How to Take Payments in a Restaurant

Accepting payments can seem like a daunting challenge, especially if you are opening a restaurant for the first time. However, you can rest easy - the process is far simpler than you think. 

If you are the owner of a coffee shop, independent restaurant or bistro, you will need to accept payment in some form or another. In order to ensure that you make the best choice in restaurant payment processing for your business, we recommend doing as much research as possible before deciding what equipment you need and which services to choose. 

In a study conducted by the European Central Bank in 2019, it was found that the total number of non-cash payments in the euro area alone increased by 8.1% to 98.0 billion compared with the previous year, with a total value of €162.1 trillion. Furthermore, card payments accounted for 48% of the total number of non-cash payments. 

In the UK, 2018 saw 19% of all payments were made by contactless cards, which totalled up to a whopping 7.4 billion payments. Debit cards were the most popular form of payment method, with 15.1 billion payments, while cash payments took a decline of 16% to only 11 billion. 

With contactless payments becoming more popular than ever, it is predicted that by 2028, debit card payment volumes will reach 22.3 billion, with contactless accounting for around two-thirds of the total. 

The impact of COVID-19 is also important to consider. With customers being encouraged to switch to debit, credit and all forms of contactless payments where possible, cash payments are being used less frequently than ever before. 

In order to provide the best service to customers, it will be necessary for restaurants to offer multiple payment methods to adapt to the newly changing customer purchasing habits. 

Processing payments in your restaurant

Considering the above statistics, it is more necessary than ever for businesses to accept card payments. This can be made possible through something called POS (point of sale) systems. 

This technology can allow you to easily accept payments from your customers, whether you require a stand-alone card terminal or a more sophisticated solution that can integrate with your POS system. 

Depending on your specific requirement, a payment service provider can offer a range of services that can be tailored as you wish. Therefore, you will be able to process all major debit cards, credit cards, e-wallets and contactless payments with minimal hassle. 

Some payment service providers also offer equipment as a part of their services, such as pre-programmed terminals with touch screen displays that can be used instantaneously.

Card machines for restaurant payment processing

Whether you will be accepting payments at the customer’s table or on their exit, you will require a card machine to facilitate the transaction. 

There are two common forms of card machines used today. They are portable card machines and countertop card machines. When you apply for these machines, most will come through the post already pre-certified and easy to set up. 

In order to use either forms of restaurant payment processing devices, you will need a power socket, a cabled Ethernet connection (for countertop terminals) and a GPRS or 3G communication network (for portable terminals). 

Another game-changing card payment processing capability is the Pay @ Table service provided by Opayo that can be integrated with your ePOS to input a table number directly into the terminal allowing you to retrieve a bill in seconds. 

This service essentially aims to bring the till to the table, making it easier than ever for customers to split payments, incorporate gratuity and avoid human error when accepting transactions.

Conclusion

The world of payments is changing more quickly than ever. As businesses are increasingly encouraged to accept cashless payments, you want to make sure your restaurant keeps up with the evolving trends and customer demands.

It can be frustrating for customers to pay exclusively in cash, especially when there are hundreds of payment alternatives available today. With the help of payment service providers such as Opayo, we can help you integrate a card payment solution that is perfect for your restaurant. 

Contact us today to speak to a member of the Opayo team for further help and advice. Alternatively, you can download our ebook here. 

We are partnered with larger providers including Oracle and Aptos, so we can provide a fully integrated solution for larger restaurant chains.