Business type solution

Food Trucks

Keep the line moving wherever your truck parks

A food truck needs checkout that travels, stays useful when a signal drops, and helps a small crew turn a rush into repeat business. Square brings ordering, payments, item and menu management, pickup and local delivery, and branded online ordering into one restaurant-oriented setup.

A smiling bakery owner holds freshly baked bagels in a warm, bustling neighborhood bakery
Representative photograph for Food & Beverage; it does not depict Food Trucks specifically.

Built for your day-to-day

How it fits your business

Use a Handheld or Terminal at the service window, a Reader paired with a phone or tablet for roaming sales, or QR ordering to reduce the queue. When connectivity is unreliable, eligible devices can keep taking offline payments, with important reconnect deadlines and seller responsibility. Add reporting, marketing, loyalty, invoices for catering work, and delivery integrations as the truck grows.

Key capabilities

What you can do

  • Take payments where the crowd is

    Square positions Handheld, Terminal, and Reader hardware for mobile selling, while its Food Trucks page says sellers can accept major payment types even with limited or no internet. Offline payments are subject to device support, reconnection within 24 hours, and the seller’s responsibility for expired, declined, or disputed transactions.

  • Shorten the service-window queue

    A truck can combine counter sales with branded online ordering, QR ordering, or a portable device for orders taken away from the window. Square says its online ordering supports pay-ahead pickup and local delivery, and the food-truck page links delivery-partner integrations including DoorDash and Uber Eats.

  • Know what sells at each stop

    Real-time reporting and item/menu management can help an operator compare hot items, busy hours, and truck-day performance. Restaurant plans also publish inventory and close-of-day tools on higher tiers, which can be useful when prep quantities and stock-outs change from event to event.

  • Turn catering and regulars into repeat revenue

    Square Invoices can handle catering work, while the Food Trucks page highlights email and text marketing, loyalty, customer data, and eligible financial products. These add-ons are optional and may carry separate fees, eligibility rules, or approval requirements; they are not guaranteed with a food-truck account.

Explore the details

Product details

A practical truck setup

For a compact service window, Square Terminal provides an all-in-one POS with a receipt printer, while Square Handheld is a battery-powered portable POS for taking orders and payments in the customer line. A contactless-and-chip Reader is the lowest-cost listed hardware entry point and pairs by Bluetooth with an iOS 16.0+ or Android 9+ phone or tablet. Register and Kiosk are supported by Square, but their wall-powered, counter-oriented design may require a carefully planned truck installation and stable network/power arrangement.

Plans, fees, and the volume threshold

Square Free has no monthly subscription cost; Square Plus is published at $49 per location per month and Square Premium at $149 per location per month. The restaurant pricing page lists in-person card-present rates of 2.6% + 15¢, 2.5% + 15¢, and 2.4% + 15¢ respectively; online and invoice card rates are 3.3% + 30¢, then 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium. If processing exceeds $250,000 per year, Square says the seller may discuss custom pricing and processing fees rather than assuming eligibility.

Meaningful limitations to plan around

Offline acceptance is not a promise of guaranteed approval: payments must be reconciled by reconnecting within 24 hours, and older first-generation Square Readers are excluded. Kiosk software requires Square Plus or Premium, and Square Kiosk Lite requires those plans plus compatible iPad/Square Stand arrangements. Hardware installment offers are credit-dependent and unavailable to merchants in AL, DE, MO, MS, NH, and TN. Loans, instant payouts, marketing, delivery integrations, and other financial or partner features have their own eligibility or fee terms.

Square Free is $0/month; Square Plus is $49/month per location; Square Premium is $149/month per location. Restaurant plan processing rates and add-on prices vary by tier and payment channel. Square says sellers processing over $250,000 annually can ask about custom pricing and processing fees.

Upfront hardware (USD)$59
Monthly software (USD)$0

Fees & eligibility

  • In-person card-present: Square Free

    Card-present payments on Square Free; published U.S. restaurant pricing.

    2.6% + $0.15 per tap, dip, or swipe
  • In-person card-present: Square Plus

    Card-present payments on Square Plus; $49/month per location subscription.

    2.5% + $0.15 per tap, dip, or swipe
  • In-person card-present: Square Premium

    Card-present payments on Square Premium; $149/month per location subscription.

    2.4% + $0.15 per tap, dip, or swipe
  • Online or invoice card payment

    Card payments made online or through an invoice.

    3.3% + $0.30 on Free; 2.9% + $0.30 on Plus and Premium
  • Manual entry or card on file

    Card number manually entered or saved card on file used.

    3.5% + $0.15
  • ACH via invoice

    ACH bank transfer paid through an invoice.

    1%, $1 minimum on Free; 1%, $1 minimum, $10 cap on Plus and Premium
  • Afterpay

    Afterpay installment payment; availability and customer eligibility apply.

    6% + $0.30
  • Cash or check

    Payment made by cash or check; subscription fees can still apply.

    $0 processing fee
  • Instant or same-day transfer

    Requires linked bank account or debit card; minimum and maximum limits apply.

    Fee per transfer; amount varies by transfer option

Requirements

  • U.S. Square account and an eligible business; account approval and feature eligibility are determined by Square.
  • Square Free has no monthly subscription; Plus and Premium are billed per location and each offers a published 30-day free trial.
  • Compatible hardware, supported operating system, and reliable Wi-Fi/cellular service are required for normal operation.
  • Offline payments require reconnection within 24 hours; the seller bears responsibility for expired, declined, or disputed offline payments.
  • Square Kiosk requires an active Plus or Premium subscription; Kiosk Lite requires Plus or Premium and compatible iPad/Square Stand hardware.
  • Custom pricing is not automatic; sellers processing over $250,000 per year must discuss eligibility with Square.
  • Hardware financing is subject to credit approval and geographic restrictions stated by Square.

Prices and fees were checked on official Square U.S. pages on 2026-10-27 and may change; taxes, optional add-ons, and third-party charges are not included unless stated.

The $59 hardware figure is the listed price for Square Reader for contactless and chip, not a complete truck setup and not a processing fee.

Offline payments can be declined if the device is not reconnected within 24 hours, and Square does not provide customer contact information for offline payments that later decline.

Loans, Square Banking, instant payouts, delivery partners, Afterpay, and marketing features have separate terms, eligibility criteria, or fees; inclusion on the industry page does not guarantee availability.

Food-truck operators remain responsible for local health, licensing, tax, connectivity, power, and card-acceptance requirements; the cited Square pages do not establish those requirements.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Can a food truck take payments without an internet connection?

Square supports offline payments on eligible devices, but the device must reconnect within 24 hours of the first offline payment. Offline payments can expire, decline, or be disputed, and the seller assumes that risk. Older first-generation Square Readers are not supported for offline payments.

What is the least expensive listed Square hardware for a food truck?

Square lists the Reader for contactless and chip at $59. It pairs by Bluetooth with an iOS 16.0+ or Android 9+ phone or tablet. The reader is a payment accessory, not a complete POS, so the phone or tablet and Square software are separate parts of the setup.

Which Square plan fits a small food truck?

Square Free has no monthly subscription and uses the published Free processing rates. Plus and Premium add higher-tier restaurant capabilities and have published monthly per-location prices of $49 and $149. The right choice depends on order volume and required tools; processing above $250,000 per year may qualify for a custom-pricing discussion but does not guarantee one.

Sources & product information

Ready when you are

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