Thursday, 4 pm. The three-tier for Saturday's wedding is stacked and doweled. You have twelve hours in the sugar flowers alone, and the fondant is already colored to match the swatch she brought in. Your phone buzzes. "Hi, so the wedding is off. Can I get my deposit back?"
If that deposit went on a card, the answer might not be yours to give. She can dispute it, and a bank that never saw your sugar peonies decides who keeps it.
Custom work is where a bakery makes its margin and where it gets hurt. Here is how to take Cash App for the deposit and the balance, so the money you were paid for the work stays paid.
The deposit at the order
When she sits down with you to plan the cake, take the deposit before she leaves.
- Type the deposit amount on your phone or the counter tablet.
- A QR code for that amount appears. She scans it with Cash App and pays.
- The deposit is paid to you and final the moment it lands.
A Cash App payment through riverArk cannot be charged back. That deposit covers the flour, the butter, the boards and your hours, whether or not the party happens.
Put it on paper. Write the deposit, the balance and "deposit is non-refundable" on the order slip, and have her initial it. Keep your policy on the counter card too, next to the price list for tiers and servings.
The balance at pickup
Saturday, 10 am. She is at the counter while you box the cake and talk her through the drive: flat floor, AC on, no sharp turns. Type the balance, she scans, and you carry the box to her car.
Two payments for one order, both at the counter, both final.
Holiday pre-orders
The week before Thanksgiving, you take sixty pie orders in four days. Take each one with a deposit or payment in full when it is placed. On pickup day the line is just names and boxes, not a line of people paying, and the no-shows have already paid for their pies.
The everyday counter
The same counter QR code takes the morning croissant and the Saturday box of conchas. Type the amount, the customer scans, done. No hardware to buy.
If you have a front counter and a separate pickup window for orders, give each its own counter QR code. The free plan covers a limited number, and paid plans add more.
What it costs
You pay 1% on the first $5,000 a month that moves through riverArk, 0.85% to $25,000, and 0.75% above that. Most small businesses pay 1.5% to 3.5% to take cards. On a $650 wedding cake that difference shows up.
Dynamic Pricing at +1% passes the fee to the customer. Below zero, it becomes a discount for paying with Cash App.
Set it up in three steps
- Open a Strike business account and link the bakery's bank. That is where payments land. With complete documents, approval usually takes a day or two. See the Strike setup guide.
- Sign up at ark.riverark.io, free to start, with your Strike username.
- Set up a counter QR code at the register and take a test deposit from your own Cash App.
The full walkthrough, with video, is in the full setup guide.
Stand the counter card by the order book and the door sticker on the glass. One line for whoever is on the counter: "You can pay with Cash App right here."
Try the customer side yourself at ark.riverark.io/demo, then sign up at riverark.io.
FAQ
Can I take a deposit on a custom cake with Cash App?
Yes. Type the deposit amount, she scans the QR code with Cash App, and the deposit is paid to you and final.
What if the customer cancels and disputes the deposit?
A Cash App payment through riverArk cannot be charged back. The deposit stays paid.
How do I collect the rest at pickup?
Type the balance at the counter and she scans again. Two payments, one order.
Can I take pre-orders for the holidays the same way?
Yes. Take a deposit or full payment when each order is placed, and pickup day is just boxes and names.
When do I get paid?
You are paid instantly. Money lands in your Strike business account, and you move it to your bank whenever you want.
What if a cake has a problem and I want to give some money back?
Payments are final, like cash. Handle it the way you handle a cash return.