Square Partners with Sysco, Unveils New Features for Restaurant Operators

Square has announced a new strategic partnership with Sysco, a global foodservice distributor, and introduced several new features designed to help restaurants streamline operations, save time, and improve cash flow. The partnership and product updates aim to enhance the tools available to food and beverage businesses navigating an increasingly complex industry landscape.

Square’s partnership with Sysco brings its suite of technology solutions to more restaurants worldwide. Sysco, known for its extensive support services for foodservice operators, will promote and sell Square’s tools through its Sysco Restaurant Solutions program.

“Sysco is committed to helping our customers succeed through innovative solutions and technology,” said Neil Russell, Chief Administrative Officer at Sysco. “Square’s technology is comprehensive and easy-to-use for operators and workers alike, and we know that their solutions can help food and beverage businesses work smarter, operate more efficiently, and find new avenues of growth.”

Through this collaboration, Square aims to equip more restaurants with tools to manage operations, track sales, and improve the customer experience.

New Features Address Key Industry Challenges

Alongside the Sysco partnership, Square has introduced several new features tailored to the needs of restaurants and bars:

• Bar Tabs: Restaurants and bars can now preauthorize bar tabs for customers paying with a credit card or digital wallet. This feature eliminates the need to hold onto customers’ cards, streamlining service and checkout processes. Eric Lurwick, General Manager at Cisco Brewers, said, “Holding onto people’s credit cards at the bar – and having 20-30 people per night forget to close out their tabs – can be a nightmare. Using Bar Tabs has made the lives of Cisco employees and customers a lot better.”
• Instant Payouts: Restaurants using Square Checking can now receive funds instantly for orders made through third-party delivery platforms, without additional fees. This feature addresses the cash flow challenges faced by many restaurants, especially those waiting up to 11 days for revenue from third-party orders. Instant Payouts is available to Square for Restaurants Plus and Premium sellers integrated with DoorDash or Uber Eats, with plans to expand to other platforms in 2025.
• House Accounts: Businesses can now set up House Accounts for regular or institutional clients, allowing them to invoice on a flexible schedule.

Square’s Release Manager enables restaurant operators to adopt these new features at their own pace, ensuring a seamless transition and providing time to train staff.

Focus on Supporting Restaurants

Square emphasized its commitment to addressing the evolving needs of food and beverage sellers.

“Day in and day out, our sellers are tasked with navigating the ever-changing and increasingly complex restaurant environment,” said Ming-Tai Huh, Head of Food and Beverage at Square. “Any leg up we can give businesses – whether that’s through time saved or quicker access to revenue without more fees – is worth it to better equip them to succeed.”

This article, "Square Partners with Sysco, Unveils New Features for Restaurant Operators" was first published on Small Business Trends