Tabern devices (the Tabern Card, Stand, and Dot) open your website when a guest taps them with a phone or scans the printed QR code. No app needed. This guide covers buying them, setting up the free website that comes with them, and managing each card from Orders & cards (the Orders link in the top bar of the Tabern site when you’re signed in).
Buy devices
Browse the devices in the store section of the Tabern homepage, then open a device to see its product page. Every device is sold in packs:
- Starter — 15 devices, the minimum per device.
- Restaurant — 25 devices, tagged Most popular and selected by default.
- Full House — 50 devices.
The price per device drops at 25 and again at 50. The product page shows the current price per device and each pack’s total. You can also pick any amount from 15 to 99 with Set Quantity. If you land just under a price break, the page offers to add the extra devices, since the bigger pack costs the same or less. Packs count per device: Cards and Dots in the same cart don’t combine to reach a pack.
Select Add to Cart, then Checkout in the cart. The cart may also offer the Tabern Platform plan (the paid plan). It isn’t charged at checkout. Your payment covers the devices only, and you start the plan later from your website’s dashboard (see Billing & subscription).
Check out
Checkout is one page with four sections:
- Contact — your email and a password. A new email creates your Tabern account; an email that already has an account signs you in. If you’re already signed in, you’ll see Signed in as your email instead.
- Delivery — your shipping address.
- Shipping method — options appear once your address is filled in.
- Payment — select Continue to payment, enter your card, then select Pay.
The confirmation page lists what happens next: a receipt by email, tracking by email when the devices ship, activating each card, and setting up your free website. If your account password didn’t get saved during checkout, the confirmation page offers Email me a link to set my password.
Set up your free website
A device order unlocks one free website for your account, and you can create it before the devices arrive. Activating a card unlocks it too, so a card someone gave you works the same way.
Open Account Settings: select your initials in the top-right corner of the Tabern site.
Under My Websites, select the + button (or Create Website if you have no websites yet).
Enter a Restaurant Name and a Subdomain. The panel below should say Free website unlocked.
Select Continue, check the details, then select Create Website.
Every active card you own that isn’t linked yet is pointed at the new website automatically.
The free website stays on the free plan while your account has at least one card (on or turned off) or a device order that hasn’t been refunded. If you lose both, for example by transferring away your last card and refunding your order, the free website goes offline unless it has a paid plan. Your content is kept. Once you have a card or an order again, publish from the dashboard to bring it back. What the free plan includes: Billing & subscription.
Activate a card
Cards aren’t tied to the order they shipped in. Each card is activated on its own and belongs to whoever activates it. There are two ways:
- Tap it — tap the card with your phone or scan its QR code. A new card shows Activate this card. Sign in if asked, then select Activate card.
- Type the code — in Orders & cards, enter the 5-character code printed on the card under Activate a card and select Activate card. You don’t need to worry about O versus 0 or I versus 1.
If you own exactly one website, a newly activated card is linked to it right away. Otherwise it shows as Active · not linked until you choose a venue. If a card is already activated on another Tabern account, ask that owner to transfer it to you.
Choose which venue a card opens
In Your cards, the Opens column has a venue picker for each active card. Pick a venue and the next tap goes there. Change it any time. The card itself never needs reprogramming. You can also tap a card you own that isn’t linked: you’ll get Link this card to a venue with the same picker.
A linked card only opens the website while that website is published. The Taps column counts guest taps per card. Your own taps while signed in aren’t counted. Each website’s dashboard Overview also shows a Card Taps chart once a card is linked to it.
Turn off or transfer a card
- Turn off — for a lost or misplaced card. Guests who tap it see that it’s turned off. Select Turn on to restore it with the same venue link.
- Transfer — enter the new owner’s email. If they already have a Tabern account with a verified email, the card moves right away. Otherwise the card shows Transferring until they sign in or create an account with that email and verify it. They get an email either way. Select Cancel transfer to stop a pending transfer. A transferred card loses its venue link.
Transferring away your last card can take your free website offline. See Set up your free website.
Orders and invoices
Your orders lists each device order with its purchase date, number of devices, tracking (once shipped), and status: Pending, Processing, Shipped, Refund requested, or Refunded. Select Invoice to see the items, shipping, tax, total charged, and shipping address, then Print it if you need a copy.
Orders are matched to your account by email. If an order or card is missing, contact support from Help & Support.
Request a refund
You can request a refund within 30 days of purchase, whether or not the order has shipped. Each order allows one request.
In Your orders, select Request refund next to the order.
Choose a reason and add a note if you like.
Select Request refund.
- There’s nothing to mail back. The cards from that order are switched off for good once the refund goes through.
- An order that hasn’t shipped is refunded right away. Shipped orders are reviewed, and you’ll get an email within 2 business days. A declined request shows the reason under the order’s status.
- If that order was keeping your free website on the free plan and you have no other card, the free website goes offline unless it has a paid plan.
What guests see when they tap
- Linked to a published website — the website opens straight away.
- Linked, but the website isn’t online (unpublished, or no plan that allows publishing) — “[Venue] is coming soon.” If it’s your card and you’re signed in, you also get a Bring my site back online button.
- Active but not linked — “This card isn’t live yet.” If it’s your card and you’re signed in, you get the venue picker instead.
- Never activated — the Activate this card prompt.
- Turned off — “This card is turned off.”
- Refunded or retired — “This card is no longer in service.”
Related
- My websites — create, manage, and delete websites.
- Billing & subscription — free vs. paid, upgrading, and canceling.
- Publishing — put your website online so cards can open it.