Square, Cash App and Visa Support Small Businesses With Technology

Square, Cash App and Visa partnered with New Orleans nonprofit organization Propeller to provide local food and beverage businesses with technology and support to help them succeed.

The organizations teamed up to offer a first-of-its-kind event called “Feeding NOLA’s Future” and will continue with an initiative of the same name to support small businesses and expand access to technology, they said in a Tuesday (Feb. 4) press release.

The event held Tuesday brought together 125 local food and beverage businesses, according to the release.

Square and Cash App offered these businesses free Square hardware and helped them get onboarded quickly, while Visa also offered upgraded technology to the attendees, the release said.

The event also offered the businesses in attendance personalized sessions with industry experts offering strategies for capitalizing on peak seasons like Mardi Gras and maximizing their sales potential, per the release.

In addition, Visa is supplying computer equipment that small businesses can use at Propeller, a nonprofit organization that helps entrepreneurs grow their nonprofits and small businesses in New Orleans, according to the release.

“Our collaboration with our sister brand Cash App and with Visa underscores our collective commitment to supporting the small business community,” Ming-Tai Huh, head of food and beverage at Square, said in the release.

Visa Senior Vice President Kirk Stuart said in the release: “Visa believes access to technology is critical for small businesses finding new avenues to grow.”

Restaurants must integrate modern payment solutions like digital wallets, mobile apps and QR codes to ensure seamless dining experiences and enhance operation efficiency, according to the PYMNTS Intelligence and American Express collaboration, “Why More Restaurants Need to Bite into Digital Transformation.”

The report found that implementing automated payment processing and digital ordering platforms enhances operational efficiency, reduces cash handling, and boosts staff retention and satisfaction.

Square said in May that quick-service restaurants (QSRs) and cafes are especially likely, when compared with bars and full-service restaurants, to be able to automate tasks.

“These sellers can more easily use technology to automate and streamline operations, helping lower operating costs for front and back of house,” Huh said at the time in a press release.