A trading city running at two speeds
Ghent lives on two rhythms. There is the academic year, with the Overpoort, the Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat and thousands of students still eating late at night. And there is the summer, when the city fills with visitors and the hospitality trade in the centre runs flat out.
That difference shows up in the till. A place in the Overpoort produces a lot of small receipts in few hours, while a restaurant on the Graslei works with longer bills and more table service. The right system is the one that does not force you to reconfigure everything when the season turns.
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Snack bars and cafés in the Overpoort, late hours and small amounts
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Restaurants around the Graslei and the Korenmarkt, table service and terrace
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Sandwich shops and coffee bars near the university and the hospital
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Shops in the Veldstraat and the Brabantdam, with Saturday peaks
When the certified register becomes mandatory
The threshold sits at 25 000 euros excluding VAT per year in meals eaten on the premises. Drinks do not count, whatever share of your turnover they represent. That surprises many Ghent cafés with a small kitchen : the kitchen decides the threshold, the bar does not.
Once the threshold is passed, every transaction goes through the certified register and the customer gets a receipt. Including for a coffee, including at the busiest moment of the evening.
The counter runs over twelve months of actual trading. In a city where summer and the festival week weigh heavily, one exceptional period can push you over without you noticing straight away.
Track your food turnover separately from your drinks turnover, every month. It is the only way to see the threshold coming rather than discovering it afterwards.
Getting ready for the Ghent Festival
Ten days that can make the year, and where every minute at the counter counts. Anyone starting that week with a half finished setup pays for it in queues and in gaps that only surface at closing.
The preparation is not heavy, it just has to happen in time. A trimmed menu, tested equipment and clear instructions about discounts are usually enough to get through the week calmly.
What to sort out before the festival week starts
| Preparation |
What goes wrong without it |
When |
| A trimmed menu with fixed items and rates |
Hunting through a long menu costs seconds you do not have |
Two weeks ahead |
| Cards or codes for the temporary staff |
Without their own identifier an action is no longer traceable |
Before the first shift |
| A second till and a test closing |
A device failing on day one costs a whole evening |
The week before |
| Agreements on discounts and voids |
Otherwise the gap only shows up at closing |
At the briefing |
Temporary staff behind the till
Under the certified register scheme, the VSC card identifies whoever takes the money. If you work with students or flexi staff, that paperwork belongs before the first shift, not after it.
What each person is allowed to do matters just as much. A newcomer should be able to take payments without accidentally voiding a receipt or granting a fifty percent discount. Setting rights takes ten minutes and spares you a painful closing report.
An interface that explains itself helps more than a long briefing. Someone working on their own after five minutes is a queue that stays short.
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A card or code of their own per employee, so every action stays traceable
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Discounts and voids limited to those who answer for them
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A closing report per employee and per payment method
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Items already carrying their VAT rate, so nobody has to choose at the counter
Invoicing companies and associations
Ghent is full of organisations that order on invoice : student societies, colleges, cultural venues, companies having a reception catered. For those customers a till receipt is not enough.
Since 2026 an invoice between Belgian VAT registered parties has to travel over the Peppol network, structured rather than as a pdf. When your till and your invoicing sit in the same tool, that invoice reuses the items and rates from your daily sales.
What Novadesko brings to Ghent
Novadesko brings the till, invoicing, stock and bookkeeping together. Tonight's sales appear in your figures tomorrow morning, with no intermediate step and no file for anyone to import.
For activating the certified register scheme with a control module, the NovaResto offer covers the hardware and the black box. Certification of the system and the FDM distributor agreement are in progress : ask for the current status before planning an installation, especially if you want it finished before summer.
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Receipts and daily closing, with a split by payment method
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Menus and items you can adjust from one season to the next
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Peppol invoices to companies and associations
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Stock that follows every sale, including on a second till
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a certified register for my café in Ghent ?
Only if your turnover from meals eaten on the premises goes above 25 000 euros a year. Drinks turnover does not count towards that threshold, even if it fills most of your till.
Does the Ghent Festival count towards the threshold ?
Yes. The counter runs over twelve months of actual trading, so an exceptional week counts like any other. All the more reason to track your food turnover monthly.
How many tills can I run at the same time ?
As many as the business needs. Each till has its own equipment, but the data comes together in a single closing report for the house.
Can a student take payments after five minutes ?
That depends on your setup. With a trimmed menu, readable buttons and rates already configured, a newcomer only has to tap the item and pick the payment method.
Do I have to invoice a student society electronically ?
If the association is VAT registered in Belgium, the invoice goes through Peppol. For private customers the ordinary till receipt is still fine.
Worth reading too
This page is informative. The rules on the registered cash register system depend on your actual activity and are adjusted from time to time : have your situation confirmed by the FPS Finance or by your accountant before ordering equipment.
