The Restaurant Guide to Square Mobile Payments

Do you know about Square mobile payments for restaurants?

By now you may have seen the commercials for taking payments with your mobile phone.

There are a handful of companies with devices that attach to your smartphone allowing you to swipe credit cards and have people sign with their fingers. It’s fast. It’s easy. It’s a convenient way to take payment and move customers through your business efficiently.

Two of the companies are pulling ahead in the mobile payment world:

• Square
• PayPal Here

This is part one of a series on mobile payment processing for restaurants and we’re going to focus on Square.

Square Mobile Payments for Restaurants

Square is an easy solution for restaurant payment processing.

Square is a white device that fits into the top port on your phone. Square works with iOS and Android devices. Businesses create an account with Square, receive the credit card reader (the reader is free), and in minutes they can be setup to take payments. There are no contracts to worry about and for restaurants it can be easy to make payments easy for you and for your customers.

The Benefits of Square for Restaurants

You swipe. They sign.

The Square commercials say it all. Businesses of all kinds are loving the Square Card Reader and Square Register. The reader and the app allow businesses to save time on the busy work allowing them to focus on earning more revenue.

Here are the basics about Square:

• The Card Reader is Free
• Related Apps are Free
• Pricing starts at 2.75% per swipe or $275 per month
• Next-Day Deposits
• Works with the common mobile devices

Square can make life easy for the people working at your restaurant and it can make the experience better for your customers. In the restaurant world it’s all about good food and a good experience for the customer. By making the payment easy and even fun you can make the experience more enjoyable for your customer.

For restaurants, Square is easy to use and makes payments fast and convenient. Tweet This

In the Square Testimonials you’ll see a variety of business owners including restaurant owners talking about the way Square has saved them time and made their business more enjoyable for customers.

Here are some of the benefits of using Square from the testimonials:

• It’s fast. The focus is not on the payment. Focus is on the service and the product.
• It allows all businesses, including restaurants, to accept credit cards. No renting machines. No contracts to sign.
• No printing receipts. Well, you can print receipts easily, but you’ll be able to email send electronic confirmations too.
• It’s Great for mobile business. Taking payment upon the delivery of items is fast and easy. Great for catering service.
• Fewer Cash Deposits. All the money goes directly to your business account.
• It’s Safe and Secure.

At first, the Square reader surprises some people. For the transaction you can take out your iPhone or iPad (Does Your Restaurant Cater to iPhone Users?) complete with the reader and swipe the credit card right there. It’s convenient for customers. No longer will they have to wait for the check. You can hand them the device and they can sign with their finger.

It’s that easy.

Square Card Reader

The Square Mobile Card Reader is the device that plugs into your mobile phone or tablet device. It’s quick and easy to install and setup. The reader plugs into standard headphone minijacks. The transactions and swipes are entirely secure and up-to-date with all the latest security requirements including PCI requirements. For restaurants and businesses this is important and it’s good to know that a reader like Square can take care of the security so you can worry about building your business.

Square Register

Square Register is a full pricing system.

Square Register is an app that allows to completely manage your business. The app allows you to input all the items on your menu including drinks and any specials. It’s easy to add new items and remove items that are being replaced. You can manage multiple devices through the app making sure everyone on your staff has the latest version of what you’re offering including the prices.

There are analytics that come with Square Register. You can track sale and make decisions based on what is selling the best and making the most profit. You can track what time of day you’re making the most money and really learn about your business. It’s all part of the square system. It truly seems like a way to grow your business.

Square Marketing Ideas

Square is exciting for restaurant managers looking to save time when it comes to transactions. The reader and the app also offer some interesting marketing ideas too.

Take Your Show On The Road

Okay. You don’t have to have a “show”, but you can still take your food on the road. A restaurant is a great destination for people, but sometimes to earn more sales you have to go to the people. There are always events happening around town such as music festivals, park events, parades, and other activities. See if you can get involved and go where the people are. You can take your Square card reader on the road with you and processing payments will be easy.

People don’t carry cash much anymore. When you go on the road you’ll have the advantage of being able to swipe cards wherever you are.

Upsell Items You Know Are Popular

When your waitstaff goes to the tables in your restaurant the Square Register app will give them the power to see what the specials are that day. You can upsell to customers in real-time based on the information in the app. As the app gets more advanced you’ll be able to know other items people buy when they buy something. It’s a great way to add revenue.

Reward Your Best Customers

Reward Your Best Customers

There is a loyalty app build right in to Square. You can create virtual punch cards and make the decision to give your most loyal customers discounts or free items when they visit. It’s a great way to further enhance the experience and make customers even more loyal to you.

Encourage Mobile Interaction

Square is a mobile experience for you and your customers. They see the iPad or the iPhone and they realize that your business is current and interesting. When your staff is using Square you can encourage even more mobile interaction. Have people visit your site (Restaurant Engine makes it easy to view your website on mobile devices) and maybe even share their experience at your restaurant on Facebook or Twitter. When people are at your restaurant they’re more likely to tell their friends about the experience. It’s a great way to get more interest from more people.

Conclusion

Square can be a great part of your restaurant. It’s the new way to make payments easy for you and for your customers. There is less paper to print. You’ll be able to save time for you, your staff, and your customers. With the technology today it’s just time to start using mobile payment processing applications to make business better.

Square is part of the mobile movement in the world. If you are considering making your business more mobile then having your website provided by Restaurant Engine will make your site mobile friendly for any customer that visits your site on their phone or tablet.

If you have questions about mobile payments, mobile restaurant websites or any other restaurant related topics leave a comment below or tweet to us.