Square Powers Next Phase of Growth for Blind Tiger Coffee Roasters, Tampa Bay's Beloved Local Coffee Chain

Blind Tiger Coffee Roasters, Tampa Bay’s rapidly expanding specialty coffee chain, is embarking on its next phase of growth with Square as its technology partner. Founded in 2014, Blind Tiger has grown from a single cafe to eight thriving venues across Tampa Bay, with plans to add eight more locations over the next 24 months, including high-traffic destinations in the Tampa Zoo and Clearwater Marine Aquarium. This next chapter showcases Blind Tiger’s community-driven expansion and Square’s unique ability to power it with integrated solutions that scale.

Inspired by the tailored, craftsman feel of a speakeasy, Blind Tiger – whose name is a euphemism for a speakeasy – set out to sell quality roasts in spaces designed to foster culture and community. With the opening of their first location in 2014, Blind Tiger chose Square to embark on this journey and quickly grew from there. When a competitor’s promise of significant cost savings led them to switch providers in 2022, three years of operational challenges – from unstable systems to integration issues – revealed what truly mattered for their growing business. The experience brought them back to Square, having discovered that beyond providing leading tools and software to support restaurants at scale, Square delivers the reliability, operational stability, and seamless integrations that are paramount for growth. The return wasn’t just about processing costs; it was about finding a true operational partner that could turn technology into a competitive advantage.

“Coming back to Square feels like coming home,” said Roberto Torres, founder of Blind Tiger Coffee Roasters. “From our Ybor City flagship location to St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital, we are at the heart of an important community that’s only growing. We are operating at a level that requires a partner who can meet our diverse needs – reliable payment processing, a built-in integration to our loyalty program, and a mobile app that answers the needs of our most avid customers and fans. Square has shown a genuine commitment to helping us succeed in our local neighborhoods, and is the ideal partner to our business.”

Now, the neighborhood-favorite coffee chain is leveraging Square’s technical ecosystem to streamline operations and enhance customer experience:

• Square Register and Kitchen Display System for seamless order management
• Self-serve kiosks at each location for speed and convenience
• Custom sticker printers for precise drink preparation
• Integrated delivery partnerships with Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub
• Incentivio partner integration to build consumer relationships and drive loyalty
• Email and SMS marketing capabilities reaching Blind Tiger’s 35,000+ mailing list
• Square Loyalty program supporting ‘superfan’ engagement and rewards

The implementation has already yielded significant improvements, including faster checkout times, reduced order errors, and simplified staff training. These efficiencies save time and costs while freeing Blind Tiger’s team to focus on customer service and community engagement – core values that built the brand’s loyal following. In addition, Square’s connected ecosystem has enabled Blind Tiger to optimize its insights and combine loyalty, marketing, and engagement capabilities to nurture its elite regulars spending upwards of $17,000 annually.

“Blind Tiger Coffee Roasters exemplifies the type of business partner we love to support at Square,” said Ming-Tai Huh, Head of Food & Beverage at Square. “Their commitment to enriching the community, delivering quality food and service, fostering local connection, and driving business growth aligns perfectly with our mission to help sellers of all sizes succeed. We’re honored to have Roberto and his team back on the platform to power their ongoing expansion.”

Each Blind Tiger location adopts a local school and donates to causes that reflect its three core values: food insecurity, immigration, and social justice. As Blind Tiger prepares to branch into a hybrid food and bar model, Square’s scalable platform will continue to support its focus on community while ensuring the operational excellence that have made it a Tampa Bay institution.

For more information about Square’s solutions for Food & Beverage (F&B) sellers, visit https://squareup.com/us/en/restaurants.

For more information about Blind Tiger Coffee Roasters, visit: https://blindtigercoffeeroasters.com.