Payflo vs Square POS: Which Suits Your Hospitality Business?

You run a café or a bar, and you’ve been hearing about Payflo and Square POS. You want a system that actually helps the team, corners, and workflows. Maybe staff shift changeovers eat up minutes. Maybe tracking tabs across tables is confusing. Maybe the end‑of‑day tally is slow.

You landed here because you're ready to pick. Both systems claim they work well. But you need specifics that matter right now. In this blog, you’ll see where Payflo wins, where Square POS wins, and what detail you won’t find in most articles. Let’s cut to the chase.

Setup and Training for Hospitality Staff

Payflo lets you set up categories that match your menu structure: by food, drinks, happy‑hour specials, and modifiers. You can mirror the draft board layout you hang behind the bar or pin to the wall. You won’t find that level of mirroring in Square POS documentation.

Payflo includes a protocol for shift‑handover training. When your morning and afternoon staff overlap, Payflo guides a quick routine: “Check active tabs, assign open tabs to your name, confirm till cash.” That protocol is built in. With Square POS, you build your own, from scratch.

Square POS onboarding and training materials

Square POS has a wide library of general videos and guides. You’ll learn how to open a register, process sales, and issue refunds. But it lacks hospitality‑specific guides, like handling bar tabs or splitting drinks over a group tab.

Square offers optional training sessions via its partner network. But you pay extra. Payflo training comes included for hospitality clients during setup.

Order Flow and Tab Management

Payflo shows all open tabs by table or bar tab name. If someone orders another drink, you tap the existing tab, no need to scan or reopen. If someone joins, you can split that tab or move part of it to a new tab, with clear labels. You won’t find that depth in most Square material.

Payflo also timestamps orders and can flag when a tab is idle for a set time. That helps manage turnover and alert staff to reach out, again, which is not typical with the Square standard version.

Square POS order handling

Square POS lets you open tabs and add orders. You can split by item or by amount. It shows open orders. But there’s no idle‑tab alert unless you build custom workflows or add other tools. Square lacks real‑time idle tracking for hospitality use cases.

Staff Accountability and Tracking Shifts

Payflo requires staff to log in, capturing the user ID on each transaction. It tracks open tabs each user opens and the actions they take. At the end of the shift, Payflo generates a staff‑activity report. You see who handled which tabs, what voids occurred, and what was moved. That frames accountability.

Square POS reporting

Square POS logs each sale by staff. You see who opened a tab or completed a sale. Reports exist, but you have to dig. There’s no default “shift summary” with voids and transfers in one sheet. You need third‑party tools or set up custom dashboards.

Pricing Structure and Cost Clarity

Payflo pricing model for hospitality

Payflo charges a flat monthly fee per terminal, plus a known transaction rate. No surprise “feature‑add” fees. For example, in a venue with two bars + a café, you can run three terminals under one plan. No ghost fees for inventory or modifiers.

Square POS fee structure

Square POS is pay‑per‑swipe or per cent-per-transaction plus an optional monthly subscription for advanced tools. Many hospitality‑targeted features—like advanced reporting, team management, and inventory come in add‑on plans. You pay extra per location or per register.

Integrations with Kitchen/Bar Display and Inventory

Payflo ties directly to your kitchen or bar display screens. When a bartender clicks “ready,” it clears from the order board instantly. On the inventory side, Payflo can deduct from stock live as you sell. That matters if you run low on a craft beer or your special soup.

Square POS integration options

Square connects to third‑party KDS systems. You must subscribe separately. Inventory can sync, but the basic version doesn’t manage livestock. You still need to check manually. You won’t see “live stock count” in the base Square POS.

Reporting That Helps You Act

Payflo gives you “hot item gaps”: what’s been on the menu for a while that people didn’t order. You adjust pricing accordingly for next week’s specials. It offers “server pace”: average time between tab open and tab close per staff member. Helps manage service speed. Those aren’t standard in Square packages.

Square POS reporting tools

Square provides sales by item, sales by staff, and a summary of days. “Hot item” analysis you build yourself. Pace metrics not included. It offers custom reporting, but you must pay or build.

Final Considerations for Your Venue

• Your staff training time: If your team needs guided hand‑over routines, Payflo fits better.
  
  
• Tab turn speed matters: Idle‑tab alerts and server‑pace data let you tweak things fast.
  
  
• You run multiple ordering points: Payflo lets multiple terminals under one plan, which helps cost predictability.
  
  
• Inventory counts matter in real time: Payflo deducts stock as you sell.
  
  
• Tight cost structure is key: Payflo keeps the price simple.
  
  

If your venue is ready to choose now, all flow, reports, and accountability, Payflo covers more out of the box for hospitality.

Conclusion

By now, you’ve seen how Payflo vs Square POS stack up on the real questions: training, tab handling, staff tracking, kitchen sync, inventory, and reporting. You’ve seen what most online content misses: idle‑tab alerts, shift‑handover processes, item‑pace insights, band-built-in KDS stock sync.

You’re past generic. You’re ready for precision. For venues needing systems that reflect how staff and back‑end runs, Payflo matches your level of detail.

Ready to bring Payflo into your venue? Visit the Payflo homepage to explore plans that match your setup, and when you're ready, reach out via Contact Us to get started with a tailored walkthrough.

FAQ

What if I already use Square and don’t want the staff training hassle?

You can still train staff on Payflo using the built‑in shift‑handover prompts. It gives a structure you didn’t have before. That smooths transitions quickly.

Can Payflo connect with my existing kitchen display screen?

Yes. Payflo sends orders live to kitchen or bar displays. It updates when items are marked ready. No separate third‑party needed.

Do I need to pay for every feature in Payflo?

No. The main fee covers terminals plus hospitality features like idle‑tab alerts, pace reports, stock sync, and onboarding.

How does inventory tracking work in Payflo?

When a sale is made, Payflo deducts stock live. If you’re out of an item, it shows on the POS, and you adjust your menu or specials accordingly.

Is staff activity easy to review in Payflo?

Yes. Payflo gives a shift‑activity summary per staff member—open tabs, voids, transfers—so you can review performance cleanly in one report.