Last updated: Apr 8, 2026, 10:12 AM
Welcome to xtraCHEF by Toast. We're excited to be working with you!
Our onboarding journey is carefully designed to help ensure a successful implementation of xtraCHEF. As part of that journey, your main point of contact will be your xtraCHEF Onboarding Consultant. They are the xtraCHEF product experts who will schedule your initial training sessions and offer guidance as you work towards implementing xtraCHEF.
Below is an outline of the onboarding process. We recommend completing the following activities to fully implement xtraCHEF. Please use this checklist as a guide. While the activities are presented in sequential order, many can be worked on simultaneously.
To ensure you get the most out of xtraCHEF, there are a few things you'll need to do to set your organization up for success. We're with you every step of the way; reach out to your xtraCHEF specific Onboarding Consultant with any questions you may have.
We recommend syncing with your accounting system to utilize xtraCHEF’s accounting syncs and align financial reporting with your business's chart of accounts (COA). This step is required to utilize xtraCHEF’s accounts payable automation and more advanced reporting. However, syncing with your accounting is not required to use xtraCHEF’s Recipe and Inventory functions.
If you're a QuickBooks customer, look at our guides to connect xtraCHEF and QuickBooks: QuickBooks Online Integration or QuickBooks Desktop Integration. Some things to note for users with multiple QuickBooks Online accounts with multiple xtraCHEF locations within a single tenant:
Not a QuickBooks customer? Please reach out to your xtraCHEF Onboarding Consultant with the chart of accounts from your accounting system. Your Onboarding Consultant can upload these to xtraCHEF on your behalf.
When you’re first getting started, much of your xtraCHEF account will be a blank slate - ready to be customized around your unique restaurant. To fully tailor xtraCHEF to your operation, you can begin by:
The First Steps webinar provides a comprehensive overview of exactly what you need to do to begin using xtraCHEF - primarily uploading invoices, mapping GL (general ledger) codes, and more.
We recommend attending a live webinar for the opportunity to interact directly with an xtraCHEF expert and other new customers. If you don't see a time that works for you, we also offer an on-demand, recorded version of the webinar.
Watch Live or On-Demand xtraCHEF Webinars via Toast Classroom
xtraCHEF is powered by your invoices - we take your raw data and translate it into deep insights about your locations, spending, and profits. You'll want to upload a minimum of 10 invoices from different vendors or suppliers to start seeing the benefits of xtraCHEF's data analysis, but we recommend uploading at least 20 invoices to truly understand the power of what xtraCHEF can do for you.
When you're ready, learn how to upload your invoices on desktop or mobile devices.
Note: Electronic data interchange (EDI) integrations are available with select vendors. To learn more about this electronic invoice delivery method, take a look at xtraCHEF: Set Up an EDI Integration With Vendors.
If you are using the Recipe or Inventory features and xtraCHEF's Pro suite of features, Item Review ensures your items are assigned a correct unit of measurement (UOM) and costing details. Here, you can also set individual invoice items to your products (ingredients), greatly simplifying recipe and inventory management for you further down the line.
While we recommend signing up for a live webinar for the richest experience, we also have an on-demand version available for customers unable to attend on the webinar dates.
Watch Live or On-Demand xtraCHEF Webinars via Toast Classroom
To make the most of your time, we recommend reviewing at least 50 items through Item Review prior to meeting with your Onboarding Consultant.
After attending an item review webinar and beginning to verify items in your account, your xtraCHEF Onboarding Consultant will provide you with a link to schedule a one-on-one call. We recommend you bring any lingering questions from the webinars or your first experience uploading invoices to make the most of this time.
Item review allows xtraCHEF to start calculating the actual cost of each portion you serve. This, in turn, will enable you to make accurate price calculations to maximize your profit. We recommend reviewing as many recently purchased invoice items as possible to start receiving valuable data through our AI.
Once you've verified between 50 and 100 items, schedule a Recipe and Inventory module training with your xtraCHEF Onboarding Consultant. They'll help you create your recipes, prep recipes, and map everything to your Toast menu items (if applicable), and create inventory count lists. This training is tailored to the needs of your restaurant or group and allows the opportunity to ask questions and work through live examples with an xtraCHEF expert. You and your staff can also attend webinar versions of recipe and inventory training.
Watch Live or On-Demand xtraCHEF Webinars via Toast Classroom
Need to copy recipe or inventory work across multiple xtraCHEF locations? Connect with your Onboarding Consultant to discuss the fastest ways to continue enabling these features.
At this point, you will have completed your xtraCHEF Onboarding training! Continue to keep your data fresh in xtraCHEF by uploading recent invoices. This will ensure your reporting and insights are accurate and relevant. You'll see the best results when you upload your data on at least a weekly basis.
Ready to bring on additional locations? Connect with your Onboarding Consultant to ensure new locations are set up correctly.
Onboarding Consultants are assigned at the beginning of your xtraCHEF journey and reach out to you directly to make an introduction.
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer onsite Onboarding for xtraCHEF. However, several live and on-demand training opportunities are available for you and your team.
You’re welcome to invite anyone who will be hands-on with the xtraCHEF platform and its implementation. However, we recommend specifically including a team member(s) who can assist with accounting-related set-up tasks as well as day-to-day operations such as invoice uploads, recipe costing, and inventory management.
The typical implementation time of xtraCHEF can range from a few weeks to 90 days. Several factors can shorten this timeline, such as time spent up-front with account set-up, training, and delegating responsibilities among your team members.
As it turns out, we do not offer set-up services. However, your Onboarding Consultant will be available to guide you through the setup process.
Inventory in xtraCHEF enables you to monitor trends in inventory depletion retroactively and take physical inventory digitally. However, xtraCHEF does not track inventory consumption in real-time.
Tenants exist as separate and unique xtraCHEF instances. While the ability to copy work to other locations within a tenant does exist, it’s impossible to do so between separate tenants. We suggest connecting with your Onboarding Consult to see if consolidating tenants is an option for your operation.
Looking for more FAQ regarding onboarding with xtraCHEF? Visit xtraCHEF: Onboarding Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
Want to learn more about xtraCHEF best practices post-onboarding? Consider reading xtraCHEF: Post Onboarding Best Practices.
Looking for more advanced training? Watch our Advanced Inventory Training sessions to explore ways to continue leveraging your xtraCHEF reporting.