the usualFor coffee vans, food trucks and market stalls
Your regulars order before you park.
Tap “On my way” and everyone who follows your stop gets asked if they want their usual. Orders are paid into your own Square account, and you start making before the first customer walks out.
Why vans use it
A shorter stop and a busier morning
Orders before you arrive
The orders arrive while you’re driving, so you’re pouring as you pull up instead of taking orders at the window.
Paid before it’s handed over
Customers’ cards are held when they order and charged when you tap Ready. No cash, no chasing, no forgotten tabs.
Regulars come back
The app learns each customer’s usual and asks them every time you’re on the way. One tap and they’ve ordered.
Your Square, your money
Payments go straight into your own Square account. Refunds and payouts stay in Square, the way you already work.
Walk-up stops too
At markets, events or the beach car park, tap “Open for business” and anyone nearby can order from their phone.
Built for the van
A making screen for the van iPad with a chime for new orders. Turn items off when you run out, and they show greyed out for customers.
Getting started
Set up in an afternoon
Connect Square
Sign in with the Square account your card reader already uses.
Add your menu
Snap a photo of your menu board and we’ll read it, copy it from Square, or start from a template.
Add your stops
Drop a pin where you park and choose the days. Stick the QR poster on the van, and customers follow your stops.
Every step can be skipped, so you can look around the app first. There’s no setup fee and nothing to sign before you try it.
Pricing
Pay per order, nothing up front
The Usual’s fee comes out of each order automatically through Square, alongside Square’s own processing fee. Nothing is charged to your customers on top. Card surcharges are banned in Australia, and we don’t add any.
On a $5.50 coffee that’s about 26c all up. No setup fee and no lock-in.
Join the Sunshine Coast pilot
We’re starting with a handful of coffee vans and food trucks on the Sunshine Coast. Tell us about your van and where you stop, and we’ll get you set up.
FAQ
Questions vendors ask
Do I need Square?
Yes. Orders are paid into your own Square account, using Square’s online payments. If you already use a Square reader, it’s the same account. If not, a Square account is free to open.
When does the customer get charged?
Their card is held when they order and charged when you tap Ready. If you cancel the trip, or they cancel before you arrive, the hold is released and nobody pays anything.
How do refunds work?
Refunds happen in Square, the same as any other sale.
Do customers see when I’ll arrive?
No. Customers are told you’re on the way, never a time. Traffic happens, and nobody likes a promise the van can’t keep.
What if I run out of something?
Turn it off from the making screen. Customers still see it, greyed out as “Not available right now”, so they know you usually have it. Turn it back on when you restock.
Can my staff use it?
Yes. Van staff can take orders and turn items off. Only the owner sees sales totals and changes the menu, stops and payments.
What do I need on the van?
A phone or iPad running the vendor app, and the QR poster. The making screen stays awake and chimes when an order comes in, and it keeps working through patchy signal.
Does it work at markets and events?
Yes. Add a walk-up stop, tap “Open for business” when you’re set up, and people nearby can order from their phone or by scanning your QR code.
Is there a contract?
No. There’s no setup fee and no lock-in. If it isn’t working for you, stop using it.
Who are you?
The Usual started on the Sunshine Coast, with the coffee van that visits our office car park. We’re local, and you can email us any time.