Payment processing fee: what a restaurant pays on every card order
Updated October 20, 2026
A payment processing fee is what a restaurant pays each time it accepts a card or wallet payment. Online in the US it is commonly a percentage plus a fixed amount per payment; Stripe's standard US card price is 2.9% + 30¢. On a $25 online order that's about $1.03. It is charged by the payment company, not by the ordering system, and it applies on top of any commission.
In short
- Percentage + fixed fee. The fixed 30¢ hurts small orders most: 5.9% of a $10 order, 4.1% of a $25 order.
- Inside the fee: interchange (set by the card networks, paid to the card-issuing bank), network assessment fees and the processor's margin.
- Typical ranges Stripe quotes: online and keyed-in payments about 2.9%–3.5% + 30¢; in-person about 1.5%–2.6%.
- On Menuthere card payments run on your own Stripe account; Menuthere adds no fee and takes 0% commission.
What's inside a processing fee?
| Part | Who sets it | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|
| Interchange | The card networks (Visa, Mastercard) | The bank that issued the customer's card |
| Assessment (network) fees | The card networks | The card network |
| Processor markup | Your payment processor | The processor |
With flat-rate pricing (such as Stripe's standard price) you pay one combined rate. With interchange-plus pricing you pay the actual interchange plus a fixed markup, which Stripe describes as typically 0.10%–0.30% plus $0.05–$0.15 per transaction.
The math per order
At 2.9% + 30¢:
| Order total | Percentage part | Fixed part | Fee | Fee as % of order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10.00 | $0.29 | $0.30 | $0.59 | 5.9% |
| $25.00 | $0.73 | $0.30 | $1.03 | 4.1% |
| $60.00 | $1.74 | $0.30 | $2.04 | 3.4% |
The fee is on the whole amount charged, so tax, delivery charges and tips on the order are included.
A month: card fees vs a delivery-app commission
A restaurant takes 600 online orders a month at $25 each, $15,000 in all.
| Own ordering page, paid by card | Delivery app at 25% commission | |
|---|---|---|
| Per order | $1.03 card fee | $6.25 commission (on Grubhub, card processing comes on top) |
| A month | $615 (600 × $1.025) | $3,750 |
| Ordering-system fee | Your plan's monthly price, 0% commission | Included in the commission |
(Illustrative orders; Stripe's standard US price and a 25% app tier. Delivery app rates: US commission page.)
Can a restaurant pass card fees to customers?
Some do, through a surcharge or a cash discount, but the rules differ by card network, state and country, and some places restrict surcharges. If you add any fee, disclose it clearly before the customer orders; in California, mandatory restaurant fees must be shown wherever prices are shown (see service charge). Many restaurants simply build the cost into menu prices.
How Menuthere handles payment processing
- Your own Stripe account (outside India). Connect with Connect with Stripe or a secret key; customers pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay on Stripe's checkout page.
- Money goes straight to you. Payments settle in your Stripe balance and payouts follow your Stripe schedule. Menuthere never holds the money.
- No Menuthere fee on payments. Stripe's own fees apply as usual; Menuthere adds nothing and takes 0% commission on every plan. The only per-order cost on your own ordering page is the gateway's fee.
- Cash or card per order type. You choose whether delivery, takeout and dine-in can be paid online, in cash, or both, so you can avoid card fees where you prefer cash. See cash on delivery.
- Plan: online payments start on Lite (US$17 a month). Help: connect Stripe and 0% commission.
What it doesn't do: Menuthere doesn't negotiate or lower Stripe's rates, and it has no card-surcharge setting for US stores. Stripe is the only card gateway for stores outside India.
Keep the card fee as your only per-order cost: 0% commission on every order.
Related terms
- Chargeback: a disputed card payment, and its fee.
- Price parity: one price on every channel.
- Service charge: an amount the restaurant adds to the bill.
- Cash on delivery: paying at the door.
FAQs
What is a payment processing fee?
It is the fee a business pays for each card or wallet payment it accepts, usually a percentage of the payment plus a fixed amount. It covers the card network, the bank that issued the card and the payment processor.
How much are credit card processing fees for restaurants?
It depends on the processor and how the card is taken. Stripe's standard US card price is 2.9% plus 30 cents per payment, and Stripe says small businesses usually pay about 1.5% to 3.5% plus a fixed fee, with in-person payments at the lower end.
Why do small orders cost more to process?
Because of the fixed part of the fee. At 2.9% plus 30 cents, a $10 order costs 59 cents to process, which is 5.9%, while a $60 order costs $2.04, which is 3.4%.
Does Menuthere charge a fee on payments?
No. Card payments run on your own Stripe account and Stripe's fees apply as usual. Menuthere adds no fee and takes 0% commission on every order, on every plan.
Is the processing fee charged on tips and delivery charges?
Yes, in general. The fee is a percentage of the full amount charged to the card, so tax, delivery charges and tips on the order are included in it.
Sources (6)
- Stripe Support, Manually entered card payments (US standard pricing: standard card payments "2.9% + 0.30 USD"; manually entered "3.4% + 0.30 USD"): https://support.stripe.com/questions/manually-entered-card-payments (accessed 20 Oct 2026). stripe.com/us/pricing redirects to the India page from this machine, so the US price is taken from Stripe's support page.
- Stripe, How to reduce credit card processing fees (interchange set by card networks; assessment fees paid to the network; interchange-plus markup typically 0.10%–0.30% plus US$0.05–US$0.15; small businesses usually 1.5%–3.5% plus US$0.10–US$0.30; in-person 1.5%–2.6%; online, recurring or keyed 2.9%–3.5% plus US$0.30), last updated 30 Sep 2026: https://stripe.com/resources/more/how-to-reduce-credit-card-processing-fees-a-guide-for-businesses (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Menuthere help: Connect Stripe (outside India), updated 18 Oct 2026 (Connect with Stripe or secret key; card, Apple Pay, Google Pay; straight to your Stripe balance; Stripe's fees apply; payouts follow your Stripe schedule; Menuthere adds no fee): https://menuthere.com/docs/checkout-payments/connect-stripe-outside-india (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Menuthere help: Menuthere takes 0% commission (only per-order cost is the gateway's transaction fee) and Payment options for each order type (Online / Cash per order type; Lite): https://menuthere.com/docs/checkout-payments/menuthere-takes-0-commission (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Grubhub, Pricing and fees (plan prices exclude payment processing): https://get.grubhub.com/grubhub-pricing-and-fees/ (dateModified 7 Apr 2026; read 20 Oct 2026 in Wave 1)
- California Attorney General, Hidden fees (restaurant mandatory fees displayed wherever prices are shown): https://oag.ca.gov/hiddenfees (accessed 20 Oct 2026)