Only Pay for What Your Business Really Needs

Know what you're paying for upfront and avoid long-term contracts.

Only Pay for What Your Business Really Needs

Restaurant operations are more complex than ever. Between managing staff, marketing to customers, offering online ordering, and tracking performance across locations, many restauranteurs find themselves managing a patchwork of tools just to keep things running. That kind of setup gets expensive quickly — not just in terms of money, but in time and effort too.

Square offers a different path. Instead of relying on disconnected systems, you get a unified platform where everything works together. Tools for staff management, loyalty programs, marketing, online storefronts, banking¹, and reporting are all built in. You can also layer in third-party apps that work for your operation and manage them all from a single system. This way, you gain full visibility into your business across all touchpoints. You spend less time reconciling data or toggling between dashboards and more time focusing on what’s actually driving your business forward.

Just as importantly, you know how much everything will cost upfront. Many restaurants assume the cost of legacy software is limited to the licensing or renewal fee. But that’s rarely the whole picture. Some providers advertise low base rates but lock you into costly contracts, early termination fees, or minimum monthly processing requirements.

Others charge extra for add-ons you thought were included — like analytics, compliance tools, or even customer support. And if you rely on on-premise servers, there’s also the cost of hiring technicians to maintain your setup. The expenses add up quickly, and they add friction to your day-to-day operations.

Square simplifies that. With transparent pricing and no long-term contracts, you always know what you're paying for and why. There are no hidden fees or surprise upgrades. And if your needs change, Square gives you the flexibility to adjust without overhauling your tech stack.

And when it comes to compliance, Square protects your business at no additional costs. If your business fails to meet PCI standards, you could face costly fines, increased liability, or even lose the ability to process card payments. That's why Square hardware and readers are end-to-end encrypted out of the box and require no additional configurations to meet PCI standards. Square is also the merchant of record for every transaction, which means we handle compliance, regulation, and card processing on your behalf. You can rest easy knowing your business is protected while saving on compliance activities that would be required for legacy systems.

“It’s the best. I recommend Square to everybody,” said Nate Hoops, co-founder of Phodega. “It’s obviously affordable. We’re not paying a huge monthly fee like some other POS systems. The equipment is affordable. I think it’s great for a startup, and even now that we’re doing $2.5 million in sales, it’s even more useful.”

Beyond price transparency and cost savings, Square gives you sharper insight into how your business is performing. With built-in analytics, you can track your bestselling items, the cost of labor, your busiest hours, and your most loyal customers. These insights help you make faster, smarter decisions about where to invest next — and where to cut back.