Compare
EBS vs Toast
Toast builds an excellent restaurant system, and if you run a restaurant you should look at it seriously. But notice what you cannot do on Toast’s pricing page: find the processing rate. It is not published — pricing runs through a sales quote. Every number on our side of this page is published. That contrast is this page.
Authorized Partner of Paysafe
+0.50%
EBS Processing Fee
Over interchange, on every card — published
$35/mo
Merchant Services
One flat monthly fee, stated plainly
$35
Equipment Placement
One-time. Modern equipment, no lease
Free
Statement Review
Your rate vs ours, in writing
01 — Where Toast Is Genuinely Good
Credit Where It Is Due
Toast’s focus is real, and so is its feature depth. Here is what it genuinely does well:
Strength 1
Built Only for Restaurants
Kitchen display systems, online ordering, handhelds, coursing — a depth a generalist POS does not match, because restaurants are all Toast does.
Strength 2
24/7 Support, Included
Round-the-clock support is part of the offering — a real commitment in an industry that works nights, weekends, and holidays.
Strength 3
Offline Mode
When the internet drops mid-service, Toast keeps taking orders and payments. A dinner rush does not wait for a router to reboot.
02 — The Pricing, Side by Side
Same Cards. Two Ways to Price Them.
There is no Toast rate table to reproduce — Toast does not publish one. So this table compares structure instead of rates: what is published, what is locked in, and who stands behind the processing.
| Toast | EBS | |
|---|---|---|
| Processing rate | Not published — quote-based | Interchange + 0.50%, published |
| Pricing model | Bundled quote — the Pay-as-You-Go plan folds hardware cost into a platform rate | Published: $35/mo + one processing fee |
| Hardware | Toast-approved devices only | Clover, Valor, PAX, SwipeSimple — outright or $35 placement |
| Who processes | Toast is a payment facilitator partnering with processors | EBS — Authorized Partner of Paysafe |
| Who it serves | Restaurants only | Restaurants, retail, salons, auto, medical, hotels, food trucks |
| Hardware financing | 0% financing available, by application | $35 one-time placement — no financing application |
Toast facts are from Toast’s own pricing page, checked October 2026 — that page lists no processing rates and routes pricing questions to its sales team, so no Toast rate or plan price appears here; we will not invent one. EBS figures are published on our Pricing page.
03 — The Structural Difference
Not the Product. The Structure.
Published against quote-based is not a small difference — it decides whether you can comparison-shop at all. The structure, honestly stated:
Difference 1
Published vs Quoted
You can price EBS from this website tonight, without a phone call. A Toast number exists only after a sales conversation — and two restaurants can end up paying two different rates for the same system, each unable to check the other.
Difference 2
What Happens to Debit
On interchange-plus, regulated debit passes through at its actual cost: 0.05% + about $0.22. Inside a bundled platform rate there is no debit line to check — the rate is the rate, and the cheapest transactions subsidize the bundle.
Difference 3
One Trade vs Every Trade
Toast’s restaurant-only focus is its strength inside a restaurant. EBS serves the restaurant — and the salon, shop, garage, and clinic you may also own — under one published pricing model and one number to call: (202) 505-4332, Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 9 PM ET and Sunday 9 AM to 5 PM ET.
04 — A Worked Example
Run the Arithmetic Yourself
The same restaurant example as our other comparisons — $45,000 a month at a $48 average ticket, 938 transactions. Only one column can be filled in from published information:
Illustrative Example — Not a Client Result
| Monthly card volume | $45,000 |
| Transactions (avg ticket $48) | 938 |
| EBS estimate — interchange blend + 0.50% + $35/mo | $1,128/mo |
| EBS effective rate | 2.51% |
| Toast | Requires a sales quote |
Illustrative EBS estimate from published interchange blends — not a client result. Toast’s column requires a sales quote — that is the point of this page. When you have a quote, put it next to this column; then send us your statement and we will redo this math on your real numbers, in writing, free.
Free Statement Review
Get a Number You Can Check
Our pricing is on the Pricing page, and your statement review is free: your true effective rate, decoded, next to the same volume at interchange + 0.50%. No sales call required to see the math.