Swiss food trucks, market stalls and catering businesses can combine a simple order webshop with an on-site payment solution without running two separate systems. To do this, you use 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. Transaction fees, depending on the payment method, range from 1.3 % (TWINT) to 2.5 % (credit card) per payment.

This guide shows you step by step how to set up a webshop for pre-orders, connect on-site payment and manage both through one account — with concrete costs, provider comparisons and a practical checklist for Swiss mobile gastronomy.

1. Why food trucks and market stalls today have to sell online and on site

The Swiss hospitality industry is changing. According to the Swiss Payment Monitor, over 70 % of Swiss consumers regularly use cashless payment methods. For food trucks and mobile stands, this means: anyone who only accepts cash loses customers. At the same time, regular customers increasingly expect to pre-order online and pick up their food at the desired time.

The combination of webshop and on-site payment solves several problems at once: queues at the stand become shorter because pre-order customers only pick up their food. Walk-in customers can pay spontaneously by card, TWINT or smartphone. And you as the operator see all sales — 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 better and reduce food waste. At the same time, you build a digital customer relationship through the webshop that goes beyond the physical stand contact.

2. Three scenarios: pre-order + pickup, walk-in customers, catering orders

Scenario A: Pre-order and pickup

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

Scenario B: Walk-in customers on site

A passer-by discovers your stand and orders spontaneously. They pay contactlessly by debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or via a 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 becomes a card reader itself — without additional hardware.

Scenario C: Catering and event orders

A company orders catering for 30 people through your webshop and pays by QR invoice or prepayment. On the event day you deliver the food and optionally collect additional orders from guests on site via terminal. In this scenario, you also need the option to create invoices with QR reference, which many Swiss PSPs offer.

3. Set up a simple order webshop — without programming knowledge

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

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

The decisive point for the combined solution: choose a provider where webshop and on-site payment run through the same account. This avoids duplicate billing and gives you a single dashboard for all 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, when setting up the webshop you should pay attention to the following points: limit the range to a few clearly described products. Offer pickup time slots so you can plan preparation. Activate at least TWINT and credit cards as payment methods — this covers the majority of Swiss customers. And link the webshop clearly on your Instagram profile or Google Business page.

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

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

Mobile card terminal

A physical device (e.g. from SumUp, Worldline or via Payrexx), which accepts debit cards, credit cards and contactless payments. The devices cost a one-off amount between CHF 16 and CHF 400, depending on the scope of functions. A SumUp Air costs around CHF 16 without contractual commitment, while a Worldline terminal is often rented (from approx. CHF 25–40/month).

Tap to Pay on the smartphone

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

TWINT QR code

A TWINT QR sticker at your stand enables payments directly via the customer's TWINT app. The fee for the basic QR sticker is 1.3 % of the transaction amount — without monthly fixed costs. Alternatively, TWINT runs via your PSP, then its 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 through the same PSP as your webshop. Then all transactions flow into one dashboard, and you receive a consolidated statement. When choosing, make sure 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 biggest operational advantage of a combined solution is central management. Instead of reconciling two statements from two providers at the end of the month, you see in a single dashboard:

All online orders from the webshop, all on-site payments by terminal or Tap to Pay, all TWINT transactions — whether online or at the stand — 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 share of your sales comes from pre-orders and what share from walk-in customers. If you work with a fiduciary, you can use the consolidated statement directly as the basis for posting.

The payout to your Swiss bank account (IBAN) is made depending on the PSP daily, weekly or monthly. For correct booking in the Swiss SME chart of accounts, a transit account (e.g. account 1090) is recommended, which reflects the time delay between customer payment and payout. You book the PSP transaction fees as bank charges (account 6840), without VAT deduction, since payment services are exempt from tax according to 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, during the week on a company site in Wallisellen. This is how she set up her combined solution:

Webshop for pre-orders: Through the Payrexx Storefront, Lisa created a one-page shop listing her five poke bowls (CHF 18.50 each) and three drinks. 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. Walk-in customers hold their debit card or smartphone to Lisa's phone and pay contactlessly. In addition, she has a TWINT QR sticker on the counter for customers who prefer to pay via the TWINT app.

Central billing: All payments — the Instagram pre-orders and the spontaneous purchases at the market — run through the same Payrexx account. Lisa sees in the dashboard that around 35 % of her sales now come from pre-orders. She exports her weekly statement as CSV for her fiduciary.

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

7. Keep costs under control: what the combined solution costs for small businesses

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

All prices are exclusive of value-added tax. The stated credit card fees apply to Swiss consumer cards (Visa/Mastercard). Business cards and foreign cards may incur higher fees.

A concrete example calculation: With CHF 5’000 monthly turnover, of which 60 % credit/debit card and 40 % 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 subscription (card payments only, no TWINT), you are at about CHF 75–125 in pure transaction fees — however, without webshop functionality with integrated TWINT.

Remember: The lowest transaction fees are of little use if you have to manually coordinate two separate systems for them. The time required for duplicate statements, manual reconciliations and separate exports can quickly eat up the cost advantage. Calculate for your specific turnover whether an individual solution or a combined solution is more economical.

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

• Check business form: As a sole proprietorship or GmbH, you can register directly with most Swiss PSPs. An entry in the commercial register speeds up activation.

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

• Set up the webshop: record products, prices in CHF, pickup time slots and contact details. Less is more — keep the assortment clear.

• Payment methods in the webshop activate: At least TWINT and credit card. Check whether the QR invoice makes sense for catering orders.

• Set up on-site payment method: order terminal, activate Tap to Pay or request 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 first use.

• Store payout account: enter Swiss IBAN and set payout rhythm (weekly is recommended for food trucks with ongoing ingredient purchases).

• Share webshop link: Instagram bio, Google Business Profile, flyer at the stand, QR code on the menu.

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

• Evaluate after the first month: How much sales come online, how much on site? Is the payment mix right? Adjust the subscription or payment methods if needed.

How you 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: With Payrexx Storefront, you create an order webshop without programming knowledge, activate TWINT, credit cards 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 stand — run through one account with consolidated billing and payout to your Swiss IBAN account. The Free plan is suitable for trying it out; the Standard plan from CHF 15/month offers lower transaction fees and API access for advanced integrations. You can test Payrexx free for 30 days, without credit card or commitment.