thread Re: Are all restaurants required to use Square's Restaurant platform? in Orders, Menu Items, Catalog & Fulfilment

Are all restaurants required to use Square's Restaurant platform?

PizzaDiva — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 15:14:29 GMT

I have searched for an answer to this question, but perhaps the answer is so simple I overlooked it.

We have a small restaurant - with the absolute simplest and most basic register and checkout process. We use a single Verifone520 unit that is connected to a landline and run about 50+ transactions daily. Sometimes we get a back up at the register due to the fact we can only process a single transaction at a time - which is very inconvenient when a party of 4 has separate checks and they all are checking out at the same time, or it's a 'rush' period and counter staff and server need to take turns swiping cards for customers, etc.

And recently we had an incident where our phone line was down, and we had to hand key transactions "after the fact" - which was a major headache.

So we are looking for a "back up" option that enables us to expedite customer checkout and minimize downtime. Square Terminal looks like the perfect fit for us, and I am thrilled that it does not require separate PCI compliance tasks, etc. ... BUT we simply need to process purchases with the option for tips. We don't need floor management, menu management, employee management, etc. It seems that this unit is a stand alone system, however, I would like clarification as to whether a subscription is required solely due to our restaurant classification (...and I don't want to purchase a Terminal and find out after the fact that I can't use it as intended).

Re: Are all restaurants required to use Square's Restaurant platform?

isabelle — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 02:30:23 GMT

Hey @PizzaDiva!

Thanks for your post. I realize this can be confusing.

You can most definitely use our Square Point of Sale system, and not subscribe to Square for Restaurants.

Square for Restaurants is available for our Sellers who want restaurant specific features, such as floor plans, create menus, 86ing, order entry, etc.

You could download the standard Square Point of Sale app onto a mobile device (iPad, phone) to get started, and take payments from there. You don't need to purchase one of our terminals to start taking payments.

I hope this answers your question, and I hope you give us a chance! Thank you and let me know if you have any other questions.

Re: Are all restaurants required to use Square's Restaurant platform?

PizzaDiva — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 02:49:20 GMT

Thanks @isabelle !

I appreciate the reply very much! Definitely sounds like one of those options could work well for us.

Re: Are all restaurants required to use Square's Restaurant platform?

isabelle — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 18:11:18 GMT

You're welcome @PizzaDiva! 🍕