A guide to choosing the best card machine for a restaurant

This blog details the best card machines for restaurant usage and other payment methods to consider within your new business venture!

Opening a business in the hospitality industry can be both a daunting and exciting experience, whether it be your first introduction to being a business owner or you’re increasing your capital. It’s a chance to express, explore and create a whole new lifestyle, designed by you. Deciding on the location, cuisine, and menu are usually at the forefront of people’s minds and tend to be the more creative and stimulating side of business planning. However, in this blog, we are going to discuss another key factor in managing your business: taking payments. We want to ensure that you make the right decision when it comes to card machines and payment solutions, enabling your business to flourish as planned.

Same day payments:

To support new businesses, UTP provides a service that enables customers to get funded in hours rather than days. This service is called Faster Processing and is available for UTP’s customers at no extra cost, allowing customers to get funded for each transaction individually, hourly, or at the end of their trading day. No two businesses are the same, therefore UTP allow for businesses to decide how frequently it gets funded. This can eliminate the worry of waiting for payment to replenish stock or to pay certain expenses and is deemed extremely helpful during the beginning of a new business venture. UTP is the only merchant service to provide this service in the UK; other merchants delay payments by up to 4 working days.

Mobile card readers:

With 75% of diners preferring to pay by card, it’s imperative that your restaurant understands the demand for quick, effective terminals that process the full range of Mastercard, Visa debit, and credit card types. The best card machine for restaurant use proves to be contactless solutions, with over 90% of all consumers turning to contactless payment when eating out. This method of payment has risen significantly due to the pandemic and since the contactless limit has increased. Additionally, the use of mobile card machines has become increasingly popular, enabling staff to go from table to table to take payments from customers. The mobile card readers have multiple wireless connectivity options, which enable your business to take payment on the go. UTP offers a range of mobile card readers that can be used in and around your premises (with a range of 100 meters from the Bluetooth base unit or Wi-Fi router). Due to the devices being designed with mobility in mind, UTP’s mobile card readers have outstanding battery life, which can last for several days of use, ensuring your business is able to take payments effectively. UTP’s card machines have the ability to also add gratuities, meaning that customers can share a tip if they are happy with the service received.

UTP has some of the lowest transaction rates in the industry, in which the rates and fee’s can be tailored to you and your business. New businesses often come up against financial struggle, due to unforeseen emergency expenditure and improper planning, making it all the more important to carry out thorough research when deciding upon your merchant service’s.

Other payment options:

Many restaurants offer a takeaway service, for those customers who wish to eat at home rather than in the venue. It was reported earlier this year that 31% of people in the UK have a takeaway at least once per week; this number rises significantly to 58% in London. Consumers can order this service in multiple ways, including over the phone, from the website, or via third-party apps. When accepting online orders via phone call, your business will need to enter the customers’ card details directly onto an online payment form, which is then used to process the transaction. This solution is commonly called a Virtual Card Machine or Virtual Terminal, and with UTP requires no additional hardware or software. For consumers who wish to order online via the business website, UTP provides an eCommerce Payment Gateway that allows for customers to make payments themselves online by putting in their debit or credit card details. This service can also be used for larger customer reservations, when a pre-authorised deposit is needed to secure a booking.

Opening a new restaurant should be an exciting new chapter in anyone’s life, where you have full control to really make it your own, ensuring your using a secure and trusted payment system should be the last of your worries. UTP wants every new business venture to succeed; therefore, has set in place multiple payment solutions that can be tailored to your business.