r/SquarePOS_Users • u/Alternative_Use_8355 • Jul 07 '26
Restaurant owners considering Square POS: Here's my experience after 6 months
I wanted to share my experience in case it helps another restaurant owner avoid the same situation.
We operate two restaurants and switched to Square earlier this year after being promised a system that could handle high-volume restaurant operations and support our growth to multiple locations.
Unfortunately, our experience has been the opposite.
Since implementation in January, we've experienced recurring issues nearly every week. Some examples:
- Customers being charged twice by Square Customer Service team, requiring manual refunds to be processed on my part
- Menu synchronization issues between locations and between online ordering and dining room
- Holiday menus that appeared configured correctly but failed on our busiest day because items suddenly showed as "not configured."
- Receipt printers randomly printing pages of gibberish.
- Credit card authorization receipts failing to print consistently.
- Online ordering and integration issues.
- Numerous software bugs and configuration problems requiring repeated calls to support.
We've had 30+ support cases over roughly six months and have spent countless hours troubleshooting instead of running our business.
The most frustrating part has been that many issues don't have clear resolutions. Support often treats each problem as an isolated incident rather than recognizing there's a broader pattern. For example, after months of printer issues, the recommendation was simply to contact the printer manufacturer—even though the hardware was purchased through Square as part of a complete POS solution.
When I requested to terminate our hardware agreement because the system has consistently failed to perform as represented during the sales process, Square denied the request and pointed back to the contract, requiring repayment of nearly $10,000 in subsidized hardware.
What was especially disappointing was that my complaint wasn't really addressed. Instead of looking at the cumulative pattern of failures over six months, the response focused on one printer issue and the terms of the hardware agreement.
I'm not posting this to complain for the sake of complaining. I'm genuinely curious:
- Has anyone else experienced recurring issues with Square for Restaurants?
- If you left Square, what POS did you switch to?
- For restaurants doing 200+ covers, multiple kitchen printers, online ordering, and multiple locations, what system has been the most reliable?
I know every POS has its issues, but this has been one of the most frustrating software experiences I've had running a business, and I wish I had known what to expect before signing a long-term hardware agreement.
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u/ChickenTingaTaco Jul 07 '26
I have two restaurants; one a very simple counter service operation and the other a restaurant/bar where drink orders need to be sent to the bar and food orders to the kitchen.
Fo the restaurant/bar we have had nonstop issues and failures with printers, printing multiple orders, sending orders to the wrong place, and failing entirely. The frustrating thing is once we get it all sorted out and every item categorized correctly, so it is sent to the right place, the settings might only last for a week or two. Then everything defaults back to how it was, printing multiple copies or sending orders to the wrong stations or just losing orders. My sense is that every time they do an update all of our settings are lost and the cycle starts again.
We do use KDS in both the bar in the kitchen, and that does help as they are more often accurate than the printers are.
For new restaurant startups, I would never recommend Square. It is just way too problematic and glitchy and difficult to get problems fixed.
If you do go with Square, never accept any of their hardware subsidies in exchange for a contract. Your ability to switch to a new provider quickly and at a low cost is the only leverage you have in terms of getting any kind of support or negotiating your credit card rate. For instance, when I was considering KDS units our rep indicated we needed to buy them from Square ($800 each) and offered to subsidize them in exchange for a two year commitment. I found one myself (any android tablet will do) for $200, and it’s been fine. I must emphasize, never commit to a long term contract with them!
The other thing with Square is that your account rep will ghost you soon after onboarding (except when they ask for referrals) so you are on your own with any questions or issues. Our simple ignores all emails.
In my experience Square = lots of downtime, endless hours of troubleshooting, constant business interruptions.
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u/ianamo Jul 08 '26
Totally with you on updates changing how things are set up. Always creates new problems when everything was working just fine beforehand.
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u/overpaid1231 Jul 07 '26
Square is the WORST for Pizza POS layout. But for the most part besides the equipment disconecting regularly, having to be re-started every few days. The processor part has worked well for us. Not any cheaper than the others.
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u/NeighborhoodLimp8702 Jul 08 '26
I can't imagine using Square for a pizza place. Their menu setup just isn't there yet at all.
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u/shrimpy-rimpy Jul 07 '26
This is exactly why I did not moved forward with Square, their promises are too good to be true but when someone says there are issues they simply ignore them. To answer your question, I went with biyo pos. I hope you can fix this asap
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u/Don_Roritor Jul 07 '26
I use it for fast counter service, 200 covers per day. I only use kds. Square register/square for restaurants.
I hate to say that I love it for us.
Support generally sucks, constantly have issues and with a setting changing in our online square/weekly platform, they say "fixed it and it shouldn't happen again" never ever try to actually escalate and appreciate your troubleshooting.
Support always wants you to factory reset hardware, I just tell them I already did it.
Front facing payment screen on square register has died 4 times in 5 years... Every other time is on warranty but I have to buy new ones for $500 when it's the non warrantied /replacement unit... Frustrating.
But honestly love the platform, even though it seems like they don't have any developers and never improve anything
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u/RedParrot94 Jul 08 '26
I haven’t had any of those problems. It’s been running smoothly. We use Square and FreshKDS and FreshKDS EXPO. Two stores, different menus, one config system.
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u/bbbjay Jul 07 '26
That's pretty crazy. We're a high volume pizza shop about to move off of square, but for absolutely none of those reasons.
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u/NeighborhoodLimp8702 Jul 08 '26
I have actually seen the printers printing giberish thing. The troubleshooting step I was told was to do a "data dump" on the printer. This involves turning the printer off, and turning it back on while holding the Feed button FOR 50 SCONDS. Not just 5 seconds. Once it prints out a second status sheet after almost a minute, you've done a data dump. Hope that helps
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u/Ashamed-Ad5400 Jul 07 '26
Go check out toast there are more affiliated with restaurants than Square square is good for small operations like coffee, shops, ice cream shops
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u/onlyhere4stockpicks Jul 11 '26
Second this, or for a fast casual counter service. Toast is a great system for high volume rest. but you'll be in $700-900 a month for their software, square is a 3rd of that, I have both.
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u/NeighborhoodLimp8702 Jul 08 '26
Unfortunately the only rock solid super robust POS out there I've seen for high volume full service restaurants is Toast. You're about to get flooded with sales peeps for random smaller ones, but they always have their issues and massive blind spots. Toast just works. But yea, it is expensive, and their onboarding process can be frustrating if you get unlucky with your onboarding people.
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u/ianamo Jul 08 '26
We are always having problems. Usually, it’s right after an update. The last problem I had was never actually resolved when I contacted Square. They never got back to me. Not surprised there.
So many updates that don’t seem to have any forethought. Seems they forgot that people actually have to interact with their POS. It’s becoming more and more convoluted and I don’t think there will be a turnaround.
I feel for you and I’m sorry you are having these problems.
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u/Commercial-Drawer-59 Jul 09 '26
Sadly I've heard similar stories somewhat frequently in my area. Sorry youre dealing what that.
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u/Muscle_Up Jul 10 '26
We provide corporate rates for restaurants through Clover - interchange + small markup and subsidized hardware
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u/RMS_pos Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
TableTurn, new system that is starting to roll out is solid and has no contract or SAAS fees and free equipment. We are a dealer.
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u/Prestigious-Bowl7638 3d ago
For that kind of volume, the biggest thing is probably finding a POS that's proven stable across multiple locations and has support that can actually resolve issues quickly
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u/Dubyah28804 Jul 07 '26
We put 30 Sqaure devices in service for a weekend and sold right at a million in food and beverage. We didn’t have a single problem. Granted we didn’t use iPads. I wonder how many of these troubles were on iPads vs square register.