Migration guide
How to switch from Square for Restaurants to Toast POS
A step-by-step playbook for migrating your pos data, team, and workflows from Square for Restaurants (Free) to Toast POS ($0/mo).
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Why teams switch from Square for Restaurants to Toast POS
Square for Restaurants is strong on free plan available and easy hardware setup, but teams often hit limits on reporting less deep than toast. Toast POS addresses this — it's best for full-service and quick-service restaurants of every size.
From
Square for Restaurants
Free
To
Toast POS
$0/mo
7-step migration plan
- 1
Export your data from Square for Restaurants (contacts, jobs, invoices, payments) as CSV files.
- 2
Sign up for Toast POS — most teams use the free trial to test the migration safely.
- 3
Clean your CSVs: dedupe contacts, standardize phone numbers, fix date formats.
- 4
Import customers and historical jobs into Toast POS. Match custom fields carefully.
- 5
Run Square for Restaurants and Toast POS in parallel for 1–2 weeks so your team can validate data.
- 6
Train your office staff and field crews on the new Toast POS workflows.
- 7
Cancel Square for Restaurants once you've confirmed all reporting and integrations work.
What you'll gain with Toast POS
- Restaurant-only focus
- Strong online ordering
- Integrated payroll
Ready to switch?
Start a free trial of Toast POS — most teams run it alongside Square for Restaurants for 1–2 weeks before fully cutting over.
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Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to switch from Square for Restaurants to Toast POS?+
Most teams complete migration in 1–3 weeks: data export, import/cleanup, team training, and a parallel-run period. Larger teams (10+ users) typically need 4–6 weeks.
Can I import my Square for Restaurants data into Toast POS?+
Toast POS accepts CSV imports for contacts, jobs, and invoices. Export from Square for Restaurants, clean the file, then import. Custom field mappings may require their support team for accounts >5,000 records.
Why switch from Square for Restaurants to Toast POS?+
Common reasons: full-service and quick-service restaurants of every size. Plus better pricing fit ($0/mo vs Free) and feature differences in pos.
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Read more reviews: Square for Restaurants · Toast POS