Square and MarketMan Launch AI Inventory Tool for Restaurants
Square has released a restaurant inventory management tool built with MarketMan, an inventory platform, that uses AI to track ingredient usage and forecast demand. The tool integrates directly into Square's existing platform, eliminating the need for restaurants to manage separate systems.
The system automates several operational tasks: generating purchase orders, managing vendor relationships, scanning invoices, and flagging waste patterns before they erode margins. Restaurants can also use it to streamline recipe management and batch preparation.
"Restaurants shouldn't have to guess when managing one of their most important and controllable expenses," said Morgan Kuntze, global partnerships lead at Block, Square's parent company. The tool provides ingredient-level data and forecasting capabilities that let operators make decisions based on actual usage patterns rather than assumptions.
Restaurant Operations Are Shifting
The inventory tool arrives as restaurants reassess their relationship with third-party delivery platforms. For years, delivery apps functioned as growth channels. Now, many operators view them as intermediaries that obscure customer relationships and extract fees.
The shift reflects a broader change in how restaurants might operate. As AI-driven ordering systems develop, restaurants could connect directly with customers instead of routing orders through marketplace apps. That direct connection means restaurants own customer data and avoid paying platform commissions.
Savneet Singh, CEO of PAR Technology, described a future where ordering happens through multiple devices-televisions, cars, phones-with orders flowing directly to restaurants. "That means the restaurant has the data, understands the customer's preferences, and doesn't pay a toll to another platform," Singh said.
Research from January 2026 found that nearly two-thirds of restaurant delivery decisions are guided by loyalty programs, underscoring how data drives customer retention in the industry.
Learn more about how AI for Management and AI for Operations can help streamline restaurant workflows.
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