Fast-scaling poke and boba chain brings Square’s intuitive restaurant tools to its tech-powered Hawaiian food franchise

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul. 22, 2025-- Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar, a leading fast-casual poke and boba franchise rooted in Hawaiian tradition, has partnered with Square to power operations and accelerate franchise expansion across the U.S.

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Fast-scaling poke and boba chain brings Square’s intuitive restaurant tools to its tech-powered Hawaiian food franchise (Graphic: Square)

Offering customizable poke bowls, boba milk teas, and more, Uncle Sharkii is scaling quickly in malls and high-traffic retail hubs. By adopting Square’s all-in-one restaurant platform, the brand is creating a digital-first franchise model that simplifies operations, empowers franchisees, and enhances the customer experience across every touchpoint. Square also gives Uncle Sharkii’s growing network of franchisees powerful tools to run smarter, more connected businesses – from a single unit to multiple locations.

“Our mission is to offer access to healthy, affordable food for all, and Square gives us the flexibility to grow without complexity,” said Raymond Reyes, COO of Uncle Sharkii. “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 chose to partner with Square for its intuitive design, comprehensive platform, and robust analytics. Square technology supports both in-store and online channels, delivering a more connected and conversion-ready experience. With Square for Franchises, Uncle Sharkii franchisees get a complete and connected commerce solution to manage sales, inventory, customer engagement, and more across locations – all in a single platform. The platform supports multiple ordering channels – from in-store ordering on Square Registerand Square Kiosk, to mobile pickup – creating a seamless experience for customers while giving operators real-time insights into performance and growth. Uncle Sharkii also uses Square Loyalty to create personalized rewards and ensure return customers.

“Our partnership with Uncle Sharkii exemplifies how Square’s powerful, yet intuitive tools can transform franchise operations and fuel rapid expansion," said Nick Molnar, Global Head of Sales and Marketing at Block, which includes Square and Cash App. "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.”

With this rollout, Uncle Sharkii is transforming how it manages its growing franchise network – franchisees are able to streamline their day-to-day operations, while the corporate team now has real-time visibility into performance across all locations. Most importantly, improved order accuracy and centralized menu management elevates the customer experience, allowing staff to focus on what matters most: serving up the flavorful and affordable poke bowls and boba teas that define the Uncle Sharkii brand.

“We’re building a next-gen quick-service franchise model, and Square helps us stay ahead,” said Fen Reyes, CEO and Co-Founder of Uncle Sharkii. “Together, we’re delivering a tech-savvy, culture-rich brand that’s ready for scale.”

Learn more about Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar and franchising opportunities, visit www.unclesharkii.com or unclesharkiipokebarfranchise.com. To learn more about Square’s technology for food and beverage businesses, visit https://squareup.com/restaurants.

About Square

Square makes commerce and financial services easy and accessible with its integrated ecosystem of commerce solutions. Square offers purpose-built software to run complex restaurant, retail, and professional services operations, versatile e-commerce tools, embedded financial services and banking products, buy now, pay later functionality through Afterpay, staff management and payroll capabilities, and much more – all of which work together to save sellers time and effort. Millions of sellers across the globe trust Square to power their business and help them thrive in the economy. For more information, visit www.squareup.com.

About Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar®

Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar® (www.unclesharkii.com) is a healthy Hawaiian fast-food franchise featuring its Signature Hawaiian™ Poke Bowls, Boba Milk Teas, & Dole Soft Serve®. The brand was founded in 2018 during an overseas family gathering when the founders’ daughter, Melody, was gifted a plush shark by an uncle she never met before. The bond was instantaneous and sealed by celebration over boba milk tea, fried snacks, and ice cream. The founders coined the name Uncle Sharkii and adhere to an authentic focus on 'Ohana “family” culture with the mission of offering a streamlined healthy menu for the family on the go — Poke Bowls Made Simple™.

Uncle Sharkii stands firm as one of the only national poke brands to be curated by a local born and raised founder who grew up eating, breathing, and living all the paradisiacal essence that Hawai’i represents. Poke originated from Hawai’i as a snack for fishermen.

Currently Uncle Sharkii has open locations in the heart of Hawaii, California, Utah, and Texas, with signed locations in Arizona and Nevada. The brand touts itself as one of the fastest growing quick service restaurants serving Hawaiian poke today. With low startup costs, quicker return on investment, comprehensive training, a simple menu, and a sense of community, Uncle Sharkii aims to revolutionize the Hawaiian poke industry from inspiration to reality.

The company is actively expanding throughout the United States and internationally. Interested individuals can learn more about franchise opportunities at www.unclesharkiipokebarfranchise.com. Follow Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar® on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok.

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Source: Block, Inc.