Set up and manage real-time bill view for restaurants

About real-time bill view

Real-time bill view is a new checkout experience for food and beverage sellers that displays a live basket panel alongside the item configuration screen. As you add or edit items, modifiers, quantities and prices, the basket updates in real time – no screen switching required.

With real-time bill view, you can:

• See your bill update instantly as you configure items and modifiers

• Select multiple items in the bill for bulk actions (Comp, Void, Move, Remove)

• Edit items in place by tapping them in the basket panel

• Keep full visibility of the running bill total while building orders

Real-time bill view works with Square KDS – orders sent from the live basket panel are routed the same way as the previous workflow. It also works with coursing – you can hold and fire courses, and the live basket panel displays course groupings and fire status.

You can leave the beta at any time through your early feature access settings to return to the previous checkout experience.

Before you begin

• You need a Square Point of Sale app on iOS or Android, Square Register, Square Terminal or Square Handheld.

• Your device must be running the latest version of the Square Point of Sale app.

• You need Full service, Quick service or Bar mode enabled. Learn how to set up your restaurants point of sale.

• You must be enrolled in the real-time bill view open beta via early feature access. Learn how to set up Early Feature Access.

Build a bill with the live basket

1. Open your Square Point of Sale app and navigate to your floor plan or the Bills tab.

2. Tap a table or start a new bill.

3. Tap a menu item to open the item details screen. The live basket panel appears on the right-hand side of the screen.

4. Select variations and modifiers for the item. As you make selections, the basket panel updates in real time to reflect your choices and the running total.

5. Tap Add to bill. The item appears in the basket panel immediately.

6. Continue adding items. Each item you configure is reflected in the basket panel as you go.

7. When you’re ready, tap Send to send the order to the kitchen or bar.

Edit an item from the basket

1. Tap any item in the live basket panel.

2. The item details screen updates to show that item’s current configuration.

3. Make your changes (modifiers, quantity, notes, price). The basket panel reflects your edits in real time.

4. Tap Save to confirm your changes.

Use multi-select for bulk actions

You can select multiple items in the live basket panel and apply an action to all of them at once – saving time during busy service.

1. In the live basket panel, tap and hold any item to enter multi-select mode.

2. Tap additional items to add them to your selection. Selected items are highlighted.

3. A toolbar appears at the bottom of the basket panel with the following actions:

   • Comp – Removes the cost from all items selected. Select a comp reason when prompted. Use when items are already prepared or delivered but need to be complimentary.

   • Void – Voids all items selected from the bill and inventory. Select a void reason when prompted. Use when items were entered incorrectly and not yet prepared.

   • Move – Moves all items selected to another course, a new bill or an existing bill. Use when reorganising items between bills or courses.

   • Remove – Removes all items selected from the bill. Use for items not yet sent to the kitchen that need to be deleted.

4. Tap an action and follow the prompts (for example, select a comp reason or choose a destination bill).

5. Tap outside the selection or tap Done to exit multi-select mode.

Note: Bulk actions respect the same permissions as individual actions. Team members need the appropriate comp, void or checkout permissions. Learn how to set permissions in Square Dashboard.

Manage your item details settings

You can adjust how the item details screen behaves – including tile size and auto-progression. These settings apply globally across all your devices. Learn how to Manage item details settings.

Known limitations

Real-time bill view is in open beta. Some features may change before general availability.

If you experience lag or unresponsive basket updates, try closing and reopening the bill. If the issue persists, contact Square Support and mention you are using the real-time bill view beta.

The live basket panel is not available on all screen sizes. Smaller devices may display a condensed version.

Related articles

• Manage bills

• Build your customer’s cart

• Set up your restaurants point of sale

• Create and edit modifiers

• Manage item details settings