Restaurant Merchant Account and Processing Fee Review
Your restaurant merchant account decides what you pay on every check. We read your statement line by line, from restaurant credit card interchange fees to tablet POS charges, and show you where you may be overpaying. Free, with no obligation.
On statements we review
We review statements from merchants on Clover, Square, Heartland Genius, Dejavoo, PAX, Korona, Union, NMI, Hyfin and more.
We are not an official partner or reseller of any POS brand. Brand names are used only to describe the systems we see on statements.
Where restaurant statements get complicated
Every point below comes from the same place: your monthly statement.
- Tips on card
- A tip changes the final amount after the card is run. We look at how tip adjustments show up on your statement and what you are charged for them.
- Interchange on every check
- Rewards cards, business cards and keyed-in phone orders all carry different interchange. We show how much of your total is interchange and how much is markup.
- Table-side payments
- Handhelds and pay-at-table devices can carry their own device or lease fees. We find them and explain them.
- Online orders
- Online and card-not-present orders are often priced differently than in-person payments. We show you where those fees land.
- Tablet POS plans
- A tablet restaurant POS, including a Clover restaurant POS setup, often bills a software plan and device fees on top of processing. We separate each one.
There is no single best credit card processing for restaurants.
The best fit depends on your volume, your average check, how you take tips and the POS you already run. A quick-service counter and a full-service dining room need different things from the same restaurant merchant services.
So we start from your statement, not a sales sheet. Weighing a new system? Read our restaurant and bar POS system comparison. Thinking about passing fees on? Start with cash discount credit card processing, explained.
What we check on a restaurant statement
The same line-by-line merchant statement analysis on every statement. You get plain answers, and you decide what happens next.
- 1Every fee by name, and what it is for
- 2Restaurant credit card interchange fees by card type
- 3How tip adjustments are processed and charged
- 4In-person versus online and card-not-present pricing
- 5Tablet POS software plans, device and lease charges
- 6Whether a different setup may fit your restaurant better
Three entries. No cost.
Step 1: Send your statement
One recent monthly processing statement, all pages. Upload it through our contact page or email it. A PDF or clear phone photos both work.
Step 2: We mark up every fee in plain English
We go line by line and mark each fee: what it is, what it costs you, and where you may be overpaying.
Step 3: You decide. We handle the setup if you want it.
If a better setup fits, we show you. If yours is fine, we say so. If you want to make a change, we handle the setup with you.
Start with one statement.
Get my free statement reviewKeep reading
- Restaurant and bar POS system comparisonClover, Square, Heartland Genius, Dejavoo, PAX and more. What each is, who it fits, and what to check.
- Cash discount vs surcharge for restaurantsHow cash discounting works, how it differs from a surcharge, and sign templates to review with your provider.
- How to read a merchant statementAn annotated merchant statement example, section by section.
- Request a free restaurant statement reviewSend one recent statement. We read every line.
Restaurant processing questions
1Can you review a restaurant credit card processing statement that includes tips?
Yes. Tips added on card affect the amount processed and how fees are calculated. We look at how tip adjustments show up on your statement and explain what you are being charged.
2Do you look at table-side and pay-at-table payments?
Yes. If you use handheld or pay-at-table devices, we check how those transactions are processed and whether any device or lease fees appear on the statement.
3Do you review fees for online orders?
We review the online and card-not-present transactions that appear on your processing statement. Fees charged by a separate online ordering platform may be billed elsewhere, and we can help you sort out which is which.
4Is a statement review worth it for a small, single-location restaurant?
Yes. Small restaurants often have the least time to read their statements. The review is free, so the only cost is sending us one statement.
5Will changing my setup disrupt a busy dinner service?
You decide if and when anything changes. If you choose to make a change, we help you think through timing so it does not land on a busy night.
6What are restaurant credit card interchange fees?
Interchange is the part of each card fee that goes to the bank that issued the card. The card networks set it, and it changes with the card type, such as rewards or business cards, and with how the card is taken, such as tapped at the table or keyed in for a phone order. We show how much of your total is interchange and how much is markup.
Send us your restaurant's statement.
Upload or email your statement through our contact page. Free review, plain English, no obligation.
Form LL-02Statement review
- What you send
- One recent statement
- What we read
- Every line
- What it costs
- Nothing
- What you owe
- No obligation