Square Handheld is a waiter's dream come true — and it's something I wish I had 20 years ago
One of the hardest jobs I've had in my life was waiting tables. It taught me the art of putting on a poker face — and it also forced me to have better time management skills.
That's because of the amount of back and forth time I've wasted taking orders, entering them into the POS (point of sale) terminal, and then delivering the orders. That's why the Square Handheld is the gadget I've dreamt about all these years.
You've probably interacted with Square to some degree and don't realize it, as many businesses use its mobile payments solutions to process transactions for sales. It's very similar to Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and other mobile payments.
The company's latest all-in-one mobile payments solution is the Square Handheld, which looks like a chonky smartphone, but can be used for an array of tasks. Not only does it handle payments via tap-to-pay with your phone, but it also serves as a tool to place orders, categorize inventory and seat guests.
It's exactly the kind of thing I would've died to have on me serving tables over 20 years ago. Back then, I was already thinking forward and ended up using a Windows Pocket PC PDA that allowed me to jot down orders with a stylus — but the Square Handheld is that and much more.
Square sells a range of processing terminals, but the Square Handheld is a mobile POS system that truly does everything that servers and waiters need to do their jobs effectively.
If you've ever worked in the food industry like I did, you know that time is the most important commodity at getting a good tip because no one wants to wait long for their orders.
First of all, it can be used to seat guests at specific tables through a system that essentially creates a floorplan — complete with table numbers and how many guests to seat.
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
Rather than wasting time taking orders and going back to a POS terminal to put them through the kitchen, you can use the Square Handheld to do everything right there. This is a big deal because you can even send drinks to the bartender to create and have it ready by the time you're done taking orders, all at the table.
If you've ever worked in the food industry like I did, you know that time is the most important commodity at getting a good tip because no one wants to wait long for their orders.
And finally, the Square Handheld can take payment in a number of ways — from tap-to-pay with your phone, or traditional credit card swipes. I can't tell you enough how this impacts the customer experience because how long it takes to process a payment could be the deal breaker that could get you good or bad tip.
Instead of the extra time dropping off the check, taking the payment, and then processing it at a POS terminal, you can do everything right then and there with the Square Handheld.
As much as I would've loved to use the Square Handheld during my server days, it has a purpose beyond restaurants. In fact, I think it offers a comprehensive solution for small businesses such as retail clothing shops, pop-up stores and much more.
That's because the Square Handheld can be used to categorize products you might sell and inventory. With its integrated barcode scanner, you could easily add products to your inventory — so that you're not forced to manually do it on a terminal or computer.
This makes it much easier to keep track of inventory stock, which could also be synchronized with sales from an online store they might set up.
For salons or barber shops, this device can be used to create appointments with Square's own workflow system. This ensures that everything is synchronized, including customer data.
Bouncers at bars or clubs could also use the Square Handheld to scan licenses to verify they're the proper age to enter by scanning the bar code found on the back of their drivers' licenses.
You'll have to fork over $399 to pick up the Square Handheld, while an optional $39 cost that can get you a Belkin SheerForce Case to protect it. Thankfully, it has an IP54 rating on its own to protect it against dust and water splashes — but the case would help to cushion drops.
While you could get away with using Square's free plans to handle the essentials, just know that transactions still incur fees to process payments. For example, an in-person payment fee consists of 2.6% + 15¢ per transaction.
Additionally, if you need some of the more advanced functions to tailor to your business' needs, like the ability for restaurants to create floorplan layouts, you'll need to subscribe to one of Square's plans.
For this exact feature, you'll have to subscribe to the Square Plus plan that costs $69 per location/month — but it also comes with more reporting and analytics for businesses to look at.
Yes, it's an investment, but convenience comes at a cost. I can certainly appreciate it from a waiter's perspective, since it saves a lot of time and would allow for quicker transactions. If time travel were possible, I would absolutely bring this back and give it to my 20-year old self.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
U.S. Senate GOP bill could make millions of acres of public land in New Mexico ‘eligible' for sale
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A U.S. Senate Republican budget bill would sell off millions of acres of public land across the U.S. to developers, including more than 21,000 square miles in New Mexico. Some of that land encompasses Ski Santa Fe and the Sandia Mountains as well as areas of the Organ Mountains in Las Cruces. 'This is why we're here today, our monument is under attack,' said Carrie Hamblen, CEO and President of the Las Cruces Green Chamber of Commerce and New Mexico State Senator. Story continues below Wildfire: House sitter becomes unexpected hero, saving four protected raptors during Trout Fire Trending: New restaurant in Old Town takes over space left by beloved eatery Crime: Man sentenced for stealing copper in downtown Albuquerque News: Feds charge man for buying fireworks in NM, claiming he was going to use them against police in LA The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks is just one area at risk of being sold in New Mexico as part of a federal budget reconciliation bill. 'These places help bring us together as a community, they help gather, they help build connection, and they are special. The idea that we can sell these places off to the highest bidder is a grave mistake,' said Patrick Nolan, Executive Director of Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks. Land west of Kirtland Air Force Base, plots of land around the Sandia Mountains as well as areas in the Gila and Santa Fe National Forests, could also be on the chopping block. 'These places hold the history of our Indigenous brothers and sisters, they hold the history of our culture of our people and the uniqueness that is New Mexico,' said Nolan. It's a mix of land currently belonging to the Bureau of Land Management as well as the U.S. Forest Service. Local businesses and groups around the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks said tourism in the area keeps businesses alive. 'When I speak with a lot of my visitors that come in, whether the restaurant or the town, a lot of them talk about their outdoor adventures and those that they experience directly within our beautiful monument here,' said Mayor Russell Hernandez, Town of Mesilla. U.S. Senate Republicans backing the bill have said the land sale is a way to reduce national debt and address the housing crisis. Tuesday morning, Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-New Mexico) spoke out about the proposal in hopes of getting more lawmakers to protect every acre, New Mexico land or not. 'Respect the will of the people, respect these lands, respect tribal sovereignty, respect our small businesses and our local economy, and respect the future of our youth,' said Vasquez. KRQE News 13 reached out to the Republican Party of New Mexico for comment. They said they needed more time to respond. There will be a public lands rally next week at the Western Governors Association meeting in Santa Fe. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Newsweek
a day ago
- Newsweek
Friends Go Out for one bottle of Wine—Then Discover $2,000 Charge
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A night out in Hull, England, took an unexpected, and wildly expensive, turn after a woman was accidentally charged more than £1,600 ($2,226) for a single bottle of wine at a local pub. William Finch, 22, shared the video of the shocking moment they got the check on TikTok in a video that has now been viewed more than 890,000 times. Finch's cousin, 23-year-old Izzy, paid for the bottle of wine, which should have cost around £16, and instead set her back a staggering £1653.52. In a now-viral TikTok video, filmed at the Beech Tree in Hull, Izzy, Finch and the rest of the family are visibly stunned by the receipt which shows she paid the full amount using Apple Pay. "She was just like, 'Oh my God. 16—,' and then said '£1600.' We were all like, oh my God," Finch told Newsweek. "She's one of those people who doesn't really check what it says... she's like, 'Oh yeah, just tap tap,' like it's free money," he joked. But what she wasn't expecting was to pay more than 100 times what the modestly priced wine should have cost. Pictures from the video that gained viral attention after the expensive bottle of wine. Pictures from the video that gained viral attention after the expensive bottle of wine. @williamfinch/TikTok Though the card payment went through—thanks, ironically, to her graduation account's overdraft—she quickly realized the error and was issued a refund right away by the bartender. "The guy doing the refund was actually laughing," Finch said. A spokesperson for The Beech Tree told Newsweek: "Unfortunately we made an initial mistake, but it was immediately recognized, and the issue was resolved. Sometimes mistakes happen but it was taken in good spirits and the customer was refunded and all was well." Finch originally shared the clip as "just a funny post" but it quickly exploded online, amassing more than 890,000 views since being shared last week. "I uploaded it and lost connection, then later I looked at my phone like, 'oh my God!'" he said. Online speculation about how the error happened flooded the comments. Some suggested it was a typo, others assumed a pin number had been accidentally entered as a price. But William confirmed the payment was made via Apple Pay—ruling out keypad errors. Read more Woman notices something off with Taylor Swift tattoo—has to ask internet Woman notices something off with Taylor Swift tattoo—has to ask internet Is there a limit on Apple Pay? Apple's digital wallet service, Apple Pay, allows users to make payments in shops and online using their Apple device. Apple does not set a fixed limit for in-store or online purchases with Apple Pay. While most U.S. merchants do not impose a specific cap on contactless payments in stores and online, there can be caps placed by banks of financial institutions. Apple Cash and person-to-person payments have different limits. The maximum balance for Apple Cash is $20,000, while the maximum you can send or receive in a 7-day period is $10,000. In October 2024, Apple started to require identity verification for users sending more than $500 in total Apple Cash peer-to-peer transactions in line with anti-money laundering compliance. "People have so many theories. Once it's on the internet, everyone has an opinion," Finch said. While the woman's reaction—and the five-figure mistake—had social media users in stitches, the incident also served as a humorous reminder about checking your totals before tapping your card.
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Early Prime Day deal: The Apple Watch that made me a better person is now $329 on Amazon
New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change. Full admission: I've never been that into wearable tech. The idea of having a piece of metal strapped to your wrist, constantly beeping, reminding you to breathe, or to respond to your missed calls, seemed rather unnecessary and somewhat annoying. But, after hearing countless friends rave about how their smartwatches changed their lifestyle for the better, I caved and decided to test out the Apple Watch Series 10 myself. Between chugging out shopping articles and chasing around a two-year-old, I try to carve out a bit of time for myself, but it's not easy. I could definitely use a little nudge to get going from time to time. So, why not give the little smart device a shot? I'm not the only person curious about the smartwatch trend. The Series 10 is a consistent #1 bestseller on Amazon. Besides, if you wait for the perfect opportunity (like today, for example), you could snag it on sale for up to 20% off. Amazon Pros: Advanced smart features (Siri, Apple Pay, App Store, Call/Texting) Sleek, attractive, lightweight build Easy to integrate with the iPhone, and access to the entire Apple Store is very convenient Smooth, intuitive touchscreen experience Different band and style options are available Cons: Shorter battery life (between 18 and 36 hours) GPS tracking works for casual, everyday use, but is less advanced than the Garmin The Series 10 is kind of a jack of all trades; it tracks all sorts of health markers, from heart rate to wrist temperature, sleep duration, and even period cycle tracking. It also comes with a few unique features tailored to different goals, like a Tides app for surfers and Headspace for mindfulness. Plus, it even syncs up with Strava for runners, making it a great race-training device. For me, the simple activity ring was enough to encourage me to meet my movement goals for the day. It's easy to lose track of your daily goals, but the Series 10 makes it a little bit addictive to get them done. You can use it for fitness-tracking alone, but it's also stacked with numerous smart features and can be treated as an extension of your iPhone if you appreciate staying connected. You can receive texts and calls right from your wrist, especially useful if you're the type to stay away from your phone from time to time. Not to mention, the upgraded Series 10 offers a 30% larger screen, so squinting isn't necessary. I stare at screens all day, and this is one that doesn't bother me. The whole device is also substantially slimmer and lighter than I imagined, at just 36.4 grams. It's easy to forget you're wearing it at all. It took me a bit of time to sync it up to my phone (an update was necessary), but navigating the Apple Watch interface and customizing the layout was a breeze, and I don't consider myself tech-savvy by any means. Since I've started wearing it, I've felt encouraged to stand up more, get in those final steps to hit my goals, and skip the binge-watching for a little extra sleep. Not to be dramatic, but it's totally transformed my life for the better, and for just $329 — it could yours too. For a watch that can do everything from monitoring your heart rate and sleep cycles to tracking your steps and encouraging mindfulness, it feels like a true deal. I'd argue that it's a phenomenal investment for anyone looking to optimize their wellness routine, especially if you consider yourself a bit of a data nerd and like to see your health metrics and progress over time. Flash-forward to today, and my only regret is that I didn't join the cult-favorite fitness tracker sooner. Looking for a headline-worthy haul? Keep shopping Post Wanted. This article was written by Miska Salemann, New York Post Commerce Writer/Reporter. As a health-forward member of Gen Z, Miska seeks out experts to weigh in on the benefits, safety and designs of both trending and tried-and-true fitness equipment, workout clothing, dietary supplements and more. Taking matters into her own hands, Miska intrepidly tests wellness products, ranging from Bryan Johnson's Blueprint Longevity Mix to home gym elliptical machines to Jennifer Aniston's favorite workout platform – often with her adorable one-year old daughter by her side. Before joining The Post, Miska covered lifestyle and consumer topics for the U.S. Sun and The Cannon Beach Gazette.
