Swiss food trucks, market stalls and catering businesses can combine a simple online ordering shop with an on-site payment solution without having to run two separate systems. You can do this by using a Payment Service Provider (PSP) that offers both online payments and card terminals or Tap to Pay — ideally with a shared Dashboard for all sales in CHF. Depending on the payment method, transaction fees range between 1.3 % (TWINT) and 2.5 % (credit card) per payment.

This guide shows you step-by-step how to set up an online shop for pre-orders, integrate on-site payment and manage both via one account — with specific costs, provider comparisons and a practical checklist for the mobile catering sector in Switzerland.

1. Why food trucks and market stalls must sell online and on-site today

The catering sector in Switzerland is changing. According to the Swiss Payment Monitor, over 70 % of Swiss consumers regularly use cashless payment methods. For food trucks and mobile stalls, this means that if you only accept cash, you will lose customers. At the same time, regular customers increasingly expect the option to pre-order online and pick up their food at the desired time.

The combination of online shop and on-site payment solves several problems at once: queues at the stall become shorter because customers preordering only need to pick up their food. Passing trade can make spontaneous payments by card, TWINT or smartphone. And as the operator, you can see all sales — both online and offline — in one place.

Especially for recurring locations (weekly markets, company sites, festivals), a pre-order system is a competitive advantage: you can plan stock levels better and reduce food waste. At the same time, you build a digital customer relationship through the webshop that goes beyond physical contact at the stall.

2. Three scenarios: pre-order + pickup, passing trade, catering orders

Scenario A: Pre-order and pickup

Your customer orders a lunch menu via your webshop the evening before or in the morning, pays online via TWINT or credit card, and picks up the prepared food at an agreed time at the food truck. You prepare the order specifically and avoid overproduction. This model is particularly suitable for weekly markets with regular customers or food trucks on company sites.

Scenario B: On-site passing trade

A passer-by discovers your stall and makes a spontaneous order. They pay contactlessly by debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or via TWINT QR code. For this, you need a mobile card terminal or Tap to Pay on your smartphone. Tap to Pay means that your iPhone or Android device itself becomes a card reader — without any additional hardware.

Scenario C: Catering and event orders

A company orders catering for 30 people via your webshop and pays by QR-invoice or in advance. On the day of the event, you deliver the food and collect any additional onsite orders from guests via terminal. In this scenario, you additionally need the option to create invoices with a QR reference, which many Swiss PSPs offer.

3. Setting up a simple online ordering shop — without programming skills

For most food truck operators, a fully-fledged online shop with inventory management is oversized. What you need is a simple product page with a shopping cart, where your customers can choose a menu or individual dishes, state a pickup time and pay online.

Several Swiss providers make this possible without programming skills. The most common options are:

The crucial point for the combined solution: choose a provider where the webshop and the on-site payment run via the same account. This avoids double billing and gives you a single Dashboard for all your sales. If you combine a separate webshop provider (e.g. WooCommerce) with a separate terminal provider (e.g. SumUp), you have two separate systems and two billings.

Regardless of the provider, you should keep the following points in mind when setting up the webshop: limit the product range to a few, clearly described items. Offer pickup time slots so that you can plan the preparation. Activate at least TWINT and credit cards as payment methods — this covers the majority of Swiss customers. And link the webshop visibly on your Instagram profile or your Google Business page.

4. Seamlessly integrate on-site payment: terminal, Tap to Pay or TWINT QR to the same account

For payment at the stall, you have three common options in Switzerland:

Mobile card terminal

A physical device (e.g. from SumUp, Worldline or via Payrexx) that accepts debit cards, credit cards and contactless payments. The devices cost a one-off payment between CHF 16 and CHF 400, depending on the range of functions. A SumUp Air costs around CHF 16 with no contract lock-in, while a Worldline terminal is often rented (from approx. CHF 25–40/month).

Tap to Pay on your smartphone

Tap to Pay turns your smartphone into a card terminal. The customer holds their card or smartphone against your device, and the payment is processed via NFC. Various PSPs offer this function — with Payrexx, Tap to Pay is available from a one-off verification fee of CHF 49, with SumUp via the app. Tap to Pay is particularly suitable for businesses that want to carry as little hardware as possible.

TWINT QR code

A TWINT QR sticker at your stall allows payments directly via the customer’s TWINT app. The fee for the basic QR sticker is 1.3 % of the transaction amount — with no monthly fixed costs. Alternatively, TWINT runs via your PSP, in which case their TWINT conditions apply (e.g. 1.25 % + CHF 0.18 with Payrexx Standard or 1.30 % + CHF 0.30 with Payrexx Free).

The key to the combined solution: the on-site payment method should run via the same PSP as your webshop. Then all transactions flow into one Dashboard, and you receive a consolidated settlement. When choosing, ensure that the PSP supports both online payments and physical payments (terminal or Tap to Pay).

5. One Dashboard, all sales: manage online and on-site payments centrally

The greatest operational advantage of a combined solution is central management. Instead of reconciling two statements from two providers at the end of the month, you can see in a single Dashboard:

All online orders from the webshop, all on-site payments via terminal or Tap to Pay, all TWINT transactions — whether online or at the stall — as well as the total daily, weekly and monthly sales broken down by payment method.

This not only makes bookkeeping easier, but also planning: you can quickly see what proportion of your sales comes from preorders and what comes from passing trade. If you work with a fiduciary, you can use the consolidated statement directly as a basis for booking.

Payout to your Swiss bank account (IBAN) takes place daily, weekly or monthly depending on the PSP. For correct booking in the Swiss SME chart of accounts, a transit account (e.g. account 1090) is recommended to represent the time delay between customer payment and payout. You book the transaction fees of the PSP as bank charges (account 6840), with no VAT deduction, as payment services are exempt from tax in accordance with Art. 21 para. 2 no. 19 VAT Act.

6. Practical example: How a food truck uses Payrexx for weekly markets and Instagram orders

Lisa runs a poke-bowl food truck in the Zurich Region. On Saturdays, she stands at the Bülach weekly market, and during the week at a company site in Wallisellen. Here is how she set up her combined solution:

Webshop for pre-orders: Lisa created a one-page shop using the Payrexx Storefront, where her five poke bowls (each CHF 18.50) and three drinks are listed. Customers choose a pickup time slot (e.g. 11:30–12:00) and pay by TWINT or credit card. She shares the shop link every Wednesday evening in her Instagram story.

On-site payment at the market: At the weekly market, Lisa uses Tap to Pay on her iPhone. Passing customers hold their debit card or smartphone stream against Lisa’s phone and pay contactlessly. Additionally, she has a TWINT QR sticker on the counter for customers who prefer to pay by TWINT app.

Central billing: All payments — the Instagram pre-orders and the spontaneous purchases at the market — run through the same Payrexx account. Lisa can see in the Dashboard that around 35 % of her revenue now comes from pre-orders. She exports her weekly billing as a CSV for her fiduciary.

Monthly costs: Lisa uses the Payrexx Standard plan for CHF 15/month. With monthly revenue of around CHF 8,000 (of which approx. CHF 5,000 is card/TWINT), she pays between CHF 65 and CHF 115 in transaction fees depending on the payment mix — plus the CHF 15 subscription fee.

7. Keeping costs under control: What the combined solution costs small businesses

The costs of a combined online and on-site payment solution consist of three components: fixed monthly costs (subscription), transaction fees per payment and, if applicable, hardware costs for a terminal. The following table compares the relevant providers for a typical food truck with monthly card revenue of CHF 5,000:

All prices are exclusive of value added tax. The indicated credit card fees apply to Swiss consumer cards (Visa/Mastercard). Business cards and foreign cards can trigger higher fees.

A concrete example calculation: with monthly revenue of CHF 5,000, 60 % of which is credit/debit card and 40 % is TWINT, the total monthly cost with Payrexx Standard is around CHF 90–100 (CHF 15 subscription + approx. CHF 50 card fees + approx. CHF 25–35 TWINT fees). With SumUp without a subscription (only card payments, no TWINT), you are at about CHF 75–125 in pure transaction fees — but without a webshop function with integrated TWINT.

Remember: the lowest transaction fees are of little use if you have to manually reconcile two separate systems. The time spent on double billing, manual reconciliations and separate exports can quickly eat up the cost advantage. Work out for your specific revenue whether a single solution or a combined solution makes more sense.

8. Checklist: Set up webshop + on-site payment for your food truck

• Check business legal structure: as a sole proprietorship or GmbH, you can register directly with most Swiss PSPs. Entry in the commercial register speeds up activation.

• Select a PSP that offers online and on-site payments from a single source. Make sure that TWINT, Visa/Mastercard and debit cards are covered.

• Set up the webshop: enter products, prices in CHF, pickup time slots and contact details. Less is more — keep the product range tidy.

• Activate payment methods in the webshop: at least TWINT and credit card. Check whether QR invoices make sense for catering orders.

• Set up on-site payment method: order a terminal, activate Tap to Pay or request a TWINT QR sticker.

• Perform a test order: order from your own webshop, check the payment process and test the terminal or Tap to Pay before the first real use.

• Store payout account: enter Swiss IBAN and define payout interval (weekly is recommended for food trucks with running stock purchases).

• Spread the webshop link: Instagram bio, Google Business profiles, flyers at the stall, QR code on the menu.

• Prepare bookkeeping: set up transit account 1090, book fees on account 6840. For small volumes, a monthly collective booking is sufficient.

• Evaluate after the first month: how much revenue comes online, how much on-site? Is the payment mix right? Adjust your subscription or payment methods if necessary.

How to combine webshop and on-site payment for your food truck with Payrexx

As a Swiss PSP, Payrexx offers a combined solution for exactly this scenario: via the Payrexx Storefront, you can create an ordering webshop without programming skills, activate TWINT, credit card and other payment methods and at the same time accept on-site payments via Tap to Pay or terminal.

All transactions — online and at the stall — run through one account with consolidated billing and payouts to your Swiss IBAN account. The Free-Plan is suitable for testing, while the Standard-Plan from CHF 15/month offers lower transaction fees and API access for advanced integrations.

You can test Payrexx for 30 days free of charge, with no credit card or obligation required.