To set up a kiosk with Orda, you connect your Square account, design your kiosk screens in the Orda dashboard, enter your kiosk key on the tablet, and pair a Square contactless reader. Your menu comes straight from Square, and every kiosk order lands in Square POS like any other sale, so your kitchen workflow does not change.
This guide walks through each step, plus the planning and launch details that decide whether guests actually use the kiosk.
Is a kiosk right for your restaurant?
Self-ordering kiosks work best where guests order at a counter and the line is the bottleneck. Good fits include:
- Quick-service and fast casual restaurants with a busy lunch rush.
- Coffee shops and juice bars where many orders have several modifiers.
- Food halls and multi-concept kitchens that want one screen for several brands.
- Small teams who would rather put staff on the line than on the register.
If most of your guests are seated and served at the table, a kiosk is usually a lower priority than online ordering or order-ahead.
What you need before you start
- A Square account with your menu built in the Square item library (items, variations, modifiers and photos).
- A tablet. Orda Express is built iPad-first.
- A Square contactless reader for tap, chip, Apple Pay and Google Pay payments.
- A stand or enclosure that holds the tablet and reader securely at a comfortable height, plus power nearby.
- Reliable Wi-Fi at the spot where the kiosk will live.
The Kiosk section of the Orda dashboard also includes a hardware purchase flow if you would rather not source parts yourself.
Step by step: setting up Orda Express
- Connect Square. Sign up at Orda and connect your Square account. Orda reads your catalog, locations and loyalty program from Square, so there is no second menu to maintain.
- Clean up your menu. In the Orda dashboard's Catalog section, reorder categories, hide items you do not want on the kiosk, and set availability schedules. Add a strong image for each category, because guests navigate a kiosk with their eyes first.
- Design the kiosk. Use the Kiosk Designer to build your welcome (attract) screen with your own images, text and colors, choose the frame around the screen, and set checkout options such as tipping choices and coupon codes.
- Get your ExpressKey. Orda gives you a 13-character key. Staff enter it once on the kiosk's sign-in screen, and the app downloads your settings, menu and design and remembers the key.
- Pick the location and pair the reader. Choose the Square location the kiosk belongs to, then pair the Square contactless reader over Bluetooth. Hold the reader's button for a few seconds until it flashes orange, and the app guides you through the rest.
- Run test orders. Place several orders with different modifiers, a loyalty sign-in, a tip and a coupon. Confirm each one appears in Square POS and in your kitchen exactly as you expect.
What your guests will see
Knowing the flow helps you design it well:
- Welcome screen with your branding and a clear prompt to start.
- Menu with category images, an item grid and search. Items you hide in your catalog stay hidden.
- Item details with sizes, modifiers and quantity.
- Checkout with cart review, optional Square Loyalty sign-in by name and phone number to earn and redeem points, coupon codes and tips.
- Payment by tapping or inserting a card on the Square reader.
- Confirmation with a thank-you message and a prompt to download your app. The screen then resets for the next guest.
Design tips that raise kiosk adoption
- Lead with your bestsellers. Put your most popular category first so most guests find what they want in one or two taps.
- Keep modifier groups short and clear. "Milk" and "Extra shot" are easier to scan than one long list of options.
- Use real food photos. Bright, consistent photos sell better than text-only tiles.
- Make loyalty visible. Guests who see their points at checkout are more likely to sign in and come back.
- Offer sensible tip defaults. Set percentage or fixed tip options that fit a counter-service context.
Launch day checklist
- Place the kiosk where guests see it before they reach the counter, not behind the line.
- Add simple signage: "Order here, skip the line."
- Assign one team member to greet guests and help first-time users for the first week or two.
- Tell staff where kiosk orders appear and how they are labeled so nothing gets missed.
- Check that your kitchen can keep up. A kiosk can increase order volume during peaks, so review your peak-hour setup first.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Launching with a messy menu. Duplicate items or vague modifier names confuse guests fast. Tidy your Square catalog first with our guide to customizing your menu on Square.
- Forgetting about abandoned carts. If a guest walks away mid-order, have staff reset the screen.
- Placing the reader awkwardly. Mount it where guests naturally reach after tapping "Pay".
- Skipping kitchen routing. Make sure kiosk tickets reach the same printer or kitchen display as counter orders. Our guide to optimizing your Square POS for fast service covers this.
Running multiple brands on one kiosk
If you operate several concepts from one kitchen or a food hall, one Orda Express kiosk can show several brands. Guests see a main brand by default and can switch between brands, while loyalty and customer accounts stay tracked per brand.
How Orda fits
Orda Express is a self-ordering kiosk built for Square sellers. Your menu syncs from Square, orders and payments flow into Square POS, and guests can earn and redeem Square Loyalty points at the kiosk. The same Orda account can also power your branded mobile app and online ordering, so every channel shares one menu and one loyalty program. More than 10,000 Square businesses have used Orda.