Guides 7 min read
How to Sell eGift Cards for Your Café on Square
What it actually costs to sell Square eGift cards, how to set them up, and how to use them as a low-cost engine for prepaid revenue and repeat visits.
The Tany blog
Mobile ordering, loyalty & growth
Practical guides for independent cafés and restaurants running on Square — from the team building branded ordering apps that go live in 24 hours.
Square How-Tos 25 Guides 19 Loyalty & Retention 14 Apps & Technology 8 Delivery & Direct Ordering 8 Marketing 7 Operations 7 Local SEO 6 Mobile Apps 3 Square How-To 3 Payments & Fees 3 Payments 3 Marketing & Growth 2 Customer Retention 2 Gift Cards 1 Payments & Tipping 1 Comparisons 1 Marketing & Retention 1 POS Comparisons 1 Growth & Marketing 1 Mobile Ordering 1
Apps & Technology 11 min read
How Much Does a Custom Restaurant App Cost in 2026?
Real 2026 dollar ranges for a restaurant app across four build paths, plus a worked total-cost-of-ownership example for year one.
Loyalty & Retention 11 min read
Square Loyalty for Cafés: Turn First-Timers into Regulars
An operator-grade guide to designing a Square Loyalty program for a café — earn rates, reward thresholds, what it costs, and how a branded app amplifies it.
Mobile Ordering 12 min read
How to Set Up Mobile Order-Ahead on Square for Your Café
A hands-on walkthrough of enabling order-ahead pickup on Square — every setting that matters, plus where a free Square site ends and a branded app begins.
Delivery & Direct Ordering 13 min read
How Much Do DoorDash & Uber Eats Really Cost Your Restaurant? (2026)
The advertised commission is the smallest number on the bill. Here's what DoorDash and Uber Eats actually cost a restaurant in 2026, with the math.
Delivery & Direct Ordering 12 min read
Marketplace vs. Direct Ordering: Who Owns Your Customer Data?
On a marketplace you rent the customer; with direct ordering on your own POS you own the record — and that ownership is where repeat-business profit lives.
Delivery & Direct Ordering 10 min read
How to Take Online Orders Without Paying Commission
A fair, operator-grade walkthrough of every commission-free way to take online orders, and how to stand one up this week.