System updates

We’re experiencing issues that may affect your Square services. We’ll continue to update our status page with more information.

Back to Home

Set Up Your Hardware with Square for Restaurants

To get the most out of Square for Restaurants, you can customise your point of sale settings to fit your business model – helping you streamline your ordering and checkout flow.

Device Codes

With Square for Restaurants, rather than using your email address and password to sign in to the Restaurants app on your iPad or Square Register, you’ll sign in with a device code. A device code can only be used on a single device – so if you have multiple devices at a location, create a unique code for each device accessing the Restaurants POS app. Once you create a device code, you’ll use it each time you sign in to a specific device to start taking orders.

Before you get started, make sure you’ve signed into the Restaurants app with a device code.

Set Up Hardware for Restaurants

USB Connection

To set up hardware from the Restaurants POS app:

  1. Log in to the Square for Restaurants POS app.

  2. Using an iPad on Square Stand, tap Account > Setup Hardware. On Square Register, tap Utilities and Settings.

  3. Plug the hardware into a USB port from the USB accessory hub of your Stand or Register. Your hardware will automatically connect and a successful prompt will appear on the screen.

Bluetooth Connection

With the exception of the Square Reader, which connects through the Square for Restaurants POS app, all other Bluetooth devices will need to be connected through your iPad settings. Read more about setting up hardware with your iPad.

Note: Bluetooth only works with iPads and is not compatible with Square Register at this time.

Printer Stations

Most restaurants need to print specific menu items to separate printers. For example, if an order has both drinks and appetisers, you can set up a bar printer to receive drinks and a kitchen printer to receive appetisers.

Once you’ve connected your supported printer, you can create a printer station to start routing categories to separate printers. To do so from your Square for Restaurants POS app:

  1. Tap Account > Setup Hardware. On Square Register, tap Utilities > Settings on the bottom of your screen.

  2. Select Create Printer Station.

  3. Name your printer (for instance ‘Bar Printer’) and select the ticket and receipt types sent to this printer.

  4. Under Print From This Device, you can choose Receipt, Bills, and Reports, Order Tickets (tickets containing food & beverage orders), or Order Ticket Stubs (numbered tickets for Quick Service Restaurants).

  5. Scroll down and toggle on Automatically Print Receipt if you want receipts printed out automatically, and enable categories you’d like to send to this printer station.

  6. Tap Save.

Printer Station Troubleshooting

When you create a printer station, the printer name displayed is automatically determined by each iPad. If you have multiple iPads connected to a single printer, each iPad may generate a different name.

For example, let’s say you want to send Appetisers from two points of sale to a single kitchen printer. When you connect both iPads to the printer, the first iPad may identify the kitchen printer as Printer 1, and the second iPad may identify it as Printer 2, depending on how many active printers you have. To make sure both iPads send Appetisers to the same printer, you’ll need to perform a print test.

To run a print test :

  1. Open the Square for Restaurants POS app > Account > Setup Hardware. On Square Register, tap Utilities > Settings.

  2. Tap Printers > Create a Printer Station.

  3. Select a printer and tap Print Test.

Compatible Hardware

Square Stand

You can purchase the Square Stand from the Square Shop. Once you have your Square Stand, just insert your compatible iPad and start taking payments. The Square Stand includes three USB ports to directly connect the Square Reader in the Dock, a supported receipt printer or a barcode scanner.

Read more about setting up your Square Stand, as well as recommended hardware to create your POS station.

Square Register

To sign in to the Square for Restaurants POS app on your Square Register, make sure that your Register is updated to the latest software. Log out of the Square Point of Sale app, tap Square for Restaurants and log back in using a Square for Restaurants device code. 

Learn how to set up your Square Register.

Mobile POS

Our powerful Restaurants mobile POS comes with two new handheld options to match your workflows:

Receipt Printers, Kitchen Printers and Cash Drawers

View a full list of compatible hardware to start using your Restaurants point of sale. Keep in mind, the Square for Restaurants POS app is only available for iOS – make sure to purchase hardware compatible with iPad.

Square Reader

To begin, make sure to charge your reader.

To do so:

  1. Have the Square Reader and accompanying USB cable handy. This cable can be the included USB cable that came with your Square Reader or an extended 2m USB-C to USB-A cable (sold separately) for Square Reader (2nd generation). You can also use the white Dock for Square Reader (1st generation only) to charge your reader.

  2. Connect one end of the USB cable to your reader and the other end to a USB port (e.g. a wall socket, mobile phone charger, laptop or desktop computer, or the USB accessory hub for Square Stand.

It takes around two hours for a reader with a low battery to charge completely. To check your battery level, press the button on the reader. If fully charged, you’ll see four green lights.

If you’re using a Square Stand with the reader, connect your reader to the USB accessory hub of the stand with the included Dock for Square Reader (1st generation). If all USB ports on the hub are occupied by other hardware, you can connect your reader wirelessly to your device via Bluetooth.

Wirelessly Connect Square Reader to Your Device

Before connecting your Square Reader, make sure Bluetooth is turned on in your device settings. Note: The reader pairs to Square through the Square for Restaurants POS app – not through your device settings, so be sure to follow each step below:

  1. Go to the Square for Restaurants POS app and tap Account.

  2. Tap Settings > Hardware.

  3. Under Square Readers, tap Connect a Reader.

To pair your reader:

  1. Put the reader into pairing mode by pressing the reader’s power button for three to 10 seconds. You’ll see four blinking orange lights.

  2. Immediately release your finger when you see the orange lights. If you see red lights, you’ve held the button too long and you can try again.

  3. In the app, a pairing confirmation will appear, make sure to tap ‘Pair’ to complete the pairing process.

    1. On Android devices, quickly tap Pair and Pair & connect each time you’re prompted until the connection is successful. If the connection fails, start the pairing process over and make sure to accept all Pair and Pair & connect prompts within five seconds.

Note: Due to extended security measures, some Android devices will require multiple confirmations during the pairing process.  We apologise for any inconvenience and are actively working with Android to help make this process easier.

When the reader is connected, it’ll be listed as Ready in the app and the reader’s lights will turn green for two seconds. Keep in mind, the wireless connection can be lost if the reader and device are more than approximately three metres apart.

If you run into any issues with pairing your reader to the app, learn more about Square Reader Troubleshooting.

Note: Square Reader is not compatible with Square Register via Bluetooth.

Hardware Troubleshooting

If you have trouble printing receipts, use the following tips for Ethernet interface, USB interface and Bluetooth receipt printers.

Before you begin troubleshooting, verify and ensure that your printer is connected to the correct Wi-Fi network. Visit Settings in your iPad (outside of the Square for Restaurants app), tap Wi-Fi and ensure that your device is connected to the correct network.

If you are connected to Wi-Fi and have confirmed that it is the correct network, try these troubleshooting steps:

  • Turn your device’s Wi-Fi off and then on again.

  • Turn your device completely off and then back on.

  • Turn your receipt printer off and unplug all cables. Plug all cables back in and turn the receipt printer on.

  • Make sure the receipt printer is fully plugged in and a roll of paper is in the printer.

  • Turn your Wi-Fi router off and then on again.

  • Ensure the Wi-Fi router is working and that your device is connected.

Can't find what you need?