What Square’s new talking kiosk needs before its first order

Consider a customer asking for a large iced latte with oat milk. For a voice kiosk, the drink, size and milk option need to exist in the menu. Preparing those relationships is the first job.[3]

Announced on 14 October, the new Square Kiosk combines a 21.5-inch screen with conversational ordering. Customers can speak or use the touchscreen, while the counter-mounted hardware costs $1,999 in the US. It is a standalone device; the earlier iPad-based product is now called Square Stand + Kiosk Lite. This guide follows Square’s US documentation. AI News has not tested the hardware.[1][2]

Give the conversation a usable menu

Square’s kiosk uses menus rather than item categories. Give items recognisable names, helpful descriptions and clear modifier labels, then assign the menu to the device’s location. The voice system uses that library to explain products and options.[3]

1. In Square Dashboard, open Menus under the relevant Items section. Depending on the account, that section is labelled Items & services, Items & menus or Items & inventory.
2. Use the three-dot menu beside the intended menu, choose Edit menu details, then Channels, Edit and Kiosk.
3. Check the location, save, and confirm that the individual items are also available to the Kiosk channel.

For allergy questions, the kiosk draws on entered information. Square says it cannot answer questions about cross-contamination or kitchen practices and directs those queries to staff.[3]

Connect it to the restaurant

You need Square Plus or Premium with advanced restaurant capabilities added, and at least one active point-of-sale device running Square Point of Sale. The kiosk needs continuous power and a stable Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection. It operates indoors, takes no cash and has no offline payment mode.[4][5]

Create the device in Dashboard through Settings, Device management, Kiosk, Add a kiosk, then Square Kiosk. Choose its location and mode, assign its menus and generate the device code. At the unit, connect to the network, install any prompted updates and sign in with the device code. Check that the intended location and mode are selected.[4]

Plan the kitchen connection too. The kiosk has no built-in printer. Square’s specifications route printing and kitchen-display functions through supported Square point-of-sale hardware, so the $1,999 unit is not a complete restaurant system by itself.[5]

The hardware is only part of the bill

The new kiosk’s software costs $99 per device per month. The required underlying Square plan starts at $49 per location per month for Plus; Premium costs $149. That location-level charge matters when comparing one kiosk with two in the same restaurant.[1]

For a location already paying for an eligible plan, the extra kiosk adds its own hardware and software cost rather than another location subscription. Whether it earns that money back depends on the restaurant’s orders, staffing and customer response; these fixed-cost calculations do not establish a payback period.

Make room for a conversation

Voice ordering needs a stable internet connection at all times. Square recommends quieter positions and at least 24 inches between kiosks to reduce interference from neighbouring conversations. Keeping the unit away from a main walkway also helps prevent passers-by triggering its presence sensor.[2]

To enable voice, swipe down from the screen’s top-right corner, enter an employee passcode and open Voice ordering. Volume controls sit there too. Customers can move to touch by tapping the screen, or disable voice with the speaker icon in the upper-left corner. The device currently supports English.[2][5]

Before the first service, follow Square’s recommended test: place an order, make a test tap or chip payment, and confirm that it reaches the assigned printer or kitchen display. Repeat this when setting up a new menu, location or mode. The conversation at the counter has done its job when the kitchen receives the right order.[4]

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