Restaurants run more card transactions per dollar of revenue than almost any business, on thin margins, with tips riding on every ticket. That makes processing the line item most worth fixing and the one most restaurant owners have never re-quoted. Here is what we set up, what it costs, and what changes on the floor.
What a restaurant pays today
| Monthly card volume | Typical processing bill (2.5% to 3.5% effective) | Under dual pricing |
|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $750 to $1,050 | $0 |
| $60,000 | $1,500 to $2,100 | $0 |
| $120,000 | $3,000 to $4,200 | $0 |
Dual pricing posts a cash price and a card price. The guest chooses. The card price covers the cost of acceptance, on the sale and on the tip. The restaurant nets its cash price on every check and its processing bill is the POS software fee. How that compares to a surcharge, and why a surcharge does not work for restaurants in California, is covered in dual pricing vs surcharging vs cash discount.
Restaurants that do not want two prices on the menu get interchange-plus, which for a typical restaurant card mix runs about 1.9% to 2.1% all-in.
The setup
Full service. Clover Station Duo at the host stand or server station. One Clover Flex per two servers for pay at table, which turns tables faster and ends the walk to the terminal. Kitchen printers by station, or Clover Kitchen Display for high-volume lines. Bar printer. TableTurn for reservations, waitlist and table management when the restaurant takes bookings.
Quick service and fast casual. Station Duo or Mini at the counter. Clover Kiosk for self-order if lines form at peak, which typically takes 20% to 30% of orders off the register. Kitchen display. Online ordering menu at the card price.
Bars. Station Duo for tabs and split checks. One Flex for the patio. Bar printer.
Cafes and coffee. One Clover Mini with customer-facing tips and dual pricing display.
Food trucks. Clover Flex with cellular, battery and printer built in.
Hardware is placed at no charge for qualifying restaurants, or purchased outright. No leases. The device-level detail and Clover-vs-Toast comparison are in Clover POS for restaurants.
What we build before install day
- Menu with modifiers, combos, sizes, and happy hour or daypart pricing.
- Tax rules, including dine-in versus takeout where it differs.
- Printer and KDS routing by station.
- Employee roles, PINs and clock-in.
- Tip settings: prompts, pooling, and card-tip payout reporting.
- Online ordering menu, with delivery app integrations if you use them.
- Dual pricing signage for menus, the entrance and the register.
- Receipt design.
Install is between services. Staff training happens on the floor during a slow hour. We stay through the first service.
Online ordering, delivery apps and gift cards
Clover Online Ordering is included on restaurant plans and drops orders into the kitchen queue. DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub integrate through the App Market so third-party orders land in the POS rather than on a stack of tablets. Online orders are card-only and run at the card price. Gift cards and loyalty are App Market add-ons, typically $10 to $40 a month.
What it costs, all in
A 70-seat full-service restaurant doing $60,000 a month in cards:
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Clover Station Duo, two Flex, kitchen printer | $0 placement |
| Clover Table Service plan | $89.95 a month |
| Online ordering | Included |
| Processing | $0 under dual pricing, or about $1,200 under interchange-plus |
| Support | Included, with a cell number |
The same restaurant on a typical existing account is paying $1,500 to $2,100 a month for processing alone.
Serving San Diego, Los Angeles and beyond
In-person installs and same-day support across San Diego County, Los Angeles County and Orange County. Remote setup with shipped, pre-programmed hardware anywhere in the United States.