Merchant Account for a Restaurant
Last updated:
Restaurants take most payments with the card in hand, which changes how processors look at the business and which disputes you are likely to see. This page collects what Visa and the processors publish about restaurants. It does not promise approval: each provider decides on its own whether to open an account and on what terms.
Nothing on this page is an approval or a guarantee. Each provider decides on its own whether to open an account and on what terms, and it can change its policies at any time.
What Visa calls this business
Visa assigns each merchant a four-digit category code. This is Visa’s own wording, from its Merchant Data Standards Manual (April 2026).
MCC 5812: Eating Places and Restaurants
Merchants classified with this MCC prepare food and drinks for immediate consumption, typically on the Merchant’s premises. These Merchants typically provide table service and may include alcoholic beverages on the menu. This MCC includes food delivery for Merchants qualifying for this MCC.
Source: PDF page 76.
MCC 5814: Fast Food Restaurants
Merchants classified with this MCC sell prepared food and beverages for consumption either on the premises or packaged for carry-out. Orders are typically made and paid for at a counter, kiosk or drive-through window. This MCC includes food delivery for Merchants qualifying for this MCC.
Source: PDF page 76.
Search all merchant category codes
Dispute basics for a card-present business
Most restaurant sales happen face to face, so the practical risks are in how the card is taken and how the receipt is handled. These are Visa's own published practices.
For card-present sales Visa’s best practices say not to complete a transaction without an authorization, and not to complete it if the authorization was declined.
Visa: Dispute Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants (June 2024)· Checked 2026-10-15
Visa says that if you must key in a card-present sale you should make an imprint of the card, because without one a fraud dispute can be sent back to you even if the sale was authorized.
Visa: Dispute Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants (June 2024)· Checked 2026-10-15
Visa says cardholders must be able to recognize your name on their statements, and tells merchants to check with their acquirer that the doing-business-as name, city and state are correct.
Visa: Dispute Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants (June 2024)· Checked 2026-10-15
Visa says you may be able to resolve a dispute without losing the sale by giving your acquirer more information about the transaction promptly, and that each step in the dispute cycle has a time limit that, if missed, can lead to an unfavorable outcome.
Visa: Dispute Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants (June 2024)· Checked 2026-10-15
When a processor may hold some of your money
Reserves and underwriting depend on how a business takes payment, not only on its industry. A restaurant that takes deposits or sells gift cards in advance is collecting money before it delivers the service, which is one of the triggers some processors list.
Square lists what it considers before placing a reserve: prepayment for goods or services, chargeback rates in your industry (it names home contracting and repair, professional services, travel and tourism, and custom-made products), your own chargeback rate, sporadic processing activity, and being new to Square.
Square Help: Manage payment reserves with Square· Checked 2026-10-15
Square says it uses rolling reserves, where a percentage of card payments is set aside and released on a rolling basis, and that the funds still belong to you and are used only if you cannot cover a chargeback.
Square Help: Manage payment reserves with Square· Checked 2026-10-15
PayPal says it sets reserves case by case, considering your processing history, whether your industry has more chargebacks or refunds, your claims and disputes, credit history, presold orders and long delivery times, and that it reviews reserves within every 180 days.
PayPal Business Resource Center: account reserves· Checked 2026-10-15
Questions to ask a provider before you apply
These are questions, not claims about any provider. Get the answers in writing.
- Does the processor price card-present sales differently from keyed or online orders, and what are the rates for each?
- What does it charge for a dispute, and does it hold funds if disputes rise?
- Do you take deposits, gift cards or catering prepayments, and how does the provider treat them?
- Is hardware sold, rented or tied to a contract, and what happens if you leave?
- Which POS systems integrate with the processor? Compare them on our restaurant POS page.
Frequently asked questions
Will a restaurant be approved for a merchant account?
We cannot say. Each processor decides case by case and may ask about your business model, processing history and financial stability. Nothing here is an approval or a promise.
What is the Visa category for restaurants?
Visa lists MCC 5812 for eating places and restaurants and MCC 5814 for fast food restaurants. Your acquirer assigns the code, and Visa requires it to match your primary business.
Are restaurants considered high risk?
Visa’s published list of high integrity risk categories does not include restaurants. Processors set their own policies, so ask the provider you are applying to.
Sources for this page
- Visa: Dispute Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants (June 2024) (Checked 2026-10-15)
- Square Help: Manage payment reserves with Square (Checked 2026-10-15)
- PayPal Business Resource Center: account reserves (Checked 2026-10-15)
- Visa Merchant Data Standards Manual (April 2026), Section 2: Merchant Category Code Listing (Checked 2026-10-15)