Square and Google Partner to Transform Food Ordering with Conversational AI in Maps

Square and Google Expand Partnership for AI-Driven Restaurant Ordering

Square and Google have deepened their collaboration to transform food ordering through conversational AI, bringing U.S. food and beverage sellers into Ask Maps, a conversational AI experience within Google Maps.1

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This integration allows customers to discover Square-powered restaurants and place orders simply by asking questions, marking a shift in how AI-powered food ordering experiences work in real-world commerce.

"The way people find a restaurant to book, a cafe to visit, or take-out to order is evolving," said Morgan Kuntze, global partnerships lead at Block, Square's parent company.1

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"Our expanded work with Google means Square sellers show up in those conversations, without having to manually update their details across the many channels their business is present."

How Google Maps Ask Maps Enables Natural Language Queries

Square food and beverage sellers who create a Google Business Profile can now surface in Ask Maps results with new order flows activated automatically.2

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Their menus, hours, and location details sync directly from Square Dashboard, requiring no added setup, contracts, or fees. This seamless integration means restaurant discovery happens through natural language queries like "Order spicy pad kee mao with seafood for me to pick up on my way home."1

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Customers in the U.S. can use Ask Maps to browse Square sellers' menus, customize orders, and complete checkout using Order by Cash App.1

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For sellers, these orders flow directly into their existing Square setup, including POS and Kitchen Display System, requiring no additional operational lift.

Universal Commerce Protocol Expands to Food Industry

The announcement represents the first step in a broader partnership between Square and Google as both companies build new ways for sellers to be discovered and transact across Google's ecosystem.2

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As part of this collaboration, Square, Google, and other partners are expanding the Universal Commerce Protocol—an open standard for agentic commerce—to the food industry. Through this protocol, food ordering journeys will become more seamless and intuitive in AI experiences, suggesting a future where conversational interfaces become the primary way consumers interact with restaurants.

Why Conversational AI Ordering Matters for Restaurants

"For the millions of businesses who utilize Square to run their operations, being found by the right customer at the right moment is critical to growth," Square noted.1

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Ask Maps provides Square customers an intuitive way to connect with local favorites without requiring sellers to manually manage multiple channels or learn complex systems.

This shift mirrors broader trends in conversational AI across industries. Recent PYMNTS Intelligence research shows the technology is shifting from "a customer service enhancement into a primary interface layer between consumers and financial institutions."1

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When interactions become conversational rather than procedural, consumers no longer need to know where to find specific features or navigate complex app structures. The conversation itself becomes the gateway to activity, whether that's ordering food or managing finances. Watch for this partnership to expand beyond basic ordering as Square and Google continue developing new capabilities across Google's ecosystem, potentially reshaping how restaurants compete for customer attention in an AI-first world.