Friday, 8:15. Table 12 is six people and one check. Two of them hand over cards, one has cash, and the other three are holding up their phones: "Can we just Cash App you?"
Your server is not going to hand out a personal $Cashtag, and nobody wants to send one person the whole bill and collect it later in the parking lot. So the server walks back to the station, the table waits, and the two-top that just sat in their section waits too.
Nearly 60 million people use Cash App. Here is how a restaurant takes it at the register or the server station, and how to fold it into close-out.
How it works on the floor
The server or cashier types the amount on a phone or tablet. A QR code for that amount appears. The guest scans it with Cash App and pays. The restaurant is paid instantly.
There is no hardware to buy. The tablet at the host stand or the phone at the server station runs it.
One code per register or server station
Every register and every server station can have its own counter QR code.
- The front register for takeout and the bar.
- Each server station so the table pays without a walk to the front.
- The bar if it runs its own drawer.
Each code reports its own sales, so you know which station took what. The free plan covers a limited number of counter QR codes. Paid plans add more registers and stations.
Split checks without the math
Six people, one check. Ring it up as usual on your register, then take each guest's share as its own Cash App payment: type the amount, they scan, next. The guests paying by card or cash pay the usual way.
How it fits next to your register
The riverArk counter QR runs alongside the register you already use. It does not plug into it. That means Cash App sales are reported in riverArk, not inside your register's end-of-day report. Build that into close:
- Ring the sale on your register as you normally do, with the payment type set to whatever your system uses for an outside payment, so the check closes and the kitchen and inventory numbers stay right.
- Take the payment through riverArk at the station.
- At close, pull the day's riverArk total for each register or station.
- Match it against the outside-payment total on your register report and write the riverArk number on the close-out sheet next to cash and card.
Five minutes, one extra line on the sheet, and the night balances.
Final, like cash
A meal is eaten. A card payment can still come back as a dispute weeks later, and in a restaurant you rarely win those. A Cash App payment through riverArk cannot be charged back. If a guest is unhappy, comp or adjust the way you would for a guest who paid cash.
What it costs
You pay 1% on the first $5,000 a month that moves through riverArk, 0.85% up to $25,000, and 0.75% above. Most small businesses pay 1.5% to 3.5% to take cards, and restaurants live on thin margins.
With Dynamic Pricing at +1%, the guest covers the fee. Set it below zero and it is a discount for paying this way.
Set it up in three steps
- Open a Strike business account and link the restaurant's bank. That is where your Cash App payments land. With complete documents, approval usually takes a day or two. Use the Strike setup guide.
- Sign up at ark.riverark.io, free to start, and enter your Strike username.
- Set up a counter QR code for the register and each server station, and run one test payment before service.
The full setup guide covers each step with video.
Put the counter card by the register and at the host stand, the door sticker on the entry, and give servers one line when they drop the check: "You can pay with Cash App right here."
Run the live demo from your own phone at ark.riverark.io/demo, then sign up at riverark.io.
Tips
Tips are live. On the Plus plan and above, your guest can tip when they pay with Cash App, so your server gets it without anyone digging for cash or splitting a card tip at close.
FAQ
Can guests tip?
Yes. Tips are available on the Plus plan and above.
Will Cash App sales show up in my register's reports?
No. riverArk runs alongside your register, so Cash App sales are reported in riverArk. Pull the riverArk total at close and add it to your close-out sheet.
Can each person at the table pay their own share?
Yes. Type each share as its own payment. Each guest scans and pays.
Can servers take payment at the table side station?
Yes. Each server station can have its own counter QR code, and its sales are reported separately.
What happens if a guest disputes the bill later?
They cannot charge it back. A Cash App payment through riverArk is final, like cash.
How do I give a guest money back?
Handle it the way you handle a cash return.
Do I need new equipment?
No. A phone or tablet you already have runs it.