Payments and POS for your new Fort Lauderdale restaurant or cafe

A practical guide to the equipment, paperwork, timing, and questions that matter before your first service. Set up card payments once, correctly, and get back to the menu, the staff, and the opening date.

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What to get right

Tips that are easy for guests and accurate for staff

Decide early how tips will work. Full-service dining usually needs tip adjustment after the card is run, or pay-at-table devices that let guests add a tip and pay without the card leaving their sight. A counter-service cafe may want tip prompts on a customer-facing screen. Either way, your POS should track tips by employee and close out cleanly at the end of each shift, so payouts and payroll match what was actually collected.

A POS built around table turns and the kitchen

In a busy dining room, speed comes from the system as much as the staff. Look for table and seat management, split checks by item or by seat, quick modifiers for orders, and tickets that route straight to the kitchen printer or display. If you serve a mix of locals and visitors, plan for fast payment of every kind: chip, tap, mobile wallets, and gift cards, so tables open up quickly when it gets busy.

Online ordering and the rest of your tools connected

Takeout, delivery, and online orders are part of how many Fort Lauderdale restaurants and cafes operate. Ask whether online orders flow into the same POS and kitchen queue as in-house orders, and whether your accounting, customer, and inventory tools connect. With a TouchSuite merchant account, our ERP, CRM, and e-commerce integrations are included at no monthly fee.

Pricing you can read and costs you can control

Restaurant margins leave little room for confusing statements. With interchange-plus pricing, you pay the card networks' actual cost plus a fixed margin, so you can see what each part of a transaction costs. If you would rather remove processing cost altogether, a cash discount program is available. Ask how it is presented to guests on menus and receipts, and confirm current rules before you launch it.

How it works

Talk through your concept and floor plan. Start with a conversation about how you will serve: full service, counter, bar, patio, takeout, or a mix. That shapes how many terminals, handhelds, printers, and kitchen screens you need, and where they go. Qualifying merchants receive free terminals and POS hardware, no upfront cost. If you have an existing location or a previous business, send us your most recent processing statement and we will show you, line by line, what you are paying and beat it, or tell you honestly that we cannot.
Gather your documents and apply. A merchant account application goes faster when you have these ready: your registered business entity, your EIN from the IRS, a business bank account for deposits, and a government-issued ID for each owner. You will also be asked about your expected sales and average ticket. Licensing and permits for food service, sales tax registration, and occupancy depend on the state, Broward County, and the City of Fort Lauderdale, so check with those offices directly for what applies to your location.
Build your menu and train your staff. Once the application is in, set up your menu, modifiers, taxes, tip settings, employee roles, and table layout in the POS. Run a few practice services, ideally during a soft opening, so servers and cooks are comfortable before the dining room fills. Leave time in your opening schedule for this step rather than doing it the night before.
Start taking payments. After approval, most merchants are processing within 24 to 48 hours. Run a few test transactions, including a tip adjustment and a refund, and confirm the deposit lands in your business bank account. Our service is month-to-month, cancel anytime, no fees, so you are not locked in while your restaurant finds its rhythm.

Questions to ask a processor

How will tips be handled, and when do they settle?

Ask whether the system supports tip adjustment after authorization, tip prompts on a guest-facing screen, and pay-at-table. Ask when batches close and when funds, including tips, reach your bank. You need this to plan tip payouts and cash flow, especially in your first weeks.

How is pricing structured, and can I read it on my statement?

Ask for the pricing model in writing. With interchange-plus pricing, you pay the card networks' actual cost plus a fixed margin. Whatever processor you consider, ask them to walk you through a sample statement so you know what each line means before you sign.

What is the contract term, and what happens if I want to leave?

Read the agreement for term length and any cancellation fees. A new restaurant's needs can change fast. TouchSuite is month-to-month, cancel anytime, no fees.

Will online ordering and my other software connect to the POS?

Ask specifically how online and third-party orders reach the kitchen, and whether your accounting, customer, and inventory tools integrate, and at what cost. With a TouchSuite merchant account, our ERP, CRM, and e-commerce integrations are included at no monthly fee.

What happens if the internet goes down during a rush?

Ask whether the POS can keep taking orders and cards offline, how those transactions are stored and processed later, and what support is available during evening and weekend service, when restaurants are busiest.

How long until I can take cards, and what can slow it down?

Most TouchSuite merchants are processing within 24 to 48 hours of approval. The usual slowdowns are missing documents, such as an EIN, a business bank account, or owner ID, so have those ready before you apply. Build in extra time ahead of your opening date for menu setup and staff training.

Get your Fort Lauderdale restaurant ready to take cards

Tell us about your restaurant or cafe and your opening date. We will help you plan the right terminals and POS setup, walk you through the application, and explain pricing in plain terms. If you already process cards, send your most recent statement and we will show you line by line what you are paying.

Book a call

TouchSuite · 800-793-3250 · Month-to-month, cancel anytime, no fees.