4 weeks
Watch reports, tips, and payouts against the old system and fix gaps. Varies.
Customized systems tend to need more time to map and test. Expect the longer end of each range, or more.
These ranges are Norvet planning estimates, not Shift4 commitments. Your timeline depends on Shift4 scheduling, hardware delivery, your menu size, and how quickly decisions get made.
Risks and how to reduce them
Something does not work on the first busy night
Run a parallel period on slow shifts, keep the old system available until the new one is accepted, and write down who to call.
Cutover day goes badly
Pick a slow day, freeze menu changes the day before, and have the old system export ready as a fallback.
Staff are not ready
Train the people who use the register on their real jobs, such as server, bartender, and manager, before the cutover date.
Gift card and card-on-file balances get stranded
Get the balance reports first, decide how each balance is honored, and confirm with Shift4 what can move before you cancel anything.
Specific to this switch
A customization nobody wrote down can quietly disappear. Interview managers about workflows they use daily, not just what the settings show.
Who this switch tends to suit, and who it does not
Business types that often fit: Full service, Bar, Multi-unit. This is a starting point, not a verdict. A statement review tells you more.
Often a good fit
- Independent owners who control their own contract and are tired of dealer-dependent changes and costs.
- Restaurants with a clear reason to move, and a manager who can document how the system really runs.
- Operators who can schedule a careful, tested cutover instead of a rushed one.
Probably not a fit if
- A franchise or corporate agreement requires Aloha or another named POS.
- You depend on heavy customization or integrations with no tested replacement.
- Your term or early termination fee makes now the wrong time.
What needs to be compared before you leave Aloha (NCR)
A POS switch is a business-process migration. The safe sequence is source capture, field mapping, owner approval, target configuration, testing, cutover, and acceptance. Do not cancel the source system until the records and workflows you need have been accounted for.
- Menu, modifiers, revenue classes, tax rules, and order types
- Employee jobs, pay rates, and the permission model
- Kitchen, bar, and KDS routing, and any custom workflows
- Back-office reporting, accounting, and payroll exports
- Who has programming access and who services the system
Export this before canceling Aloha (NCR)
- Every menu and modifier export your system and dealer can produce
- Employee, job, and permission documentation
- Tax, discount, and pricing rules
- Sales, labor, and settlement reports
- Screenshots of routing and key settings
- Dealer or service agreement and hardware documents
Watch-outs
Aloha is often sold and serviced through a dealer. Programming access may sit with them.
Deep customization can mean many settings to rebuild and test.
If a franchisor or corporate office mandates your POS, you may not be free to switch.
Reporting and accounting feeds built around Aloha need a tested replacement.
Conversion-path note
Aloha was not listed as a supported conversion source in the Shift4 material Norvet reviewed. Confirm any conversion path with your Shift4 rep before planning around it.
Questions owners ask about leaving Aloha (NCR)
Does Shift4 convert Aloha data?
Aloha was not named as a conversion source in the material we reviewed. Confirm with your Shift4 rep. If there is no supported path, expect a manual rebuild.
Who do I ask for my Aloha settings and exports?
Start with whoever services your system, often a dealer. Ask in writing for menu exports and settings documentation before you give notice.
Can a franchise restaurant switch POS?
Only if your franchise agreement allows it. Many franchisors mandate the POS. Check with them first.
Is there a trial period if I switch to SkyTab?
Trial periods and agreement lengths can vary by offer and by partner. Ask your rep to confirm the trial period and the agreement length in writing before you sign, and ask what it costs to leave early.
Who does what
Norvet is a Trident Merchant Solutions partner. Trident partners with Shift4 (the parent company of SkyTab). Shift4 provides SkyTab and the card processing, and Shift4 programs and installs the system. Norvet helps gather and check your information and coordinates with the partner team.
Also useful: the restaurant processing cost calculator and the POS lock-in test.
Sources
- Norvet POS Migration Extraction Playbook, reviewed 2026-09-13 (Shift4 onboarding form conversion sources)
- Norvet research on Shift4 Dine, 2026-10-07 (pages on shift4.com were not machine-readable that day, so unconfirmed items are marked)
Last reviewed 2026-10-11.