What can come over from Square
Every restaurant is different, so treat this as a planning map, not a promise. Where a row says “Confirm with your rep,” we could not verify it on a primary Shift4 source.
| What | How it usually moves | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Menu items and prices | Export, then import | Export the item library, then load it through Shift4 menu programming. Whether Shift4 can read the file directly: confirm with your rep. |
| Modifiers (add-ons and choices) | Export, then import | Export from the old system, review it, and load it through Shift4 menu programming. Expect a review pass. |
| Employees, jobs, and permissions | Rebuild by hand | Jobs, pay rates, and permissions are entered from your records. PINs move through a secure method. Nobody gets broader access than you approve. |
| Customer records | Confirm with your rep | Customer data moves only with your consent and a scope you approve. Ask your rep what can be loaded. |
| Gift card balances | Confirm with your rep | Balances are money you still owe customers. Export the balance report and ask your rep whether and how they carry over. |
| Loyalty points | Confirm with your rep | Points programs rarely map one for one. Decide how existing points are honored and confirm what can move. |
| Reporting history | Export and keep a copy | Past sales and tax reports stay with the old system. Export the ones you need for taxes and audits. |
Menu items and prices
Export, then import
Export the item library, then load it through Shift4 menu programming. Whether Shift4 can read the file directly: confirm with your rep.
Modifiers (add-ons and choices)
Export, then import
Export from the old system, review it, and load it through Shift4 menu programming. Expect a review pass.
Employees, jobs, and permissions
Rebuild by hand
Jobs, pay rates, and permissions are entered from your records. PINs move through a secure method. Nobody gets broader access than you approve.
Customer records
Confirm with your rep
Customer data moves only with your consent and a scope you approve. Ask your rep what can be loaded.
Gift card balances
Confirm with your rep
Balances are money you still owe customers. Export the balance report and ask your rep whether and how they carry over.
Loyalty points
Confirm with your rep
Points programs rarely map one for one. Decide how existing points are honored and confirm what can move.
Reporting history
Export and keep a copy
Past sales and tax reports stay with the old system. Export the ones you need for taxes and audits.
What to gather before you switch
- Your contract end date and any early termination fee in the current agreement
- A recent processing statement (the monthly bill from your card processor)
- Who owns the hardware: bought outright, leased, or financed, and what happens to it if you leave
- Every integration in use: accounting, payroll, reservations, delivery apps, and loyalty
- Your online ordering setup and the web addresses customers use today
- Gift card liability: the total balance customers still hold, and how it is tracked
- Which Square products you use: restaurant POS, loyalty, gift cards, online ordering, payroll
- A list of Square apps and recurring subscriptions
Typical timeline from Square (planning estimate, varies by setup)
Step 1. Gather your records: About 1 week
Exports, screenshots, statements, and contract dates. Varies with how organized they are.
Step 2. Map and approve: 1 to 2 weeks
Match old settings to the new system and approve taxes, pay rates, permissions, and prices. Varies with menu size.
Step 3. Configure and test: 1 to 2 weeks
Shift4 programs the system, then you run test tickets, payments, printers, and reports. Varies with Shift4 scheduling and hardware delivery.
Step 4. Parallel run: A few days to 1 week
Run slower shifts on the new system while the old one stays available. Varies.
Step 5. Cutover day: 1 day
Pick a slow day, freeze changes in the old system, and switch. Plan for hiccups.
Step 6. First weeks live: 2 to 4 weeks
Watch reports, tips, and payouts against the old system and fix gaps. Varies.
With no named conversion path, leave extra room for the export review and menu loading.
These ranges are Norvet planning estimates, not Shift4 commitments. Your timeline depends on Shift4 scheduling, hardware delivery, your menu size, and how quickly decisions get made.
Risks and how to reduce them
Something does not work on the first busy night
Run a parallel period on slow shifts, keep the old system available until the new one is accepted, and write down who to call.
Cutover day goes badly
Pick a slow day, freeze menu changes the day before, and have the old system export ready as a fallback.
Staff are not ready
Train the people who use the register on their real jobs, such as server, bartender, and manager, before the cutover date.
Gift card and card-on-file balances get stranded
Get the balance reports first, decide how each balance is honored, and confirm with Shift4 what can move before you cancel anything.
Specific to this switch
Square gift cards and loyalty points live in Square. Decide how each balance is honored before the account closes.
Who this switch tends to suit, and who it does not
Business types that often fit: Counter service, Quick service (QSR), Catering, Full service. This is a starting point, not a verdict. A statement review tells you more.
Often a good fit
- Restaurants that started on Square for simplicity and now want full-service features such as tables, courses, and kitchen routing.
- Owners who compare the whole monthly cost on a real statement, not the advertised rate.
- Counter-service and cafe shops with a menu small enough to review item by item.
Probably not a fit if
- You are mostly retail or appointment based and use restaurant features lightly.
- You rely on Square products that have no replacement you have tested.
- Your current setup works and your statement shows no reason to change.
What needs to be compared before you leave Square
A POS switch is a business-process migration. The safe sequence is source capture, field mapping, owner approval, target configuration, testing, cutover, and acceptance. Do not cancel the source system until the records and workflows you need have been accounted for.
- Square for Restaurants vs Square POS / Retail configuration
- Items, modifiers, categories, inventory, taxes, and customer records
- Square Loyalty, Gift Cards, Appointments, Online, and third-party apps
- Kitchen routing, receipts, tips, timeclock, and employee access
- Existing network, Wi-Fi, printer, and power readiness
Export this before canceling Square
- Item library and inventory
- Customer data you are permitted to retain
- Transaction and tax reports
- Active gift-card liability and loyalty balances
- A list of Square apps and recurring subscriptions
- Current hardware inventory
Watch-outs
Square gift-card or loyalty obligations do not disappear when the POS changes.
Square-specific hardware should not be assumed reusable.
Square product configuration differs between restaurant, retail, and appointments use cases.
A processing-cost comparison should use actual merchant statements rather than advertised headline rates.
Conversion-path note
Norvet treats Square-to-SkyTab as a verification-first migration. We do not promise automated conversion until Shift4 confirms the merchant’s exact source data and configuration.
Questions owners ask about leaving Square
Can I export my menu from Square to Shift4?
You can export your item library from Square. Shift4 then loads items through its menu programming. Ask your rep whether your export can be read directly or needs reformatting.
What happens to Square gift cards when I switch?
The balances are still owed to your customers. Export the liability report and decide how each balance is honored before you close the account.
Can I keep my Square hardware?
Do not assume so. Check with Shift4 which devices work with SkyTab, and plan on new hardware unless told otherwise in writing.
Is there a trial period if I switch to SkyTab?
Trial periods and agreement lengths can vary by offer and by partner. Ask your rep to confirm the trial period and the agreement length in writing before you sign, and ask what it costs to leave early.
Who does what
Norvet is a Trident Merchant Solutions partner. Trident partners with Shift4 (the parent company of SkyTab). Shift4 provides SkyTab and the card processing, and Shift4 programs and installs the system. Norvet helps gather and check your information and coordinates with the partner team.
Also useful: the restaurant processing cost calculator and the POS lock-in test.
Sources
- Norvet POS Migration Extraction Playbook, reviewed 2026-09-13 (Shift4 onboarding form conversion sources)
- Norvet research on Shift4 Dine, 2026-10-07 (pages on shift4.com were not machine-readable that day, so unconfirmed items are marked)
Last reviewed 2026-10-11.