Get Started With Mobile Payments and Digital Menus

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Processing/Transaction Rates

When considering implementing mobile payments, it's important to consider mobile transaction rates. All mobile payments will be processed at your contracted keyed transaction rate (also referred to as mobile transaction or card not present rate).

Interchange (IC) rates and fees are the primary underlying cost of processing debit and credit cards. These fees are set by credit card networks like Visa, Discover, and Mastercard with every transaction. It should be noted that these processing costs are typically higher than swiped transactions due to the fraud risk associated with keyed transactions. In order to help minimize Card Not Present chargebacks, Toast utilizes real-time machine-learning fraud protection and employs encryption and tokenization technologies to protect guest data.
 

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Mobile Payments

Set Up Mobile Payments

If you use Toast Pay, check out this Support Center article to set up mobile payments: Get Started With Toast Pay. As of December 2023, all new Toast customers will have access to Toast Pay by default. For restaurants not using Toast Pay yet, you can update to Toast Pay for free.

If you are not using Toast Pay, follow the instructions below to activate mobile payment QR codes:

1. In Toast Web, navigate to the Payments > Payment Methods > Toast Pay. 
2. Scroll down to the QR Code section and toggle this setting on. 
3. Review other settings as desired. 
4. Save and Publish. 

  
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What Your Guests Will See

1. Once a guest has finished their meal, the server prints a copy of their itemized receipt and leaves it with the guest. 
   
   
2. For customers outside of the US, guests will then be directed to a website to enter their email address, and payment information, and be able to add a tip to their check.
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   For customers inside the US, guests will then be directed to either a website (Android), the Local by Toast app (iOS) (if they have it downloaded on their phone,) or an App Clip (iOS) (a partial version of the Local by Toast app). If the app store is offline, then they will see the web page experience of mobile payments on iOS. Currently, the Android Local by Toast app does not support mobile payments. Guests using Android phones will be directed to the web page experience of mobile payments. They will then enter their email address, and payment information, and be able to add a tip to the check.
   
   
3. Once the payment has been completed, they will see a confirmation message.
   
   Your guests can check out their Order History Page on the Local by Toast app to see their authenticated Toast Mobile Order & Pay® transactions within their order history, with convenient links to reorder past favorites.

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Digital Menus

Set Up Digital Menus With QR Codes

In Toast Web, navigate to the Front of house > Mobile dining solutions > Toast Mobile Order & Pay™ & Digital Menus. 

You'll be guided through a workflow to set up your digital menus. To start, toggle on the menus you would like to be visible to your guests. Select Continue at the bottom of the page. Note that any changes to this screen will be published when you select Continue. 

Next, select the tables for which you would like to have table tents (signs) with QR codes. Note that you can change the service area at the top. Select Continue. 

Start customizing your table tents by reviewing your restaurant's logo. Make sure to upload your logo to the Restaurant Info page in Toast Web. Select Continue to move to the next step. 

Select a color to compliment your logo. This will appear at the bottom of the template. To change the transparency of the color, enter a number between 0.0 (fully transparent) and 1.0 (fully opaque) under the Alpha header. Use the color picker or enter a Hex code before selecting Continue. 

Next, you'll be able to either:

Preview the experience as a guest by scanning the QR code on the screen and/or

Make changes if needed, such as changing what menus are available to guests.

Lastly, select one of the following options: 

Print signs yourself to download a PDF of the table signs you just customized.

Place a sign order to order the table signs you just customized through Toast's recommended printer.

Download QR codes to download images of the QR codes to use in your own sign design (or download the URLs for each table if you would like to customize signage).

Note: Ordering of the QR codes is only available to customers in the US. Customers outside of the US must print them on their own.

Select Continue once a choice is made. 

If you opt to print the signs yourself, your computer will download a file with the table signs or QR codes so you can easily print for your restaurant. 

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Adjust Your Menu Visibility for Digital Menus

You can choose what menus you want to be available for guests to view with digital menus by adjusting your menu visibility settings.

In Toast Web, navigate to the Menus > Bulk management > Advanced properties.

Using the Show/Hide filter in the upper right corner of the page, select Visible To.

Next to the menu, you would like to appear for the guest, change the Visible To setting to POS & Digital Menus. 

Save and publish your changes! 

 
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What Your Guests Will See

For customers outside the US, guests will then be directed to a website to view the digital menu. For customers located in the US, when guests are ready to view your menu, they can scan the QR code at their table with the camera on their phones.

The QR code will bring guests to a screen (either a website, the Local by Toast app if they have it downloaded on their phone, or an App Clip (a mini version of the Local by Toast app)) explaining how it all works and allowing guests to select View menu.

Guests can then view your menu and will be able to select each individual item to see larger images, descriptions, and modifier options. Once they are ready to order, they will order directly with a staff member.    

Once a guest has finished their meal and is ready to pay, they will be able to re-scan the QR code and select Pay Check or navigate to the Pay Check tab.If a guest views the Pay Check tab before their server enters their order, they will see a message that says, "Nothing to pay for right now. We could not find an open check with that number right now. Try again".  

Guests will enter their email address, payment information, tip, and check out. 

Toast Loyalty Sign Up Through Digital Payments

 

Currently, Toast Loyalty is only available to customers inside the US.

 

After adding the Toast Loyalty program to your Toast suite, you can offer guests the ability to sign up for rewards when they check out using mobile payments or digital menus. No more writing down email addresses or phone numbers on receipts—with Toast's Mobile Dining Solutions + Loyalty, signing up for your loyalty program will be turned on automatically with no additional setup needed. 

Here's how it works:

Upon payment, we'll check if a loyalty account exists under the guest's email address entered during checkout.

If the guest has an existing account, their purchase points will be automatically added to their account.

If no existing account can be found, the guest will be prompted to enter their preferred email address or phone number (depending on your signup method) to claim their points. 

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Train Your Staff to Use Mobile Dining Solutions

Free up your staff to spend more time on order taking, running, and hospitality and less time swiping credit cards and closing out checks. Before using this feature with guests, however, familiarize your staff with the mobile payments and digital menus process and create a script for them to use when introducing this payment option. 

However you communicate this change with your guests, your staff must be prepared to guide them along the way. Ensure the tone is friendly and reassuring and a plan is in place if a manager needs to get involved. If they are unfamiliar with QR code technology, direct your staff to the following resources for more information:

Scanning a QR code with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch (external link)

Scanning a QR Code from a Samsung Phone (external link)

Once a guest is ready to place an order, you can use table service mode on your Toast device to place the order at the table the guest is at. 

Their table will display as yellow once you enter their order. This will be how you track how a guest has paid for their meal. 

The pay check tab is where your guests will make their payment once you enter the order. You must select the Send, Stay, or Hold button for an item to be added to the guest’s Pay Check tab. 

Once the payment is complete you’ll see the guest’s check change from yellow to white on the table service screen. This way, you can make sure guests have paid before they walk out the door. 

If splitting checks, guests will receive separate QR codes with their own itemized receipt. 

Example mobile payments script ideas:

"Thank you so much for dining with us today! I've taken the liberty of printing your check here. [Places on table]. There is a QR code at the bottom of the receipt that when scanned using your phone's camera, will direct you to complete your payment right here at the table. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know!"

If the check is delivered to the table before their meal is complete:

"When you're finished with your meal, use the camera on your phone to scan the QR code at the bottom of your receipt [show QR code to the guest] to pay for your meal. This will bring you to a website where you can complete your payment right here at the table. And of course, if there is anything else I can help you with, please let me know!"

Example digital menus script ideas:

"Welcome to [Restaurant Name]! Have you dined with us before? [Describe restaurant style and mission]. To view our menu, simply use the camera on your phone to scan the QR code [show table tent/sign to the guest]. I'll be right back in a few to take your order, but for now, can I answer any questions or get you started with something to drink?"

After food is ordered or delivered: "When you're finished with your meal, feel free to re-scan the QR code to view your check. You will be able to complete your payment here at the table. And if there is anything else I can help you with, please let me know."
 

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Server Notifications on the POS

With POS notifications, your staff will be aware when a guest places an order, paid, or failed to pay, using mobile dining solutions (mobile payments, digital menus, and Toast Mobile Order & Pay®). Depending on your configuration, notifications are sent to Toast Go® and POS devices.

1. In Toast Web, navigate to the Front of house > POS Notifications > Notification setup.
2. Here, you can select:
   
   
   • Which notification will be sent to your servers
   • Designate if the alert will be sent to the server assigned to the check or all servers
   • If notifications will be sent to Toast Go® devices. Note: Only Toast Go® 2 devices can be excluded from receiving notifications. 
     
     
3. Be sure to save and publish any changes!