Square for Restaurants Review 2026: Features & Pricing
Square is a great point-of-sale option for quick-service and full-service restaurants.
The bottom line:
The food and beverage version of Square POS is a good option for quick-service restaurants and is increasingly adding features for full-service restaurants. It integrates with a kitchen display system and offers tools for customer loyalty and staff management. Pricing is transparent, and it uses a flat rate for payment processing.
Software details
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.15
Online: 3.3% + $0.30
Monthly fee
$0
Free plan; $49 Plus plan; $149 Premium plan.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Free plan option available.
Offers helpful related services, like payroll, that integrate closely with its POS system.
No long-term contracts or termination fees.
All plans include a free online ordering page.
Cons
Complex restaurants might prefer a more specialized system.
Full review
Square POS has a software mode dedicated specifically to businesses in the food and beverage industry. It offers Square's standard POS system features plus several key food-service-related additions, like menu and table management, automatic gratuity, order management and support for its kitchen display system. It also has a customizable user interface, lets you easily build and edit your menu, and supports multiple locations.
There are three versions of Square POS plans: Free, Plus and Premium. Features common to both free and paid plans include:
- The ability to build a website with Square Online and take orders on it.
- Tipping support.
- Basic reporting tools.
Square doesn’t top the list for most complete restaurant POS system. For example, you’ll need to look to third-party software for reservation management if you use Square, whereas TouchBistro offers this as an add-on feature. But Square's Plus plan has a robust list of features that will work for many — including the ability to create floor plans, open closed checks and bulk edit menu items — and its pricing is straightforward and competitive.
Square for Restaurants is best for businesses that:
- Aren’t looking to sign a long-term contract. Unlike some other purpose-built restaurant POS systems, Square doesn’t require a contract, so no surprise termination fees here.
- Don’t mind app integrations to round out their system. While the restaurant version of Square's POS system is robust, some restaurants will still need to rely on third-party app integrations to build the complete system their business needs.
- Also have an online presence. Both Square’s free and paid restaurant POS plans come with access to Square Online, which enables you to build a custom online-ordering site for your restaurant that real-time syncs all your in-person and online orders.
Deciding factors
| Payment processing model | Flat rate. |
| Payment processing fees |
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| Monthly fee |
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| Hardware cost |
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| Contract length | No contract. Upgrade, downgrade or cancel at any time without penalty. |
| Customer support | Chat and email support in all plans. Free plan includes phone support only for the first 90 days. Plus plan subscribers can access phone support weekdays 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT. Premium plan subscribers receive 24/7 phone support. |
Where Square for Restaurants stands out
Easy to quickly scale up or down
With contract-free subscriptions and a big lineup of products, Square can keep up with the quick pace of change in the restaurant world.
You can also easily add capabilities, like a kitchen display system or Square Payroll, without reconfiguring an old contract or making a long-term commitment to a new one.
Flexible and simple to use
The ability to configure Square’s hardware and software in different ways makes it a good fit for different types of food-service businesses:
- A single iPad on a swivel stand paired with the Plus plan's customer loyalty program could work well for a small coffee shop hoping to attract repeat customers.
- A KDS and a website could be the right fit for a ghost kitchen with a digital-first approach.
- Three or four Square Terminals in a row can help move customers swiftly through a fast-casual restaurant at lunchtime.
Kitchen display system solution
Square’s KDS replaces printed tickets in the kitchen with a touch screen. It can route one order to multiple places, like burgers to the grill and onion rings to the fry station. You can customize the layout of your ticket and use kitchen-specific reports to review performance.
You'll need to subscribe to one of Square's paid plans to access KDS features. Monthly fees range from $20 to $30 depending on your plan. Square's KDS device costs $499 to $599 and comes in a variety of screen sizes.
Where Square for Restaurants falls short
Could have more front-of-house features
Some full-service restaurants might benefit from certain features Square doesn’t have, like Lightspeed Restaurant’s option to add suggested wine pairings or detailed dish descriptions for servers to review, or TouchBistro's fully integrated reservation management system.
Limited inventory management
If you want a POS system that has advanced inventory baked in, you’ll need to look elsewhere, like Lightspeed Restaurant POS. If you don’t mind third-party services, Square does integrate with third-party inventory management services like MarketMan and Peachworks.
Alternatives to Square for Restaurants
Toast
Why we like it: Toast builds POS software and hardware exclusively for restaurants. For example, its KDS was built to withstand the high heat and grease found in kitchens. And its hand-held device is slim enough to slip in an apron pocket. Read our full Toast POS review.
- $0 for Starter Kit plan.
- $69 Point of Sale plan.
- Custom plans available.
- 3.09-3.69% plus 15 cents per transaction, if you choose a pay-as-you-go plan.
- 2.49% plus 15 cents for card-present transactions, if you pay for hardware upfront.
- 3.50% plus 15 cents for card-not-present transactions, if you pay for hardware upfront.
- $449.10 for Handheld Starter Kit (but $0 if you agree to a higher processing fee).
- $1,024.10 for Countertop Starter Kit (but $0 if you agree to a higher processing fee).
- $1,339.10 for Guest Self-Service Starter Kit (but $0 if you agree to a higher processing fee).
TouchBistro
Why we like it: If you are looking for a POS system that can manage a high level of complexity, consider TouchBistro. It allows customers to note allergies and special occasions along with their reservation, keeps track of your top customers and ensures they're getting a consistently great experience, and gives you access to more than 50 reports about your restaurant’s performance. Read our full TouchBistro review.
- $69 and up for base plan.
- Additional features (e.g., gift cards, online ordering, loyalty program, reservations and marketing) are quote-based.
Quote-based if you use TouchBistro Payments; can also choose from third-party payment processors.
Not disclosed. An iPad is necessary to run TouchBistro software. IPads, cash drawers, routers, printers, mini servers, keyboards and other accessories are available by quote only. You may also have the option to use your existing equipment.
Compare POS providers
To compare POS options, check out NerdWallet’s list of POS systems that are best for small-business owners. Our recommendations are based on the provider’s pricing and transparency, software and hardware options, system functionality, customer support, software integrations and contract requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Square does offer a free version of its restaurant POS system, which comes loaded with many features needed to run a food service business. For more advanced restaurant POS features, businesses will need to upgrade to a paid plan and/or make use of third-party software integrations. Payment processing fees for credit card, digital wallet and other non-cash payments will always apply.
Many restaurants use Square’s restaurant POS solution, including, according to Square’s website, Parry Restaurant Group, Tartinery, Charbar and others.