Key takeaways
- A takeout order paid in the app costs 5% of the food before tax, plus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 on the full payment, tax included.
- The $0.30 is a flat charge, so fees take about 10.8% of a $12 order but about 8.8% of a $60 order.
- On a $20 order, a restaurant keeps about $18.04 of the food. On $40, about $36.39. On $60, about $54.73.
- Judge takeout by contribution (what you keep minus the food cost), not by the fee alone, and compare it with dine-in.
- Bigger baskets, quiet-hour takeout, a pause button and a deals-per-order limit are the levers you control.
The short answer
When a diner pays for takeout in the FIG app, the restaurant pays two things out of that payment: FIG keeps 5% of the food before tax, and Stripe keeps 2.9% of the full payment plus $0.30. On a $20 order that comes to about $1.96, so the restaurant keeps about $18.04 of the food. The HST the diner paid is paid out too, and it is the restaurant's to remit.
Because $0.30 is a flat amount, small orders cost a larger share than big ones. This post works through four order sizes so you can see where takeout makes sense for your kitchen.
How the fees are worked out
Three numbers matter, in this order:
- The food. What the diner is charged for the dishes, after any deal, before tax.
- The payment. The food plus 13% Ontario HST. This is what the diner's card is charged.
- The two fees. FIG: 5% of the food. Stripe: 2.9% of the payment plus $0.30, which is Stripe's published price for Canadian domestic cards.
Stripe's percentage is taken on the full payment, tax included, because that is the amount that goes through the card. FIG's 5% is on the food only. Everything left is paid out to you, including the HST, which you remit as you would on any sale. How FIG makes money, in full.
Four order sizes, side by side
| Food | HST at 13% | Diner pays | Stripe fee | FIG 5% | You keep from the food |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $12.00 | $1.56 | $13.56 | $0.69 | $0.60 | $10.71 (about 89.3%) |
| $20.00 | $2.60 | $22.60 | $0.96 | $1.00 | $18.04 (90.2%) |
| $40.00 | $5.20 | $45.20 | $1.61 | $2.00 | $36.39 (91.0%) |
| $60.00 | $7.80 | $67.80 | $2.27 | $3.00 | $54.73 (91.2%) |
Check one: on the $40 order, Stripe takes 2.9% of $45.20, which is $1.31, plus $0.30, so $1.61. FIG takes 5% of $40, which is $2.00. $40.00 − $1.61 − $2.00 = $36.39. Fees are rounded to the cent.
Put another way, the two fees together are about 10.8% of a $12 order, 9.8% of a $20 order, 9.0% of a $40 order and 8.8% of a $60 order. The share falls as the order grows, but it stays above 7.9% (FIG's 5% plus Stripe's 2.9%) however big the order gets.
Compare it with what the food costs you
The fee matters less than what is left after the ingredients. Contribution is what you keep minus the food cost. It is the money that goes toward wages, rent and profit. Take a $24 order of food where your food cost is 30% of menu price (the usual quoted range is 28% to 32%), so $7.20 on the plate:
| How it is sold | Diner is charged for food | You keep | Food cost | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dine-in with a $4-off deal | $20.00 | $20.00 (no per-order fee to FIG) | $7.20 | $12.80 |
| Takeout with the same $4-off deal | $20.00 | $18.04 | $7.20 | $10.84 |
| Takeout at full price (0 deals per order) | $24.00 | $21.71 | $7.20 | $14.51 |
For the last row: the diner pays $24.00 + $3.12 HST = $27.12. Stripe takes $1.09 and FIG takes $1.20, so you keep $24.00 − $1.09 − $1.20 = $21.71.
Two things stand out. First, takeout with a deal still contributes $10.84, far better than an idle kitchen. Second, a full-price takeout order contributes more than a dine-in deal, because there is no discount to pay for, even after the fees. Whether you want takeout at full price is your call: on FIG, you choose it by setting 0 deals per order.
What the fixed $0.30 means for your menu
If most of your takeout orders are one drink or one small snack, the flat part of the fee is a real cost. If most are a main, a side and a drink, it is a rounding error. You cannot change Stripe's price, but you can change the shape of the order:
- Build combinations. A main plus a drink and a side at a set price turns a $12 order into a $20 one. On the table above, that moves the fee share from 10.8% to 9.8%, and, more importantly, adds food you would have sold at full price.
- Keep deals on the main dish. A deal on the main, with drinks and sides at full price, lets add-ons earn. The slow-hour math covers why.
- Set a deals-per-order limit. You decide how many deals one order can use, so a large order cannot stack discounts. For percentage deals you can also set the most one takeout order can take off. Which deal type fits.
A month of takeout, as an example
- Each order: Stripe about $1.28 and FIG $1.50, so $2.78 in fees.
- Forty orders: $111.20 in fees, from $1,200 of food.
- You keep $1,088.80 of the food (about 90.7%), plus you collect and remit the HST.
These are example numbers. Your monthly takeout statement shows your real sales, HST, fees and what you kept.
If those forty orders came in hours that were otherwise quiet, the question to ask is whether each one contributed more than an empty kitchen did. At a 30% food cost, a $30 order leaves $27.22 − $9.00 = $18.22 before your wages and rent. It usually does.
When takeout is the wrong call
- At your peak. If the dining room is full and the kitchen is stretched, takeout orders compete with tables that pay without a card fee. Use pause takeout, for a set time or until tomorrow, or add prep time so pickup times stay honest.
- When the dish does not travel. Some food is best eaten at the table. Leave it off the takeout deals.
- When margins on the dish are very thin. Run its numbers first. If the food cost is already 40% of the price, a deal plus fees may leave little.
Diners tap I'm here when they arrive, and an order that is not picked up closes two hours after the pickup time. Restaurants see a diner's missed pickups, which helps you decide how much prep to start before they arrive.
What you need before takeout works
Takeout paid in the app needs two things in Settings → Get paid: your HST number, which goes on every receipt with your restaurant as the seller, and Stripe payouts. Dine-in deals need neither. Not registered yet? Read HST registration for small restaurants, which is general information and not tax advice. When both are ready, setting up your menu and takeout takes about 15 minutes.
A simple way to decide
- Pick the dish you would sell most as takeout and write its menu price and food cost.
- Work out what you keep using the table above, or the formula: food − (2.9% of food×1.13 + $0.30) − 5% of food.
- Subtract the food cost. If the answer is comfortably above zero, post a takeout deal for a quiet window with a daily cap.
- After two weeks, look at your takeout statement and your insights, and keep what works.
Questions
What does it cost a restaurant to take takeout orders on FIG?
Nothing to turn it on. On each order paid in the app, FIG keeps 5% of the food before tax, and Stripe's card fee of 2.9% + $0.30 comes off the same payment.
Is Stripe's fee charged on the tax too?
Yes. Stripe's percentage applies to the full card payment, which includes the HST. FIG's 5% is on the food before tax.
Why do small takeout orders cost more in percentage terms?
Stripe's $0.30 is a flat amount. On a $12 order the two fees are about 10.8% of the food; on a $60 order about 8.8%.
Can I offer takeout at full price?
Yes. If you set 0 deals per order, diners can order takeout at full price. Otherwise takeout comes with a deal.
Who remits the HST on a takeout order?
The restaurant. The diner pays HST with the order, it is paid out to you with the rest, and your HST number is on the receipt. This is general information, not tax advice.
Can I stop takeout when the kitchen is busy?
Yes. Pause takeout for a set time or until tomorrow, or add prep time, in one tap.
Is dine-in with a deal charged the same way?
No. A diner who uses your deal at the counter pays you directly and FIG takes nothing from that bill.
