Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar, a leading fast-casual poke and boba franchise with Hawaiian roots, has partnered with Square to manage its operations and accelerate its franchise expansion throughout the U.S. This collaboration aims to establish a digital-first franchise model, leveraging Square’s all-in-one restaurant platform.
Fen Reyes, CEO and Co-Founder of Uncle Sharkii, stated, “We’re building a next-gen quick-service franchise model, and Square helps us stay ahead. Together, we’re delivering a tech-savvy, culture-rich brand that’s ready for scale.” Uncle Sharkii, known for its customizable poke bowls and boba milk teas, is rapidly expanding its presence in malls and high-traffic retail locations.
By adopting Square’s comprehensive platform, Uncle Sharkii seeks to simplify operations, empower its franchisees, and enhance customer interactions across all touchpoints. The platform provides Uncle Sharkii’s expanding network of franchisees with robust tools for managing their businesses, whether a single unit or multiple locations.
Raymond Reyes, COO of Uncle Sharkii, commented, “Our mission is to offer access to healthy, affordable food for all, and Square gives us the flexibility to grow without complexity. As our franchise network continues to expand into new markets, investing in scalable, user-friendly technology has become a key part of our development strategy. Our prior solution had a lot of gaps that Square has seamlessly helped us fill, making operations easier and delivering stronger ROI for the business. This strategic shift reflects our ongoing commitment to enhancing the experience for both customers and franchisees, across all locations.”
Uncle Sharkii selected Square for its intuitive design, comprehensive platform, and strong analytics capabilities. Square’s technology supports both in-store and online channels, offering a connected and conversion-ready experience. Through Square for Franchises, franchisees gain a complete commerce solution to manage sales, inventory, and customer engagement across locations from a single platform.
This platform also supports various ordering channels, including in-store ordering via Square Register and Square Kiosk, as well as mobile pickup. This creates a seamless customer experience while providing operators with real-time insights into performance and growth. Additionally, Uncle Sharkii utilizes Square Loyalty to implement personalized rewards programs, aiming to foster repeat customers.
Nick Molnar, Global Head of Sales and Marketing at Block, the parent company of Square and Cash App, noted, “Our partnership with Uncle Sharkii exemplifies how Square’s powerful, yet intuitive tools can transform franchise operations and fuel rapid expansion. With an integrated platform that brings together everything from payments and operations to loyalty and multi-location management – all working seamlessly as one – we’re enabling Uncle Sharkii’s franchisees to focus on delivering exceptional Hawaiian-inspired cuisine and scaling their business with confidence.”
This rollout is designed to transform the management of Uncle Sharkii’s growing franchise network, enabling franchisees to streamline daily operations and providing the corporate team with real-time visibility into performance across all locations. This includes improved order accuracy and centralized menu management, enhancing the customer experience and allowing staff to concentrate on serving Uncle Sharkii’s poke bowls and boba teas.
