Be more nimble with your quick-service restaurant POS

Success means building systems while you’re building your team. Make it easy for your customers to place orders (wherever, whenever they want) and even easier for your staff to fulfil them – fast.

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What is a quick-service POS?

Payment processing, kitchen optimisation and inventory management are just the beginning. The best fast food restaurant POS software gives you the power to boost your bottom line, make better business decisions and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Run your quick-service like a dream

Take orders from anywhere so you never miss a sale

Get an integrated POS for at-the-counter, online, takeaway, delivery and catering orders. Accept all payments – contactless and chip + PIN – so you never miss a sale, even when you’re offline1.

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Keep your front- and back-of-house flowing

Fulfil orders from a durable kitchen display. Route tickets to the right station to optimise throughput, and sync menus and inventory in real-time so diners never order unavailable items.

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Make smarter business decisions with real-time sales data

Analyse trends to improve menu pricing and fine-tune inventory orders. Manage labour costs with built-in staff management. Get fast access to your sales with next-day transfers.

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Grow your customer base and turn diners into regulars

Customise your loyalty program. Use features like visit and order histories to send personalised offers that keep diners coming back.

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Why choose Square for your quick-service restaurant?

Get menu and order management, payment processing and more with Square for Restaurants, the flexible POS system that helps you do what you do best: serve great food, fast.

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Staff training in <15 minutes. It’s easy to get started and even easier to train existing staff and new employees with our intuitive interface that flows like your restaurant.

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Reliable tech. 24/7 support. Experience powerful performance with a connected ecosystem backed by our 24/7 support team.

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Restaurant tools, your way. Keep your business connected with integrations to your favourite third-party services. Add the capabilities you need today, and adjust as you go.

Join millions of other forward-thinking businesses worldwide that have the Square advantage.

How Canberra-based Fricken turned one food truck and a secret recipe into four thriving revenue streams

‘Square allows you to be at the forefront of technology … we believe that embracing the right tech not only improves efficiency and reduces errors but also enhances the overall customer experience and supports the wellbeing of our staff.’

– Mo Saad, co-founder and co-owner, Fricken Fried Chicken

How it started

Ask co-founder Mo Saad how he’d describe Fricken, and he’ll give you three words: Fricken. Amazing. Chicken. It might seem a simple philosophy, but it’s one that’s served him and his brother Marwan remarkably well since launching their Canberra-based business. The heart of Fricken is Mo and Marwan’s mother – or more specifically, her fried chicken, a secret recipe the brothers used to launch their first food truck back in 2018. After questioning whether they’d see the demand they were looking for, Fricken sold out on day one – and the question then became which tech they’d choose to help them scale.

How it’s going

Mo worked in IT before Fricken, so he knew what he was looking for in a partner. ‘I was obsessed with finding the best system,’ he says, ‘and Square had all the things we needed.’ That included terminals, readers, a website, third-party delivery integrations and QR code ordering, all in one platform that’s intuitive and user-friendly. Automations have saved time and boosted staff satisfaction, and the rich insights built into the platform have been a ‘game-changer’. Precise reports tell the brothers how Fricken is performing down to the exact number of burgers sold, helping them make ‘educated tweaks’ to their menu and boost their bottom line. Since adopting Square, Fricken’s added two food trucks and two brick-and-mortar locations to their roster, and they’ll soon launch two new revenue streams: themed event nights and take-home gift packs for their popular house-made sauces. Fricken excellent.

Invest in your success. Start serving with Square

Sign up in minutes

After your 30-day free trial, keep your Square for Restaurants Plus plan for $129/month + card processing fees

Or choose the Square for Restaurants Free plan and only pay for card processing.³

Start your free trial
Compare plans ->

³If your QSR business processes more than $250K in card sales, you may be eligible for custom pricing. Contact our sales team.

Select your hardware

You can buy the devices that best fit the needs of your QSR concept by visiting the Square Shop.

You may be able to repurpose existing devices, including kitchen and receipt printers, cash drawers and routers.

Connect with our team to see if you’re eligible for hardware offers.

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Feel secure about data security

Square products are made with end-to-end encryption and ensure alignment with the PCI-DSS. No stressing over maintaining your compliance every year, and no paying extra for data security.

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Chargebacks and payment issues? We’ve got you

We handle chargebacks and payment issues, which means you don’t have to deal with disputes yourself.

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Get dedicated support from a restaurant team that understands how you work and what you need

Get started on your own or contact our team if you need help. Access ongoing 24/7 online and phone support with a Square for Restaurants Plus plan (or M-F, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm AEST with the Free plan). Join our online community to connect with other business owners who use Square.

Make it your own

Let your tech stack boost your potential

The Square platform can power all businesses. Get the quick-service restaurant tech that can flex, expand and pivot, just like your ambitions.

Square add-ons

Square partners

¹ Offline payments are processed automatically when you reconnect your device to the internet and will be declined if you do not reconnect to the internet within 24 hours of taking your first offline payment. By enabling offline payments, you are responsible for any expired, declined or disputed payments accepted while offline. Square is unable to provide customer contact information for payments declined while offline. Offline payments are not supported on older versions of Square Reader for contactless and chip cards (1st generation – v1 and v2). Click here for help identifying your contactless reader. Learn more about how to enable and use offline payments here.

²Instant transfers: Instant transfers require a linked, eligible bank account and cost a fee per transfer. Funds are subject to your bank’s availability schedule. Up to $5,000 AUD per day. The minimum you can transfer is $5. Terms of Service apply.

 

FAQs

  • Is Square right for my quick-service business?

    Square for Restaurants is more than just a cloud-based POS system. It’s a business technology solution built for single-location and multi-location quick-service restaurants, fast casual restaurants and multi-concept restaurants. It’s the point of sale that works with almost everything you need for day-to-day service, including Square Online Ordering (taking orders on your restaurant website for no monthly fees or commissions; setting up delivery and kerbside pickup) and Square Team Management (the tool to track your team’s hours, overtime and breaks while helping you save on labour costs), plus advanced features such as coursing, live sales reporting and 24/7 support. You’ve got the option to add handheld devices to your POS to reduce queues and your customers’ wait times and to add Square KDS to see and fulfil orders from anywhere in one place. It’s easy to get started and even easier to train your staff with the intuitive tools that flow like your restaurant.

    The biggest benefit of using a cloud-based POS system rather than a traditional on-premise system is that it allows you to monitor and manage your operations from anywhere with an internet connection. You can manage your sales, inventory, menus and other aspects of your business remotely, giving you greater flexibility and convenience. Cloud-based POS systems also eliminate the need for expensive upfront hardware purchases, such as servers and ongoing maintenance costs associated with traditional POS systems. And with Square, you can always count on continuous enhancements to the restaurant POS so you can operate with the latest features and security enhancements.

  • Does Square Restaurant POS work for multi-location QSRs, including franchises?

    Yes, operators of multi-location QSRs, including franchises, choose the Square Restaurant POS system because it’s designed to handle the order volume and kitchen throughput they need to operate profitably. Customers migrating from platforms like Ordermate, Epos Now, Impos, Lightspeed or other legacy POS providers often report they find Square quicker, easier and more user-friendly for their staff to learn and operate. Menu updates take seconds rather than hours or days, which keeps the front and back of house in sync. You can rely on Square for transparent pricing and easy-to-understand processing rates.

    For franchises, Square for Franchises is an integrated franchise management solution that combines payment processing, centralised sales reporting and franchise management across all your locations. Improve customer engagement with capabilities that let you offer online ordering, gift cards and loyalty programs. Quickly onboard your franchise locations and operate stores more efficiently while maintaining a consistent brand experience. Our easy-to-use franchise software helps you stay in control of every location while delivering a streamlined experience to franchisees and customers.

  • What’s the difference between Square for Restaurants and Square Point of Sale?

    Both Square for Restaurants and Square Point of Sale can help your food-and-beverage business, depending on your needs. Square for Restaurants is a comprehensive POS solution designed specifically for restaurant businesses, such as quick-service restaurants and other advanced operations. It includes features such as fast order entry with conversational modifiers, auto-86ing sold-out items, order-ready text notifications, advanced reporting and live sales to help fulfil more orders faster. Businesses such as coffee shops, bakeries and food trucks that don’t require these features and want a solution for simpler operations choose Square Point of Sale.

    Compare Square for Restaurants and Square Point of Sale plans to find the best POS solution for your business.

  • What’s involved in switching to the Square Restaurant POS?

    Switching to Square is simple and fast. Start by creating an account, and get access to the 30-day free trial of the Square for Restaurants Plus plan before selecting which plan is right for you. When you sign up, you can add your menu from a PDF, an online restaurant site or an online delivery platform partner such as Uber Eats, DoorDash or Menulog. You can easily transfer your existing inventory with bulk-intake importing. If you need assistance, Square Support is here to help you with everything from gift card migration to onsite networking installation.

    Hardware is not included with your subscription. You can buy the devices that best fit the needs of your concept by visiting the Square Shop. You may be able to repurpose existing devices, including iPads, industry kitchen printers, receipt printers, cash drawers and routers. Once you’ve set up your hardware, configure your POS in minutes to fit your style of service. Verify your identity, connect a bank account and get ready to take your first payment.

    You can switch from Square Point of Sale to the Square for Restaurants Free or Square for Restaurants Plus plans by subscribing to new plans. You’ll be able to use your existing features and setup. The only updates you might need will be for the added functionality that’s included with your Square for Restaurants plan.

  • How can I upgrade or downgrade my Square for Restaurants software subscription plan?

    You can get started with a 30-day free trial of Square for Restaurants Plus. After your 30-day free trial expires, you’ll be given the option in your Square Dashboard to either continue the Square for Restaurants Plus subscription for the standard subscription fee of $129 per month per location or to downgrade to Square for Restaurants Free. If you choose to downgrade to the Square for Restaurants Free plan, you’ll still have access to basic functionality to take orders and payments. With the Square for Restaurants Plus plan, you’ll get access to more advanced functionality such as fast order entry with conversational modifiers, auto-86ing sold-out items, order-ready text notifications and more. Compare plan features on the pricing page.

    You can upgrade from the Square for Restaurants Free plan to the Square for Restaurants Plus plan at any time. If you process more than $250K in card sales, you may be eligible for custom pricing. If you wish to upgrade to the custom Square for Restaurants Premium plan, contact our sales team.

    You can also choose the simpler Square Point of Sale, the POS with fewer restaurant-specific features. Compare Square for Restaurants and Square Point of Sale plans to find the best POS solution for your business.

  • Does Square for Restaurants work without internet access?

    Square for Restaurants requires an internet connection for normal operations. If you’re experiencing connectivity issues, you can enable offline payments¹ with Square hardware to keep taking payments for up to 24 hours.

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