For cafes and coffee shops
A coffee shop POS for when the line's out the door
A free coffee shop POS covers the part that matters at 7:15 in the morning: quick drink buttons, milk and syrup modifiers, tips on the customer's screen and a receipt by text.
Loyalty punch cards and kitchen screens are where a cafe usually starts paying. We'll show you exactly where that line is.
A morning, minute by minute
What the register is doing while you pull shots
Doors open
Yesterday's sales summary is already in your inbox. You glance at it while the grinder warms up.
The regular
Oat latte, extra shot, vanilla. Three taps on modifiers you set up once. The name goes on the ticket so the cup gets to the right person.
Eight people deep
Tap to pay, tip on the customer's screen, receipt by text. No signature, no paper, next.
Online orders land
Pickup orders from your ordering page show up in the same list with a pickup time, so the bar knows what's coming.
The Wi-Fi hiccups
On supported card readers, payments keep going in offline mode and upload when the connection's back.
Close out
Count the drawer, check tips and what sold. Pastry case empty by noon? Now you know to bake more.
On Square Free
The morning rush, covered
- Modifiers
- Milks, syrups, extra shots and sizes, free or with a charge, picked in a tap.
- Tips that make sense
- Smart tip amounts that adjust to the size of the order, or your own suggested amounts.
- Order numbers
- Every ticket gets a number automatically, so you can call orders without shouting names.
- Order ahead
- Commission-free online ordering for pickup, plus Order with Google.
- Coupons and a customer list
- Save customers at checkout and send them a coupon.
- Offline payments
- Keep the line moving on supported hardware when the wifi hiccups.
When you'd want to upgrade
Loyalty is the big one
Most cafes that upgrade do it for loyalty. A punch card that lives on the customer's phone number works, and regulars like it. Here's what's on the paid side.
- Square PlusLoyaltyPoints or visits tied to a phone number, no cards to lose.
- Square PlusEmail and text marketingCampaigns and automated messages to your customer list.
- Square PlusOrder-ready textsText the customer when their drink is marked done on a Square KDS screen.
- Square PlusAdvanced modifiers and sold out everywhereMore modifier rules, and 86 an item across the POS and online at once.
- Square PlusTimecards and tip pooling
- Paid add-onKitchen and bar screensSquare's KDS app. Not available on Free.
- Paid add-onSelf-order kioskSquare Kiosk software. Not available on Free.
Plan prices and card rates change, so we keep them in one place instead of on every page. See current pricing or Square rates and hardware.
Getting started
Set it up on a slow afternoon
- 1
Make the account
Sign up free and add your bank account for deposits.
- 2
Build the drink menu
Drinks as items, sizes as variations, milks and syrups as modifiers. Nested modifiers can show the syrup choices only after the milk is picked.
- 3
Turn on tipping
Pick your tip options, set up the reader, ring a test latte.
Questions
Cafe owners ask us
How do I keep the line moving at the register?
Put your top ten drinks on the first screen, make milks and syrups modifiers instead of separate items, and turn on order numbers so nobody has to shout names. Most of the speed comes from button layout, not hardware.
Is it worth taking online orders for a small cafe?
If you have regulars who grab and go, usually yes. Order ahead takes pressure off the line at peak, and those orders tend to be the regulars you already know. Set a prep time you can actually hit so the first one goes well.
Is loyalty included on Square Free?
No. Square Loyalty is part of Square Plus and Premium. On Free you can still build a customer list at checkout and send coupons, which is a decent start.
Can customers order ahead from their phones?
Yes. Online ordering for pickup is on Square Free with no commission from Square, and you can turn on Order with Google. Ordering from a QR code at the table is a Plus feature.
Still deciding? See which POS hardware fits your business and whether a free POS is enough, or browse all our free POS guides. Current rates are on our pricing page, and every reader and terminal is on the Square rates and hardware page. More answers on the FAQ page, or call (888) 243-3831.
Shorter lines start with the right setup. It's free to start.
Square Free has no monthly software fee and no long-term contract. You pay a processing fee when a customer pays by card, and nothing on cash. Current numbers are on our pricing page.
No monthly fee on the free plan. No long-term contract. Cancel anytime. See current pricing.
Free POS System is operated by POSUSA, an authorized Square reseller. POSUSA may earn compensation when you sign up through our link. It doesn't cost you a cent more. Read our disclosure.