Case Study: Side Street Cafe cuts payment costs by $19K/year and reduces table turn time by 10% with Toast

Side Street Cafe Loves Toast’s Transparent, Flat Rate Payment Processing

Side Street Cafe in Bar Harbor, ME scaled from a nine‑table spot to regularly serving 180+ seats, but their seven‑year‑old POS and payment processor couldn’t keep up. Staff dealt with paper chargeback slips, long hold times with the processor, confusing multi‑page statements, and downtime that threatened sales and guest experience.

Switching to Toast (with ToastGo® handhelds) gave them integrated POS and payments, simpler electronic chargeback handling, EMV card security at the table, and clearer flat‑rate statements. The changes cut table turn time by 10%, boosted servers’ tips (some report $30–$50 more per shift), simplified refunds and support, and saved the restaurant nearly $19,000 annually in processing fees.

Side Street Cafe

Jena Young

Owner