What is a Gateway?

A gateway, otherwise known as a payment gateway, is technology that securely communicates and transfers information relating to payments between a restaurant's POS system, web order, payment processor, and the bank.

Restaurants use payment gateways to process:

• Credit card transactions
• Debit card transactions
• Contactless payments
• Mobile wallet transactions
• Online ordering transactions
• Delivery and takeout transactions

Without the use of a payment gateway, it is impossible for any electronic payments to be taken in a secure manner.

Common Features of Restaurant Payment Gateways

Modern payment gateways typically offer:

• Payment encryption
• Fraud prevention and detection capabilities
• Tokenization
• EMV compatibility
• Contactless payment technology
• Mobile payment options
• Real-time transaction processing
• Reporting and analytics

These features help improve both security and operational efficiency.