The Pulse
Square Adds Conversational AI to Its Restaurant Kiosk
Square unveiled a kiosk that lets restaurant customers order by touch or voice and ask questions about menu ingredients and choices. The system can use restaurant sales data to suggest items, while Square’s setup requirements limit use to c
AI.info Team · Written with AI ·
Square introduced a conversational AI version of its restaurant kiosk on October 14, giving diners a way to ask menu questions aloud instead of relying only on a touchscreen. The device accepts voice and touch orders, and Square says its software can use restaurant-specific information to guide recommendations. The announcement extends a kiosk product Square first introduced in 2024, rather than marking the company’s first entry into self-service ordering.
Questions replace menu hunting
A customer can ask for pescetarian choices or check which dishes do not contain onions, according to Fast Company’s report. The kiosk can also draw on contextual details such as the time of day and popular items at that restaurant location. Square says diners can connect a Square Neighborhoods profile and loyalty account while placing an order.
“Adding intelligence and voice enables us to do more things,” Thomas Templeton, hardware lead at Square parent company Block Inc., told Fast Company. “That means it can take more complicated questions, and you can interact with it more like you would a person.” Square’s product description also says restaurants can use their menu and sales data to influence what customers see and receive recommendations based on items already in their carts.
A new layer on Square’s existing kiosk
Square launched its original kiosk in May 2024 as a self-service ordering system for quick-service restaurants, with menu customization and built-in contactless and chip payments. The company later said an interface update could deliver up to 30% faster order entry, a claim tied to that redesign rather than to the conversational AI announcement. The new offering adds voice interaction and menu guidance to Square’s existing restaurant tools.
The kiosk’s practical requirements matter for operators weighing a rollout. Square’s support documentation describes a standalone device with a 21.5-inch vertical touchscreen and says voice ordering requires a stable internet connection. The new Square Kiosk requires an active Square Plus or Premium subscription, and Square currently lists the kiosk and its voice AI as English-only.
Customer appetite is less certain than the technology
Square’s own 2024 dining research points to a split between comfort with touchscreens and interest in conversational ordering. In that survey, 70% of diners said they were comfortable ordering at a touchscreen kiosk, while 33% were open to voice ordering through a conversational AI chatbot inside a restaurant. The findings predate this announcement and do not measure reactions to Square’s new device, but they show that adding voice does not automatically guarantee customer acceptance.
Square’s product pitch is that the kiosk can answer questions and make ordering feel less like navigating a static menu, especially during busy periods. The company has not named restaurant-chain customers for the launch, Fast Company reported. For now, the clearest boundaries are concrete: the system depends on an internet connection, supports English, and requires an eligible Square subscription.