Bars & Restaurants. A winning Strategy.

Clarity for Restaurant & Bar Owners

Running a bar or restaurant is hard enough — your payment system shouldn’t make it harder. This page isn’t about choosing one company over another. It’s about understanding the questions most sales reps never ask, the fees most owners don’t know they’re paying, and the options you actually have.

Understand what option is best for your business

Cost + Pricing

Transparent
You pay interchange + a small markup
Best for high‑volume, low‑margin businesses
Requires understanding statements (We will teach you this)

Flat or Set Rate Pricing

Simple
Easy to predict
Often more expensive for restaurants
Used by Square, Stripe, Toast, etc.

Cash Discount / Dual Pricing

Offsets processing fees
Legal when done correctly
Needs proper signage and compliant setup
Great for bars with high card volume

The Questions No One Ever Asked You

How do you accept payments?
What percentage of your sales are AMEX?
How many tips are adjusted after the transaction?
Do you run tabs or pre‑auths?
Do you batch once or multiple times per day?
Do you need offline mode for bad WiFi nights?
Do you want to own your hardware or lease it?
Do you need handhelds for patio service?
Do you want to integrate with your kitchen printer or KDS?
Do you need Spanish‑language support for your staff?

What Most Owners Don’t Know They’re Paying For

Non‑qualified surcharges
AMEX / Visa / MasterCard upcharges
PCI non‑compliance fees
Batch fees
Statement fees
“Free” equipment leases
Contract auto‑renewals
Early termination penalties
Markups on top of interchange
Extra fees for tipping or pre‑auths

Where ClearPay Fits In

ClearPay’s approach

We explain your current setup before recommending anything

We show you the difference between your rate and your true cost

We help you choose the model that fits your business

We support you directly — no call centers

We work with multiple POS systems (SmartTab, Quantic, etc.)

We help you avoid long-term contracts and hidden fees

A real life example

Numbers based on $100.000 credit card sales per month with Cost + Model

Processor	Monthly Fees (est.)	Annual Fees (est.)	Savings Vs. ClearPay
Toast	$3110	$37.320	$4968 / Year
Square	$3200	$38.400	$6048 / Year
Stripe	$3150	$37.800	$5448 / Year
ClearPay	$2696	$32.352	–

The truth is, it’s not just the system — it’s the way processing fees are structured and explained. Most owners never see the difference between interchange (what the card brands charge) and markup (what the processor adds)
Even if your numbers are different, the pattern is the same: fees add up quickly when you don’t understand how they’re built.

Flat fee model: A bar paying 2.6% + 0.10 cents

Looks simple
But on $50 tickets, that 10¢ adds up
And AMEX is often higher
And tips cause re‑auth fees
And batching adds more fees
And the “flat rate” becomes 3.2–3.6% effective

ClearPay Consulting