Toast Fee Increases: What to Check on Your Restaurant Bill

Key takeaways

• Start with the fee-change notice and your own agreement. A headline about another restaurant does not establish the rate on your account.
• Separate software, payment processing, equipment and guest-facing charges before calculating the impact.
• Consider Dinevate when you want to improve direct ordering, the restaurant website, app and repeat-visit tools.

Put the new charge beside the old one

Collect the notice, your current statement and a statement from before the change. Match the line items and confirm when the new charge begins.

Ask support to explain any line that changed. A bill can rise because the rate changed, the volume changed or another service was added.

Separate old news from your current terms

Toast announced the removal of its $0.99 digital-ordering fee in July 2023. That historical event should not be presented as a fee currently applied to every account. Toast's announcement.

For a current change, review your notice and the agreement incorporated into your order form. The published Toast Merchant Agreement includes fee-change and termination provisions, but your own version and the type of change matter. Ask for the applicable deadline and options in writing.

Calculate the effect on a normal month

Use the volume to which the change actually applies. For example, a hypothetical 0.10 percentage-point processing increase on $50,000 of eligible card sales adds $50 for that month. A $10 software increase adds $10 regardless of sales.

Keep those calculations separate. Then compare the total with your restaurant's margin, the services you use and the cost of changing the setup.

Compare Dinevate for direct orders and repeat visits

Dinevate includes your restaurant website, direct ordering, branded app, loyalty and email marketing, with help preparing the menu and launch. You also have tools for kitchen operations, delivery and guest service to review with the team.

Confirm the equipment and supported connections you need. Choosing Dinevate for direct ordering does not change the agreement or rates on a separate POS account you keep. Compare Dinevate and Toast.

More of your restaurant, in Dinevate

• Website and branded app. Your restaurant website and included iPhone and Android app, with favorites, order history and easy reordering. Explore
• Detailed ordering controls. Half-and-half toppings, prices by size, required choices, pickup schedules, advance orders and automatic pauses when the kitchen is busy. Explore
• Points and stamp cards. Set earning rules, signup bonuses, redemption values and stamp-card rewards that fit your restaurant. Explore
• Wallet, cashback and gift cards. Offer restaurant credit, first-load bonuses, capped cashback and gift cards. Guests can combine wallet credit with a card payment. Explore
• Kitchen and order management. Manage incoming orders, preparation status, configured printer routing and kitchen displays, with access for your team. Explore
• Your own delivery operation. Set delivery zones, fees and minimums, give drivers their own access and manage deliveries. Dinevate Delivery is also available in supported areas. Explore
• Local SEO and email marketing. Restaurant and menu content on your domain, search reporting, and email campaigns for guests who choose to hear from you. Explore
• Voice and reservations. English phone ordering, bookings, catering requests, loyalty and secure checkout, plus order updates and eligible changes or cancellations. Explore
• Catering and event follow-up. Manage catering inquiries, estimates, deposits and invoices so the team can follow the event from the first request. Explore
• Chargeback Defender. Prepare chargeback responses using the restaurant's order, payment and fulfillment records, and track the dispute in Dinevate. Explore

Review the features you want in your demo. Confirm optional services, equipment, supported payment methods, delivery availability and usage charges in your proposal.

Dinevate pricing

Your website, direct ordering, branded app, loyalty, local SEO and email marketing are included in every plan. Choose the monthly fee and online order charge that fit your restaurant.

For Options 2, 3 and 4, your restaurant can cover the online pricing adjustment, pass it to the guest or split it evenly. Review setup, payment processing, delivery and optional services in your proposal. A $0 monthly fee does not mean there are no order charges. View pricing and examples.

See the plans and fee examples, or bring your menu to a demo to review your restaurant's setup.

Frequently asked questions

Did Toast increase my rate?

Your statement and account notice establish that. Ask support for the affected fee, old rate, new rate and effective date.

Can I cancel because of a fee change?

Review the signed agreement and notice that apply to your account. Confirm any conditions and deadline with the provider before acting.

Should I replace the register or just online ordering?

Start with the problem you want to solve. Bring your current equipment, menu and statements to the demo, and price the required changes as a complete project.