We have tried to answer most of the frequently asked questions below, however, if you do not find the answer to your question please use our support request form or contact us via email.

How safe is it to purchase StarChef online?

What payment methods can I use online?

What about privacy?

Which edition of StarChef is the right one for me?

I've downloaded StarChef to evaluate what do I do now?

How long will my evaluation installation work?

What is Activation and when do I need to activate?

How can I tell which Edition, Version and Build of StarChef I am running?

How can I get the latest release of the software?

How does the licensing work and how many licenses will I need?

Does StarChef interface with my EPOS system?

I need help using StarChef.

How can I change the currency displayed in StarChef?

Where do I set up my local sales tax rate?

How do I back up my StarChef database?

I am running StarChef Light, can I open a StarChef Standard database?

I would like to link digital photos of my dishes to StarChef, what image formats does StarChef support and what size should the images be?

StarChef utilizes the secure WorldPay payment system. This means that no credit card details are held on our server. WorldPay uses state of the art security tools and techniques. For more information please visit the WorldPay website.

We accept the following debit and credit cards:
Visa, MasterCard, Eurocard, Switch, Solo, Delta and JCB

Any personal data that you provide will be used soley by StarLogic Ltd and will not be transferred to third parties. For further information please take a look at our privacy policy.

We have developed three editions of StarChef. Our latest edition is StarChef Light which is aimed at small businesses and home users and is essentially a recipe costing system. We also have two enterprise solutions - StarChef Standard and StarChef Professional - which include a number of extra features including menu costing. The main difference between StarChef Professional and StarChef Standard is the collaboration features found in StarChef Professional. Take a look at our product comparison table for more information.

Once you have saved setup.exe to your PC double-click the setup.exe file to initiate the installation process. The InstallShield Wizard will guide you through the process. Once the installation is complete a shortcut to StarChef will be found in your Start menu. Click on the StarChef shortcut to launch the program. A welcome screen will be displayed. To start using your evaluation of StarChef click the Try button.

The evaluation will run for a limited period on each new database that you create. Once the evaluation period has expired your current database will no longer be operational unless you purchase a licence for the product and activate your installation of the software.

Activation must take place before StarChef is properly registered and functional on your computer. StarChef will operate as an evaluation copy until the product has been activated. It is therefore imperative that licensed users activate StarChef.

Before activation can take place, however, you must purchase a StarChef software licence either online or by telephone. In order to activate StarChef we need you to supply us with your unique Software Code and register your name and contact details with us. The Software Code is unique to your installation of StarChef. Once we have checked your details, we will supply you with an Activation Key. This code will unlock your copy of StarChef.

Instructions to activate StarChef on your computer:

• A registration prompt will appear on the screen each time you launch StarChef prior to activation. If this doesn’t happen your copy of StarChef is already activated and no further action is necessary. Assuming the prompt is displayed, click the button labeled Activate.
• The next step involves you contacting us with your Software Code. You will see the code prominently displayed on the screen. In addition to the Software Code, we require your name and email address. This can be done by either completing our online form, by telephone, or by sending an email with this information to activate@chef365.com.

From within StarChef select About StarChef from the Help menu. A window will pop open which displays which edition (Professional, Standard or Light), version and build you are running.

We publish all updates to our software on our downloads page. Click on the relevant download button to download and install an update.

A license is for a single user only. However we do allow each user to install StarChef on two computers under their use, if required. You can also remove StarChef from one computer and reinstall it on another provided it is not used on more than two computers at any one time. If the second installation is for a different user then it will be necessary to purchase a second license. Click here to download the StarChef Licence Agreement (.pdf).

We can develop bespoke components which will enable StarChef to interface with your EPOS System. For more information contact us.

All editions of StarChef include application help. Simply press the F1 key for context sensitive help or select StarChef Help from the Help menu within StarChef. If you are interested in attending a StarChef training workshop take a look at our Training Services page.

StarChef uses the currency displayed in your Windows Regional and Language Options. To update your Regional and Language options use the Windows Control Panel.

From within StarChef, select Options from the Tools menu. Select the Menu Pricing tab. Select the Sales Tax Name from the drop down list and enter a tax rate by either typing in the tax rate or using the up and down arrows to choose your tax rate.

From within StarChef, select Options from the Tools menu. Select the Backup tab. Tick the Automatically back up file on exit box and select a backup location using the Browse button. Ensure that you select a location for the back up file that is different to the location of the live database file.

Yes, you can open a database created in StarChef Standard using StarChef Light and vice versa. You will however, be limited to what you can see and do with the database if you are using StarChef Light. For more information on the difference between the editions of StarChef refer to our Product Comparison.

Image files that are compatible with StarChef are bitmaps (.bmp), JPEGS (.jpg) and GIF files (.gif). The image dimensions cannot be larger than 850 by 650 pixels and the image file size cannot exceed 1 megabyte in size. We recommend using freeware software like Irfanview to resize your images before linking them to StarChef.