Software solution

Square Restaurant POS

A restaurant POS that keeps orders, tables, kitchens, and payments moving together

Square Restaurant POS gives U.S. restaurants one connected place to take counter, tableside, online, pickup, delivery, and bar-tab orders. Quick-service teams can speed entry with modifiers, menu availability, self-ordering, and order-ready texts, while full-service teams can manage floor plans, seats, coursing, open checks, split payments, and tableside service.

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Built for your day-to-day

How it fits your business

Orders can route to prep stations through Square KDS, and live sales, close-of-day, labor, and inventory views help owners manage the shift from anywhere. The tradeoff is a tiered subscription: the Free plan has no monthly software charge, while Plus and Premium add paid per-location plans and optional per-device KDS or kiosk software.

Key capabilities

What you can do

Built for both counter and table service
Use fast order entry, customizable menus, modifiers, item counts, pickup, and delivery for quick service; full-service teams can add floor plans, table and seat management, coursing, open checks, bar tabs, and item-, seat-, or equal-split checks.
One order flow from guest to kitchen
In-store, online, and delivery-partner orders can stay in one order view, with tickets routed to prep stations through Square KDS. Auto-86ing and item counts can help keep sold-out menu items from being ordered.
Serve at the counter, table, or on the move
Square supports payments and order taking at a fixed station, tableside, in line, or on the go. Square Handheld and Square Terminal are listed as restaurant hardware options, while Square Register provides an integrated two-screen setup.
Operational visibility for each shift
Live sales and close-of-day reporting, inventory views, labor insights, and multi-location administration help operators adjust staffing, menus, and purchasing without waiting for end-of-week spreadsheets.
Flexible plan entry with room to scale
Square Free has no monthly subscription cost; Square Plus and Square Premium offer 30-day trials and can be canceled or switched. Businesses processing more than $250,000 annually can ask Square about custom pricing, processing fees, hardware discounts, and implementation support.

Explore the details

Product details

Plans and restaurant workflows

The U.S. plan comparison lists Free at $0 per month per location, Plus at $49 per month per location, and Premium at $149 per month per location. Free includes core food-and-beverage tools such as item and menu management, pickup and local delivery, and a branded online ordering page. Plus adds features such as close-of-day reporting and integrated inventory tracking; Premium adds coursing and seat management. Square Pro is custom-priced. Plus and Premium include a 30-day trial, and the pricing page says plans can be canceled or switched.

Published U.S. payment rates

The restaurant pricing comparison lists plan-dependent in-person rates of 2.6% + $0.15 per tap, dip, or swipe transaction on Free, 2.5% + $0.15 on Plus, and 2.4% + $0.15 on Premium. Online or invoice card payments are 3.3% + $0.30, 2.9% + $0.30, and 2.9% + $0.30 respectively. Manual entry or card-on-file payments are 3.5% + $0.15. Afterpay is 6% + $0.30. Cash or check is free. These are published standard rates, not a quote for a particular account.

Hardware, add-ons, and compatibility

The official U.S. hardware page lists Square Register (2nd generation) at $899, Square Handheld at $399, Square Terminal at $299, Square Stand at $149, and Square Reader for contactless and chip at $59; the first Square Reader for magstripe is listed as free. Square Kiosk is listed at $1,999 including a counter stand, with total price varying by stand type. KDS software is $30 per month per device with Plus or $20 per month per device with Premium, and requires a Plus or Premium subscription. Square KDS is Android-operated and compatible with Android devices; the page does not establish support for iPad or iPhone as KDS screens. Square Kiosk software is $99 per month per device, while Kiosk Lite is $50 per month per device on Plus or $30 per month per device on Premium.

Important operating limits

Square POS requires an internet connection and compatible hardware for normal operation. Offline payments can be enabled for up to 24 hours, then are processed when the device reconnects; payments can be declined if reconnection does not occur within that window, and the seller assumes responsibility for expired, declined, or disputed offline payments. Offline payments are not supported on older first-generation Square Reader for contactless and chip versions v1 and v2. Hardware is sold separately from the subscription. Square Kiosk requires an active Plus or Premium subscription, and legacy restaurant-plan subscribers must switch to a current Square plan to use the new Kiosk.

Plan details

Pricing, fees & eligibility

Explore pricing

U.S. published restaurant plans are Free at $0/month/location, Plus at $49/month/location, and Premium at $149/month/location. Plus and Premium offer a 30-day trial. Square Pro is custom-priced; Square says businesses processing over $250,000 per year can ask about custom pricing and processing fees.

Fees & eligibility

In-person tap, dip, or swipe
Card-present payments; rate varies by Square plan.
2.6% + $0.15 per transaction (Free); 2.5% + $0.15 (Plus); 2.4% + $0.15 (Premium)
Online or invoice card payment
Card payments made online or through an invoice.
3.3% + $0.30 per transaction (Free); 2.9% + $0.30 (Plus and Premium)
Manual entry or card on file
Card number manually entered or saved card on file used; published for all listed plans.
3.5% + $0.15 per transaction
Afterpay
Customer pays in four installments; published for all listed plans.
6% + $0.30 per transaction
Cash or check
Payment made by cash or check.
$0
Square KDS software
Requires an active Square Plus or Premium subscription; Android-operated KDS.
$30/month/device (Plus); $20/month/device (Premium)
Square Kiosk software
Paid in addition to the plan; Kiosk requires Plus or Premium.
$99/month/device (Plus or Premium); Kiosk Lite $50/month/device (Plus) or $30/month/device (Premium)

Requirements

Create and verify a U.S. Square account, connect a bank account, and use compatible hardware for POS operation.
Choose a Square plan; Free has no monthly subscription cost, while Plus and Premium are charged per location.
Buy compatible hardware separately; hardware is not included with the subscription.
Square KDS requires Square Plus or Premium and Android-compatible hardware.
Square Kiosk requires an active Square Plus or Premium subscription; legacy restaurant-plan subscribers must switch to a current Square plan.
For custom pricing and processing fees, Square directs businesses processing over $250,000 per year to its sales team; eligibility is not automatic.

Pricing and fees were verified on official Square U.S. pages on 2026-10-27 and can change; the record uses Square's published standard rates, not a negotiated quote.

Square POS needs internet access and compatible hardware for normal operation. Offline payments are limited to up to 24 hours and create seller responsibility for expired, declined, or disputed payments.

Hardware purchase prices are device prices, not a complete restaurant installation; taxes, accessories, networking, stands, printers, and other equipment may add cost.

KDS support verified here is Android device support. Do not assume an iPad or iPhone can serve as a Square KDS screen.

Square's hardware installment offers are subject to credit approval and other stated conditions; cash prices are shown separately.

Related industries are limited to restaurant concepts Square explicitly describes or links to on its U.S. restaurant pages; individual feature availability can vary by plan, location, and integrations.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Can a restaurant start with Square without a monthly POS subscription?

Yes. Square Free is listed at $0 per month per location, with processing fees when payments are taken. Plus and Premium add paid per-location plans and offer a 30-day trial. Hardware is purchased separately.

Which Square plan includes restaurant table and coursing features?

The U.S. restaurant pricing page lists coursing and seat management with Square Premium. Full-service restaurants should compare the plan details before assuming those workflows are included in Free or Plus.

Does Square Restaurant POS keep working when the internet goes down?

Square says compatible hardware can accept offline payments for up to 24 hours. The device must reconnect afterward; otherwise offline payments can be declined, and the seller is responsible for expired, declined, or disputed payments. Older first-generation contactless-and-chip readers v1 and v2 do not support offline payments.

Sources & product information

Information as of 2026-10-27. Product details date: 2026-10-27.

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Contact Sales Create Free Account

A restaurant POS that keeps orders, tables, kitchens, and payments moving together

How it fits your business

What you can do

Built for both counter and table service

One order flow from guest to kitchen

Serve at the counter, table, or on the move

Operational visibility for each shift

Flexible plan entry with room to scale

Product details

Plans and restaurant workflows

Published U.S. payment rates

Hardware, add-ons, and compatibility

Important operating limits

Pricing, fees & eligibility

Fees & eligibility

Requirements

Frequently asked questions

Explore related solutions

Recommended hardware

Square Register (2nd generation)

Square Terminal

Square Handheld

Square Stand

Square Kiosk — new 21.5-inch AI self-service kiosk

Accessories — Kitchen Displays

Related software

Square Point of Sale

Square Online Ordering

Square Kitchen Display System

Square Dashboard & Reporting

Square Inventory Management

Square Customer Directory / CRM

Square Marketing

Square Loyalty

Square Payroll

Square Shifts

Square App Marketplace

Related business types

Quick Service

Full Service

Bars & Breweries

Coffee Shops

Bakeries

Food Trucks

Franchises

Pizzeria

Talk through the options for your business.