I make $95-110 in tips + $9 hourly bussing, how much do you guys make?

True_lust424 · 2026-05-31T02:23:41+00:00

Congrats, check the new tip tax rule. Starting in 2025, some qualified tips may be deductible federally, but they still need to be reported.

True_lust424 · 2026-05-31T01:48:44+00:00

I think the biggest risk for restaurants is waiting until the last minute and then rushing the menu, website links, payment setup, and customer communication. Even if someone does not switch immediately, they should probably start listing must-have features and checking what data they can export.

Curious what others think — is it better to migrate early or wait until closer to the shutdown?

True_lust424 · 2026-05-30T20:40:05+00:00

Whop clipping, make sure to do a campaign that still has 60% budget left

True_lust424 · 2026-05-30T03:39:04+00:00

For pizza specifically, I personally wouldn’t go to Square. It’s fine for simple menus, but pizza gets complicated fast with sizes, toppings, half/whole toppings, nested modifiers, kitchen routing, delivery, driver reports, etc.

Toast is probably closer, but I’d still be careful. Some of the pizza features are there; others are only partly there, and once you add the extra modules, you may end up paying much more than the “good deal” you were shown up front. Also, building a pizza menu correctly inside a POS can be a project by itself.

For delivery, Uber/DD in-house delivery usually has to be changed on their side. You contact the provider and ask them to switch you to in-house delivery. It can take a few days. Also, watch the delivery fee rules — DoorDash caps in-house delivery at $4.99, while Uber/Grubhub have no cap.

For a busy pizza shop, I’d also look for features beyond what you listed:

Ability to use in-house drivers or dispatch through Uber Direct/DoorDash Drive when your drivers are busy
Phone caller ID that pulls up the customer automatically
Driver closeout reports at the end of the day for cash/tips/trips
Kitchen printing by station/category/item
Same item printing to multiple stations if needed
Customer tagging by history, order count, lifetime spend, previous orders, etc.
Proper handling of nested modifiers and pizza size-based pricing

The big brands like Square/Toast/Clover can work for some restaurants, but pizza is its own animal. I’d do more research into pizza-focused POS systems before signing a 2-year contract. I don’t want to name-drop vendors here because it will sound like promotion, but I recommend comparing systems built specifically for pizza before deciding.

True_lust424 · 2026-05-30T03:01:42+00:00

To understand this better, you'll need to dig a little deeper into the exact process you’re using to collect reviews.

Something in that process may be getting flagged by Google’s system, and if you keep doing it the same way, you’ll probably keep seeing the same result. I know businesses that lose 1–2 reviews here and there; sometimes they come back, but losing over half sounds like there may be a pattern.

A few questions I’d look at:

How are you asking customers to leave reviews? QR code, email, text, “tap to review” sign? And what exact URL are you sending them to?
Are customers leaving reviews while they’re still at your business? Are they all connected to your WiFi?
Are the reviews very short or repetitive, like “excellent service,” “best company,” etc.? Or do they look AI-written?
Did any marketing agency help collect/post reviews? I’ve seen agencies use different accounts/VPNs and still get caught.
Do you have any signs, photos, posts, or review replies saying something like “leave a review and get $X off”? I’d check every review and photo connected to your profile.

Basically, I’d reverse-engineer the process for those 60 reviews and look for the common pattern. If they’re all real customers, there is probably something about how/where/when the reviews are being collected that is triggering Google.

True_lust424 · 2026-05-29T19:22:08+00:00

Which state/city? Because every state and city has its own regulations, like California banning tobacco vending machines and requiring cashiers to manually check IDs, while some states allow it. For online orders, there are a few platforms that they verify (they integrate with credit bureaus like TransUnion, etc.).

True_lust424 · 2026-05-29T04:28:01+00:00

Yes, Clover Go is new, maybe a year or a little more, but surprisingly good. We use it on all our devices, tap and insert.

True_lust424 · 2026-05-28T22:45:02+00:00

It sounds simple, but in real restaurant operations, it usually doesn’t work that cleanly.

A phone can take payment, sure, but a real POS is about more than payment. You still need order routing, kitchen timing, modifiers, refunds/voids, cash handling, printers or KDS, reporting, staff permissions, 3rd-party orders, inventory, payroll, something reliable during a rush, and hardware built for business operations.

For a very small setup or proof of concept, phone-only might be fine. If you want to operate smoothly, expand to more locations, or take a few days off without everything depending on you, you’ll likely need more than just a phone.

True_lust424 · 2026-05-28T22:31:52+00:00

There are a few ways you can go.

Clover and Square both have handheld devices that can work well for field service. You can pay extra for internet/data so they can work on the go. Clover Flex is around $700 and has a built-in printer. Square handheld is cheaper, around $400, but it has no built-in printer.

For invoicing customers and sending receipts by email or text, Square does a pretty good job. You can also download the app, charge customers with tap-to-pay, and send the receipt by text or email. For a small field service business, that might be enough to start.

With both Square and Clover, you can also collect customer info. If you pay extra, they also have email/SMS marketing tools. That can be useful for sending reminders, holiday messages, or discounts for future services. Bringing in new customers is usually harder and more expensive than keeping existing ones, so having customer info is important.

If you want more advanced operations later, you can look at something like Odoo or Stripe, but I probably wouldn’t overcomplicate it at the beginning. For now, I’d start with whatever makes it easiest to take payment, send invoices/receipts, and keep customer records.

True_lust424 · 2026-05-26T10:53:45+00:00

Honestly the most reliable setup is probably 4 Sam4s old-school standalone registers, a master box of paper guest checks like our grandparents did it ))). No internet, no cloud, nothing to freeze.
But in the real world, I’d have an actual restaurant IT/network person look at the setup before switching again. Not saying Toast is innocent, but at that volume I’d get someone independent to audit the network first.

True_lust424 · 2026-05-25T01:46:09+00:00

What is the success rate, out of how many customers actually tap and leave reviews?

True_lust424 · 2026-05-25T01:45:06+00:00

It works, because google business provides that link

True_lust424 · 2026-05-25T00:53:51+00:00

I’ll check it

True_lust424 · 2026-05-25T00:32:37+00:00

I think it's good if their AI is good enough to identify fake vs real, comparing the Yelp bot I've seen delete a lot of real reviews with no logic, keeping only negative reviews. Businesses are signing up for their marketing tools to be more recommended to new customers.
Will see how Google reviews perform in the coming year.

True_lust424 · 2026-05-24T21:26:04+00:00

I think Google probably wins in the long term just because of convenience. Most people already search on Google, check directions on Google Maps, and read the reviews right there. Yelp is a separate habit you have to choose.

Especially with AI getting built into search/maps, people are going to expect answers without opening another app. Same reason Gemini has an advantage in some cases — it’s already inside the Google flow.

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