Square's $1,999 Kiosk Takes Spoken Restaurant Orders, but Not Payments

Square has started selling an AI kiosk that lets restaurant customers speak their orders instead of tapping through a menu. It costs $1,999. Payment is not spoken, though. Guests still tap, dip or enter a PIN on a card reader. Square has not shared any data on how accurate the voice ordering is.

What the kiosk does

The kiosk pulls menus, prices and modifiers from the restaurant's own Square account. Sold-out items and price changes reach every kiosk automatically. A guest can ask what is in a dish or what is good for kids, and the menu filters to match. Square says suggestions draw on what sells at that location and time of day.

Where voice falls short

Three directional microphones and AI noise filtering help the kiosk pick out the person ordering. Square still recommends placing kiosks at least 24 inches apart. It warns that voice may not work well in music venues. Touch stays available at every step. Voice works only in English and only in the United States.

What it costs

• Kiosk with counter stand: $1,999.
• Software fee: $99 a month per device.
• Required Square plan: Plus at $49 per location per month, or Premium at $149.
• Card processing: 2.5% plus 15 cents with Plus, 2.4% plus 15 cents with Premium.

What Dessa is

Block, Square's parent company, also unveiled Dessa on Oct. 23. It is an AI model that works directly with sound. It does not turn speech into text first. It can listen while it talks, so a customer could correct an order mid-sentence. Block says it runs locally on a MacBook Pro M4 Max or better. Access is limited to safety researchers and a waitlist.

What is not known

Dessa and the kiosk are separate projects, with no announced link. Block has not said when or whether Dessa will reach Square hardware. It also published no error rate, speed figure or comparison with rival voice models. Neither product uses a person's voice to confirm who is paying. The card and the account do that job.

What to do

A restaurant owner weighing the kiosk should treat it as a test, not a sure gain. Square says kiosks are designed to take more orders in busy periods, but results vary by business. Try it in a real lunch rush before counting on it.