Payments for restaurants and cafés
Tips, table service, split cheques and a kitchen that gets the ticket before the payment.
Tips, splits and table turns are where restaurant processing differs from every other counter.
Service flow drives everything
Restaurant payments are not retail payments with food. Orders are opened before they are paid, tips are added after the card is authorised, and one table regularly pays with four cards in three different ways. A setup that ignores that sequence creates work at exactly the moment the room is busiest.
How the setup works for your account
Tip adjustment
Authorise, take the tip on signature or on screen, and batch the adjusted total.
Split payments
Split by seat, by item, or evenly across cards and cash.
Pay at table
Wireless terminals reduce walk-offs and cut the time between last course and next cover.
Kitchen tickets
Fire by course to the right station rather than dumping the whole order at once.
Things worth getting right
Menu and modifier build
This is where restaurant setups take the most time and cause the most errors. Do it carefully before launch.
Tip reporting
Agree how tips are pooled and recorded before configuration, and check it with your accountant.
Peak-service rehearsal
Test the full flow in training mode at volume, not at a quiet hour.
Common questions
Tips are normally included in the day's batch and settle with your card deposits. Payroll treatment is separate.
Yes — a card can be held or a deposit charged at booking. Make the cancellation terms explicit to avoid disputes.
A café with a short menu can run on a terminal. Table service with courses and modifiers really needs a POS.
See what your processing should actually cost
Send a recent statement, or your monthly volume and average ticket. You get a written breakdown back — no commitment.