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 on your iPad, 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.
Note: Square for Restaurants Plus features are only compatible with iPad at this time. At this time you won’t be able to use the Restaurants app with Android devices.
Set Up Hardware for Restaurants
USB Connection
To set up hardware from the Restaurants app:
Open the app and tap Account > Set Up Hardware.
Note: If you’re using a Square Stand to connect your compatible USB cash drawers, just insert the USB plug directly into the hub of the Stand – your hardware will automatically connect. Just make sure you’re signed in to the Restaurants app with a device code.
Bluetooth Connection
With the exception of the Square reader, which connects through the Restaurants app, all other Bluetooth devices will need to be connected through your iPad settings. Read more about setting up hardware with your iPad.
Compatible Hardware
Square Stand
You can purchase the Square Stand from the Square Shop. Once you have your Square Stand, just insert your iPad and start taking payments. The Square Stand includes three USB ports to directly connect the reader and dock, a supported receipt printer, cash drawer and barcode scanner.
Read more about setting up your Square Stand, as well as recommended hardware to create your point of sale station.
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 Restaurants app is only available for iOS – make sure to purchase hardware compatible with iPad.
Printer Stations
Most restaurants need to print specific menu items to separate printers. For example, if an order has both drinks and starters, you can set up a bar printer to receive drinks, and a kitchen printer to receive starters.
Once you’ve connected your supported printer, you can create a printer station to start routing categories to separate printers:
Log in to your Square for Restaurants app and tap Account > Set Up Hardware.
Select Create Printer Station.
Name your printer (for instance ‘Bar Printer’) and select the ticket and receipt types sent to this printer.
Under Print From This Device, you can choose Receipt, Bills and Reporting print options – as well as Order Tickets (tickets containing food & beverage orders), Order Ticket Stubs (numbered tickets for Quick Service Restaurants) and Voided Tickets.
Scroll down and enable categories you’d like to send to this printer station.
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 Starters 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 Starters to the same printer, you’ll need to perform a print test.
To get started:
Open the Square for Restaurants App > Account > Set Up Hardware.
Next, tap Create a Printer Station.
Select a printer and tap Print Test.
Reader
To begin, make sure to charge your reader.
To do so:
Have the reader and accompanying USB cable handy.
Connect one end of the USB cable to your reader and the other end to a USB port (e.g., a mobile phone charger, laptop or desktop computer or the USB hardware hub for Square Stand. You can also insert your reader into the Dock for Square Reader.
It takes around 2 hours for a reader with low battery to charge completely. To check your battery level, press the button on the side of your reader. If fully charged, you will see 4 green lights.
If you’re using a Square Stand with the reader, connect your reader to the USB hardware hub of the stand with the included Dock for Square Reader. If all USB ports on the hub are occupied by other hardware, you can connect your reader wirelessly to your device.
Wirelessly Connect Your Reader to Your Device
Before connecting your 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:
Go to the Restaurants POS app and tap Account.
Tap Setup Hardware.
Under Card Readers, tap Connect a Reader.
To pair your reader:
Put the reader into pairing mode by pressing the reader’s power button for 3–10 seconds. You’ll see 4 blinking orange lights.
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.
When the reader is connected, it will be listed as Ready in the app and the reader’s lights will turn green for 2 seconds. Keep in mind, the wireless connection can be lost if the reader and device are more than approximately 3 metres (10ft) apart.
Hardware Troubleshooting
If you have trouble printing receipts, use the following tips for Ethernet interface, USB interface and Bluetooth receipt printers.
Verifying the Network
Before you begin troubleshooting, 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.