Square for Restaurants Pricing: Fees, Costs and Alternatives
What Does Square for Restaurants Cost?
Square for Restaurants pricing starts at £49 per month for the basic plan, with transaction fees of 1.75% per card transaction. Hardware costs are additional, starting from around £49 for a basic card reader up to £799 for a full POS terminal setup.
The total cost depends on your restaurant size, transaction volume, and which features you need. Most independent restaurants can expect to pay between £100-£300 per month once you factor in software subscriptions, payment processing fees, and hardware.
Square for Restaurants Pricing Breakdown
Software Subscription Fees
Square for Restaurants offers three main pricing tiers:
Free Plan (£0/month)
- Basic point of sale functionality
- Card processing at standard rates
- Limited reporting
- Single location only
- No table management
- Suitable only for very small cafés or coffee shops
Plus Plan (£49/month per location)
- Unlimited users and devices
- Table management
- Course firing
- Menu management
- Basic reporting
- Item-level permissions
Premium Plan (£189/month per location)
- Everything in Plus
- Advanced inventory management
- Multi-location reporting
- Advanced employee permissions
- Priority support
- Menu management across locations
Transaction Fees
Square charges per-transaction fees on top of monthly subscriptions:
- Card present transactions: 1.75%
- Keyed-in transactions: 2.5% + 25p
- Online orders: 2.5% + 25p (if using Square Online)
These fees apply regardless of which subscription tier you choose. For a restaurant processing £50,000 per month in card payments, that's £875 in monthly transaction fees alone.
Hardware Costs
Square hardware is sold separately:
| Hardware | Cost | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Square Reader | £49 | Basic contactless card reader |
| Square Terminal | £299 | All-in-one payment terminal |
| Square Register | £799 | Full POS with customer display |
| Square Stand | £149 | iPad stand with card reader |
| Kitchen Display System | £799 | Kitchen order screen |
| Receipt printer | £299 | Thermal printer |
A typical restaurant setup (terminal, kitchen display, printer) costs around £1,400-£1,900 upfront.
Hidden Costs to Consider
Contract and Cancellation Terms
Square operates on a month-to-month basis with no long-term contracts, which sounds flexible but means:
- No negotiated rates for high-volume merchants
- Fees can increase with little notice
- No volume discounts on transaction fees
- Account holds and reserves can be imposed suddenly
Integration Costs
Square's ecosystem is relatively closed. If you need to integrate with:
- Third-party delivery platforms (beyond basic integrations)
- Accounting software beyond QuickBooks
- Advanced inventory systems
- Specialist hospitality tools
You'll likely need third-party middleware or custom development, adding £50-£200+ monthly.
Staff Training and Setup
While Square markets itself as easy to use, restaurants typically need:
- Initial setup and menu configuration: 8-16 hours
- Staff training: 2-4 hours per employee
- Ongoing menu management time
For a restaurant with 10 staff, that's a significant time investment.
Total Cost of Ownership Example
Independent restaurant doing £60,000/month in revenue:
- Software (Plus): £49/month
- Transaction fees (1.75% on £50,000 card sales): £875/month
- Hardware (amortized over 3 years): £50/month
- Integration costs: £30/month
- Total monthly cost: £1,004
- Annual cost: £12,048
Square for Restaurants vs Alternatives
Flipdish: The Better Alternative for UK Restaurants
Flipdish offers significantly better value for restaurants, particularly those with online ordering needs:
Pricing advantages:
- Fixed monthly pricing from £99 with no transaction fees on your own orders
- Includes online ordering, branded website, and mobile apps
- Built-in marketplace order aggregation for Just Eat, Uber Eats, and Deliveroo
- Integrated payments with competitive rates
- No surprise account holds or reserves
Feature advantages:
- Purpose-built for restaurants, cafés, and takeaways
- AI phone ordering that takes orders automatically
- Advanced loyalty and marketing tools included
- Multi-location management with centralised reporting
- Kitchen display system included
Cost comparison:
For the same £60,000/month restaurant:
- Flipdish POS + Online Ordering: £199/month
- Payment processing (competitive rates): ~£750/month
- Total: £949/month vs £1,004 with Square
Plus you get online ordering, customer apps, loyalty, and marketing tools that would cost hundreds extra with Square.
Compare Flipdish pricing or see the full product overview.
Toast POS
Toast is US-focused with limited UK presence. Pricing starts around £69/month but requires proprietary hardware (£1,000+) and typically involves longer contracts. Transaction fees are similar to Square at 1.8-2.5%.
Better suited for larger US restaurant groups rather than UK independents.
Lightspeed Restaurant
Lightspeed charges £69-£189/month depending on features, plus transaction fees of 1.6-2.5%. Hardware costs are comparable to Square.
Designed for mid-market restaurants but lacks the integrated online ordering and marketing tools that Flipdish provides. Customer support quality has declined following multiple acquisitions.
TouchBistro
TouchBistro charges around £69-£229/month per location plus requires you to source separate payment processing. iPad-only system that can be limiting.
Intended for traditional table-service restaurants but doesn't handle online ordering or delivery aggregation well.
Is Square for Restaurants Worth It?
Square for Restaurants works for some businesses, but has significant limitations:
When Square might work:
- Very small café with minimal table service needs
- Low transaction volumes (under £20,000/month)
- No online ordering requirements
- Prefer month-to-month flexibility over cost optimization
When Square falls short:
- Restaurants with significant online ordering
- Multi-location operations
- High transaction volumes (the 1.75% adds up quickly)
- Businesses needing integrated marketing and loyalty
- Restaurants wanting marketplace order management
Key Decision Factors
When evaluating Square against alternatives, consider:
Total Cost of Ownership
Calculate software + transaction fees + hardware + integrations. The monthly subscription is just one component. At higher volumes, transaction fees become the dominant cost.
Online Ordering Integration
Square Online exists but is basic. If you want your own branded apps, advanced upselling, or proper loyalty programs, you need additional tools. Flipdish includes this as standard.
Payment Processing Flexibility
Square locks you into their payment processing. Systems like Flipdish offer integrated payments with competitive rates but don't force you into a single processor.
Support Quality
Square support is notoriously difficult to reach, with long wait times and limited phone support. Restaurant-specific systems typically offer better support from people who understand hospitality operations.
Scalability
If you plan to open additional locations, Square's per-location fees add up quickly. Look for systems with better multi-location pricing and centralised management.
Questions to Ask Before Choosing Square
What's your monthly card transaction volume? Calculate 1.75% of that figure – it's likely more than the subscription fee.
Do you need online ordering? If yes, you'll need Square Online (extra cost) or a third-party system anyway.
How many locations do you operate or plan to open? Per-location fees make Square expensive for groups.
What's your integration requirement? Square's closed ecosystem can be limiting.
What happens if Square holds your funds? Square is known for sudden account reserves that can cripple cash flow.
The Flipdish Advantage
Flipdish was built specifically for restaurants, takeaways, and hospitality businesses. Unlike Square, which is a general payments company that added restaurant features, Flipdish understands the unique operational challenges of food service.
What makes Flipdish the better choice:
- Complete restaurant management system combining POS, online ordering, payments, and marketing
- Own your customer data with built-in CRM and loyalty tools
- AI-powered automation including AI phone ordering and AI marketing
- No transaction fees on your own orders – only pay processing fees
- Dedicated restaurant support from people who understand hospitality
- Built for UK and Irish markets with local payment methods and compliance
For most restaurants, Flipdish delivers better value, more features, and lower total cost than Square for Restaurants.
View Flipdish pricing or book a demo to see how much you could save.
Finding More Restaurant Technology Comparisons
For detailed comparisons of restaurant POS systems, online ordering platforms, and hospitality technology, visit Restaurant Tech for independent reviews and pricing information.
Final Verdict
Square for Restaurants offers simple month-to-month pricing, but the combination of subscription fees, transaction fees, and limited features makes it expensive for most restaurants. The 1.75% transaction fee alone typically exceeds the monthly subscription cost.
For UK restaurants serious about controlling costs, owning customer relationships, and building an online presence, Flipdish provides better value with more comprehensive features at a lower total cost.
The choice comes down to whether you want a basic payment terminal with limited restaurant features, or a complete restaurant management platform designed to help you grow. For the vast majority of restaurants, cafés, and takeaways, Flipdish is the smarter investment.