The problem
In a training café the till is run by trainees who are learning, and a cash register plus a separate card machine makes mistakes likely. Cashing up and writing the takings into a spreadsheet takes about 30 minutes a day, 11 hours a month over 22 trading days, and the trading figures funders ask for are hard to pull out.
What the AI does
Square for Restaurants has a Free plan at $0£0€0A$0C$0 a month plus card fees of 1.75% in person. Set up the menu with fixed prices and modifiers (milk, size, extra shot) so trainees tap what the customer wants rather than working out prices. The Free plan includes basic sales reports, item counts that mark items unavailable when they run out, and clock in and out for staff and trainees. Square Terminal is $198£149€177A$286C$280 plus VAT. Daily and monthly sales come from Square's reports, ready for the trading income figures.
A worked example
A training café in Cardiff run by a social enterprise employs a supervisor and 6 trainees recovering from addiction, trading 22 days a month and taking about $7,980£6,000€7,140A$11,520C$11,280 70% of it by card.
Before
About 30 minutes a day cashing up and recording takings: 11 hours a month
After
About 10 minutes a day checking cash against Square's report: 3.7 hours a month
What it's worth
About $174£131€156A$252C$246 a month in supervisor time saved, against about $98£74€88A$142C$139 to $118£89€106A$171C$167 a month in costs. 7.3 hours a month saved (11 minus 3.7), valued at an assumed $24£18€21A$35C$34 an hour. Card fees are 1.75% of $5,586£4,200€4,998A$8,064C$7,896 about $98£74€88A$142C$139 a month; if the café already pays a similar rate on its card machine, the real extra cost is far lower. Square Terminal at $198£149€177A$286C$280 plus VAT adds about $20£15€18A$29C$28 a month if spread over the first year.
How to set it up
- Sign up for Square for Restaurants Free and enter the menu with prices and modifiers.
- Buy the hardware you need and set it up where trainees can see the screen easily.
- Train each trainee on a quiet morning, with the supervisor beside them for the first week.
- Check the cash against Square's cash sales figure at the end of every day.
- Each month, pull trading income from Square's reports for the board and funders.
What goes wrong
- The Free plan has one set of permissions, so trainees can see the same screens as the supervisor. Team Plus at $27£20€24A$38C$38 a month adds more control.
- Stock control is a paid add-on on Plus. Stock checks stay manual on Free.
- Allergen information comes from your verified recipe records and a trained person, not from the till.
- If Wi-Fi drops, test how the setup handles it before a busy day.