Square adds ChatGPT and Claude channels for restaurant ordering

Square has launched a ChatGPT app and a Claude plugin that let eligible sellers appear in AI-assisted customer searches and, for U.S. food and beverage merchants, take orders through those channels. The Block-owned commerce platform said the integrations add a new distribution route for small businesses as consumers use AI tools to choose restaurants, shops and services.

The initial rollout covers Square food and beverage sellers in the U.S. that have activated Square Online Ordering. Square said customers can use the AI services to find participating restaurants, view menus and place orders through Order by Cash App.

Orders placed through the new AI channels feed into merchants’ existing Square Online Ordering configuration, including the point-of-sale system and Kitchen Display System, according to Square. The company said sellers will also be able to see the order source in Square reporting, allowing operators to track performance from ChatGPT and Claude separately from other channels.

Square said it will not charge extra marketplace commissions on orders placed through the integrations. Eligible sellers are enrolled without new setup, fees or a separate application programming interface, with controls for AI discoverability handled through the Square Dashboard.

How the integrations work

Square said it manages the data connection between its merchants and the AI services. That includes synchronising business information, menus, trading hours and ordering details in real time, rather than requiring each seller to build and maintain a separate integration.

The model is designed to extend Square’s existing role in helping merchants appear across search, maps, social channels and marketplaces. Square said more than 4.5 million sellers already use its tools to surface their businesses and transact across digital channels.

The company framed the launch as part of a broader shift toward agentic commerce, where AI assistants help users research, compare and complete purchases. Square said more than 42% of consumers now use AI tools for shopping-related tasks such as discovery, comparison and selection. It also said agentic shoppers could account for nearly $385 billion in U.S. ecommerce spending by 2030, presenting that figure as a projection.

Partners and standards

Square said ChatGPT and Claude are the first live integrations, with additional AI experiences planned. The company said it is working with Amazon to bring sellers into Alexa+ experiences, which would extend the same approach into voice-based commerce.

Square also said it is taking part in standards groups that are working on how AI agents and commerce systems interact. Those groups include the AAIF Agentic Commerce Working Group, the W3C Web Payments Working Group and the Universal Commerce Protocol. Through UCP, Square said it is working with Google on specifications for local food ordering and delivery, including discovery and checkout across Google Search, AI Mode and the Gemini app.

Square said it worked with Partners Coffee, a Brooklyn-based specialty coffee business, to test how AI-driven discovery presents seller information. Andrew Costaris, digital vice-president at Partners Coffee, said the company wanted technology that would not complicate its café experience. He said Square’s approach allows the business to be discovered digitally while its staff focus on customer interaction in stores.

Morgan Kuntze, global partnerships lead at Block, said the investment in agentic commerce is intended to reduce the burden on operators as customer behaviour changes and to help connect businesses with customers in their communities.

This story draws on original reporting from Finextra Research.