Square Kiosk Arrives in Canada, Making Ordering Faster and More Intuitive for Restaurants and Diners

76% of Canadians prefer to order food online or through a kiosk to interacting with a person

When it comes to ordering a meal or a quick snack on the go, 76% of Canadians say they prefer to order online or through a kiosk compared to placing their order with a person, according to Square’s 2024 Future of Commerce report. According to the technology company, what sounds like a seemingly anti-social trend actually improves customer service satisfaction and offers many benefits to Canada’s small and medium-sized restaurants, diners and coffee shops.

Designed with fast-moving and fast-growing restaurants in mind, Square officially launched Square Kiosk in Canada, a fully integrated software, hardware, and payments solution that enables self-serve ordering for quick-service restaurants, no matter their size. Square Kiosk can be mounted on a countertop, wall or attached to a floor stand depending on the seller’s unique space and flow of business.

Oakberry Açaí, a wildly popular organic açaí bowl chain with 700+ locations across the globe, was an early adopter and tester of Square Kiosk at its English Bay Beach store in Vancouver this Summer. Maverick Bides, General Manager at Oakberry Açaí Western Canada, says one of Square Kiosk’s most powerful benefits is the improvement in ordering accuracy and overall ease of communication with customers about add-ons and special offerings.

“One of the most appealing features of Oakberry Açaí is the ability to add and customize layers of flavours and toppings – from chia pudding and granola, to protein powder and peanut butter crumbs. Ordering through Square Kiosk means customers can build their açaí bowl exactly to their own tastes. We’ve also seen shorter lines, less waste and an increase in the average order because it’s so fast and easy for customers to add on extra items like a coconut water or an Oakbar,” says Bides.

Square Kiosk empowers guests to customize and place orders through its sleek and intuitive design, easy-to-use interface and embedded contactless and chip payment technology. It also untethers restaurant staff from the counter, freeing them to focus on other tasks.

“With the evolution of technology in the hospitality industry, Canadians have come to expect efficiency and convenience when ordering, and Square Kiosk delivers on that,” says Ming-Tai Huh, Head of Food and Beverage at Square. “Amid staffing challenges, growing costs and shrinking margins, Square Kiosk also gives operators the ability to staff up other areas of their businesses while busting lines and cutting down on wait time for customers.”

Square Kiosk works seamlessly with Square for Restaurants and Square’s broader ecosystem of financial services, customer engagement, and business insights tools. It’s easy for restaurants to set up, saves precious counter space, and can be placed anywhere – from the wall to flat on the counter to mounted on a floor stand or swing-arm. Square Kiosk tracks sales data and instantly syncs menu updates, ensuring that customers have real-time visibility into what’s currently available.

The new Square Kiosk is available online at the Square Shop and on Amazon Canada, starting at $249 (iPad not included) with an additional $70 monthly software fee per device – this fee will be waived for early adopters through the end of December 2024. The Bosstab Floor Stand is also available as an optional add-on. For more information visit https://squareup.com/ca/en/point-of-sale/restaurants/kiosk-software.