Best card machine for restaurants

Sit-down restaurants need table-side terminals, split-bill support, and tip handling. Card volume tends to be high with bigger transaction sizes than fast-food.

Our pick

Dojo Go

Acquirer: Dojo

Dojo dominates UK hospitality for table-side flow, split-bill and tip handling. Same-next-day settlement helps cashflow. Pricing competitive at £15k+ monthly volume.

Why this trade matters

Cashflow shape: Evening + weekend peaks. December and summer tourist surges. Card flow strong.
Average transaction: £35 to £85
Contactless share: ~55% of transactions

Watch outs

Tip-handling rules vary by acquirer; confirm before signing.
Split-bill UX varies.
Some acquirers cap contactless tips at £100 transaction limit.

Alternatives

Square Terminal (independents)
SumUp Solo (small cafés)

Sign through us, get all of this

Take your trade. We do the rest.

Named UK account team for the life of the agreement. Acquirer pays our commission on completed introductions, so it costs you nothing on top.

24/7 dedicated support
Direct line to a named UK account manager, not a generic acquirer helpline. When your terminal goes down on a Saturday night you call us.
Quarterly rate reviews
As your card volume grows your rate should drop. We renegotiate against the 80+ UK acquirer panel every quarter, so you never overpay because you forgot to ask.
Chargeback and dispute help
UK chargebacks cost £15 to £35 per case and 60-80% are friendly fraud you can win with the right evidence. We draft the response and escalate where the acquirer drags its feet.
Switching support when you outgrow
If a better acquirer fit emerges as you grow we manage the cutover. No exit-fee surprises, no dual-running gap. Same account team across acquirers.

How we work, end to end →

Related on our sister sites

Need finance for your restaurants business?

Card flow is the security on which most restaurants businesses borrow. See our sister site BestBusinessLoans by sector for editorial reviews of UK lenders that fund restaurants.

Last reviewed: 2026-04-26.