What is Restaurant PCI Compliance?

In 2019, four major restaurant chains—Krystal, Moe’s, McAlister’s Deli, and Schlotzky’s—were hacked. Four million of their customers’ credit and debit card information was being bought and sold in an underground cybercrime marketplace, according to an article published by KrebsOnSecurity.

It’s no wonder The Ascent claims that last year was the worst year in history for identity theft reports, marking an increase for the second year in a row. Data breaches play a huge role in this alarming trend.

As a restaurant owner, you’re probably familiar with restaurant PCI compliance — and if you find it confusing, you’re not alone. But it’s important that you understand the basics for the sake of your restaurant’s security and your customer’s safety — especially with the increase in digital transactions due to the pandemic.

What is PCI compliance?

Back in 2004, payment fraud was on the rise. To combat this growing problem, credit card industry leaders such as Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and Visa, along with the Japan Credit Bureau, brainstormed ways to help protect their cardholders against identity fraud. They introduced PCI DSS 1.0 in December of that year, which required all merchants that accept credit cards to comply with this new set of standards.

Otherwise known as Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards Compliance, or PCI Compliance, these standards have been updated over the years to conform to industry trends and emerging technology. PCI compliance protects all businesses that process credit card information and the customers that patronize them from data breaches and identity theft.

Why does PCI compliance matter for restaurants and bars?

You’re well aware that providing amazing food, an exceptional guest experience, great ambiance, and top-notch service is part of why customers keep coming back to your establishment. But if customers don’t feel safe using their debit or credit cards due to potential theft, then that tarnishes your hard-won reputation as a trusted and reliable restaurant of choice.

As a restaurant owner, you’re responsible for your customers’ debit and credit card information the moment it’s swiped into your system. PCI compliance ensures that this info is protected at all times. If your restaurant is not in compliance, it could result in high fees from banks, credit card companies, and other merchants. On average, a data breach can cost a business an estimated $3.92 million, according to IBM, which would hurt a large-chain restaurant significantly and force closure, undoubtedly, for owners of smaller chains or neighborhood restaurants and bars. The best thing you can do is to closely follow all restaurant PCI compliance guidelines.

PCI compliance requirements

There are 12 PCI compliance requirements you need to implement to ensure your restaurant is protected from credit and debit card theft. To stay compliant you should:

Install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data
Protect stored cardholder data
Do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters
Encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks
Use and regularly update anti-virus software on all systems commonly affected by malware
Develop and maintain secure systems and applications
Restrict access to cardholder data by business need-to-know
Assign a unique ID to each person with computer access
Restrict physical access to cardholder data
Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data
Conduct vulnerability scans and penetrations tests
Maintain a policy that addresses information security

Making your restaurant PCI compliant

The 12 steps above may seem daunting. To help with this process, reach out to your credit card processors, as they most likely have tools to help you become compliant. But be aware that while credit card processors claim their hardware and software tools are PCI compliant, this doesn’t mean your restaurant will be in the clear. It’s your responsibility to make sure you are maintaining a fully-compliant environment as well as using a compliant processor.

In the case your credit card processor doesn’t provide the tools you need to become PCI compliant, Level 4 merchants, which is what you most likely fall under, can establish compliance through a self-assessment questionnaire (SAQ). There are a number of different SAQs you can use, so use this guide to help you find the right one for your restaurant.

After you’ve found the correct SAQ version to use, complete it and then do these steps to establish restaurant PCI compliance:

Complete a vulnerability scan with a PCI Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV), which is an organization with a set of security services and tools to conduct vulnerability scans that validate PCI compliance. Here is a list of approved ASVs.
Submit your SAQ to the bank you use for your restaurant.

From there, you’ll simply wait to hear back if you’ve been certified PCI compliant, which can take a few weeks.

Keeping your restaurant PCI compliant is essential to the security of your paying customers and for the reputation of your establishment. If you’re not compliant, or you’re unsure if you’re meeting all of the criteria, do it as soon as you can. The livelihood of your business could depend on it.

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Product and Company News

2025 Roundup: Your Favorite New Tip Management Features

2025 was a defining year for Kickfin and the customers who rely on our software to automate their tip management processes

Driven by direct customer feedback and the evolving realities of restaurant operations, our Product Development team delivered a wave of meaningful enhancements across tip calculation, integrations, user controls, and accounting.

Before we look ahead to 2026, here’s a look back at the product advancements that made Kickfin more robust, more flexible, and more ready to meet the demands of restaurant teams than any other tipping solution.

Advanced Tip Calculator Enhancements

n 2025, we significantly expanded the functionality of Kickfin’s Tip Calculator. Here are a few standout features that we released:

Separate Tips and Auto-Gratuities

Kickfin now tracks tips and auto-gratuities separately, allowing operators to report them independently to payroll and manage them differently for tax purposes.

This distinction is especially important in light of the 2025 No Tax on Tips legislation. While tipped employees no longer pay federal income tax on the first $25,000 in tips earned annually, auto-gratuities, service fees, and other compulsory charges remain taxable.

Kickfin ensures those earnings are categorized correctly from the start — reducing downstream payroll and compliance risk.

House Accounts for Service Charges

Not all service charges are distributed 100% to employees — and Kickfin allows you to handle that with “House Accounts.”

Operators can retain a portion of service charges while distributing the remainder to the team. This is particularly valuable for:

Special events and private dining
Paying out job roles that don’t typically participate in tip pools (e.g., event managers)
Maintaining clarity and transparency around service charge allocation

More Flexible Tip Share Logic

No two restaurants share tips the same way — and Kickfin’s calculator now supports even more real-world scenarios.

Operators can configure tip shares:

By shift or by check close, ensuring support staff are compensated appropriately even if they didn’t touch a specific check
By hours worked or split evenly, a level of flexibility that remains unique to Kickfin
With advanced rules for “remaining tips,” allowing operators to define how servers and bartenders split earnings after support positions are paid out.

These enhancements allow Kickfin to support everything from simple pools to highly complex policies.

Check-Level Edits for Greater Accuracy

POS data doesn’t always capture every nuance, so managers may need the ability to make changes.

Kickfin now supports individual check-level edits for:

Cash tips
Auto-gratuities
Check details and splits

This ensures large parties, special events, and edge cases are handled accurately.

Tip Calculator Change Log for Auditability

Any check-level change made by a manager is recorded in a detailed change log. This creates a clear audit trail, helping operators resolve questions quickly and reinforcing transparency and trust with staff.

Enhanced Functionality for Smarter Cash Handling

Thousands of restaurants use Kickfin because they don’t have enough cash on hand to pay out credit card tips, and they want to reduce the amount of cash handling in their restaurant altogether.

However, we know cash will probably always be a (small) part of the equation. Kickfin makes it easy for you to handle that with some added functionality:

Tips left in cash: If a diner leaves a pile of cash at your table, it might not get recorded in your POS. However, Kickfin allows you to record it and distribute it through our platform.
Cash payouts: Many operators may want to distribute all of the cash left in their register at the end of a business day to avoid bank runs for deposits. Again, that’s easy to do with Kickfin’s “Blended Payouts” feature.

Enhanced Support for Toast Delivery Service Tips

Kickfin now handles Toast Delivery Service tips more intelligently by excluding driver tips from the general tip pool and assigning those tips directly to the delivery driver. This ensures tips are distributed exactly as intended.

Kickfin delivers on all of those fronts by:

Freeing managers up from bank runs and the back office, so they can focus on everything that can’t be automated.
Ensuring employees walk out the door with their earnings already in their existing bank account, no waiting, no detours.
Helping operators stay compliant, track everything, and uncover new efficiencies.

Expanded POS and Payroll Integrations

New POS Integrations

In 2025, we expanded our POS ecosystem with new integrations including Union POS and rPOWER. POS integrations eliminate manual uploads, reduce errors, and enable real-time tip calculation and reconciliation. Learn more about integrating your POS with Kickfin.

New Payroll Integrations

We also launched new payroll integrations with ADP Run, Paylocity, and Restaurant365 Payroll.

Once activated, Kickfin generates export files that sync seamlessly with your payroll system — significantly reducing manual work for payroll teams.

Looking Ahead

platform that keeps pace with the ever-changing complexity of modern hospitality operations.

If you’re not yet using Kickfin, now is the time to see what advanced tip management really looks like 👉 Schedule a demo today!

If you’re already a Kickfin customer, our team is happy to walk you through what’s new. 👉 Schedule a quick consult to learn more.

And of course: Stay tuned for what’s to come in 2026!

Product and Company News

Kickfin Named to Deloitte Technology Fast 500 List for Second Consecutive Year

Kickfin is proud to announce that we have once again been named to the 2025 Deloitte Technology Fast 500™, a ranking of the fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, fintech, and energy tech companies in North America, now in its 31st year.

Kickfin is the only company on the list purpose-built for restaurants and bars to automate tip management — marking another major milestone for our team, our partners and the thousands of restaurant operators who trust us to modernize their tip-pooling and payout workflows.

Why it matters

When it comes to tipping out employees, cash is no longer king — and needs are changing fast. Hospitality workers demand (and deserve!) faster, cashless payouts; burned-out managers need more hours in their day; and now more than ever, operators care about visibility, compliance, and employee satisfaction.

Kickfin delivers on all of those fronts by:

Freeing managers up from bank runs and the back office, so they can focus on everything that can’t be automated.
Ensuring employees walk out the door with their earnings already in their existing bank account, no waiting, no detours.
Helping operators stay compliant, track everything, and uncover new efficiencies.

What sets Kickfin apart

There’s a reason Kickfin is the best-in-class tip management solution.

Broader POS integrations: We’ve expanded our direct integrations with leading POS brands, including Toast, Square, SkyTab, Genius POS, Union, and more — so managers can pool and pay out tips in a matter of clicks.
Enhanced tip-pool logic and flexibility: Our platform automates even the complex tip pool policies, with more tip pooling and automated reconciliation features than any other solution, while keeping the end-user experience simple and intuitive.
Instant, cashless payouts: With fewer cash drawer runs and real time bank deposits, teams experience faster shift-close, fewer errors and improved satisfaction.
Built-in compliance and reporting: As tip-pooling regulations continue to evolve, Kickfin empowers customers with robust features like digital paper trails and payroll integrations to ensure accuracy and compliance from end to end.
Customer success focus: Our fully U.S.-based Customer Success team is partners with customers to make onboarding fast and easy, no matter how tricky your tip policy may be, so you get ROI right away.

A big thank you

We’re honored to be recognized by Deloitte, and even more excited about what comes next. For restaurant operators, managers and employees alike, the future of tip management is here, and we’re thrilled to be your partner.

Ready to see what automated tip pooling and instant payouts look like in action? Book a demo today!

Product and Company News, Technology and Software

New Kickfin Feature Alert: Blended Payouts Are Here!

Brand new feature, coming in hot!

As part of our latest product release, Kickfin now offers Blended Payouts for even easier, fully automated tip management and reconciliation.

Why Blended Payouts Matter

Now more than ever, restaurant guests use credit cards or digital payment methods instead of cash. For many operators, that means there isn’t enough cash on hand at the end of a shift to pay out tips. But employees still want to receive their payouts immediately after clock-out.

As our customers know, Kickfin solves for those cash shortages by automating and digitizing the payout process — giving you the power to send instant, cashless payouts directly to your employees’ bank of choice, 24/7/365.

The result: minimal cash handling and risk, better accuracy and tracking — and of course, fewer bank runs.

However, digitizing payouts often results in some leftover cash in the drawer. Over time, we’ve heard from customers who prefer to use up that cash to pay out tips, then distribute the remaining tip amounts via Kickfin.

With Blended Payouts, you can do just that — and still account for every penny paid out, quickly and accurately, within the Kickfin platform.

How Blended Payouts Work

As always, all Kickfin customers can still choose to split individual payment amounts between instant payouts and payroll. Once you enable the new Cash Payouts feature, you will now be able to account for any cash tip payments that were also distributed.

Note: This feature lives within Kickfin’s Tip Calculator, which means you must have an active POS integration to use it.

Once it’s enabled, you’ll see the new “Cash Payouts” button on the Payment Review screen.
After clicking the button, users will be able to enter the individual cash amounts that were distributed to employees.
Back on the Review screen, you’ll see instant payout, payroll, and cash payment amounts for each employee. All three payment methods will have their own line items and be accounted for under your Payment Details.

Watch here for a full walkthrough of the new feature.

Ready to enable Blended Payouts?

If you’re a current customer, in touch with our Customer Success team at support@kickfin.com to activate this new feature.

(Not a customer yet? Click here to see Kickfin in action and learn how you can automate tip pooling and payouts!)

Product and Company News, Technology and Software

Kickfin Partners with Union POS to Automate Tip Distribution for High-Volume Bars and Restaurants

Kickfin is excited to share the latest addition to our integration marketplace. Read on for all the details around our partnership with Union POS. (If you’re a current Union POS customer and you’d like to learn more about how Kickfin automates tip pooling and payouts, schedule a live demo here.)

AUSTIN, Texas (August 13, 2025)—Kickfin, the leading tip management software, today announced the launch of its integration with Union, the purpose-built POS and engagement platform powering the nation’s busiest bars, nightclubs and restaurants.

Thousands of operators use Kickfin to eliminate tedious tip calculations and remove cash from the tip distribution process so managers can move faster, track everything, and ensure accuracy and compliance.

By activating the Kickfin-Union integration, we eliminated clunky spreadsheet formulas and fully automated our tip pooling process. After going live, we reduced our time to close out by an average of 30 minutes after every shift.

The Kickfin-Union integration gives Union’s customers the power to auto-calculate tip pools in a matter of clicks and send payouts directly to employees’ bank of choice—no cash or pay cards required.

“By integrating with Kickfin, we’re giving operators the power to choose best-in-class tools that work seamlessly with their Union POS and data,” said Alex Broeker, the CEO and founder of Union. “This direct integration brings automated tip management to our operators while unlocking new opportunities for operational efficiency, employee satisfaction and simplified compliance.”

KPG Hospitality, which operates experiential bars and unique concepts throughout Texas and Tennessee, was among the first operators to activate the Kickfin-Union POS integration.

“Our venues run at a very fast pace. When you consider the time it takes managers to manually calculate tip amounts every day, after every shift, across every location, it’s a lot of unnecessary admin hours,” said Troy Cramer, the managing partner at KPG. “By activating the Kickfin-Union integration, we eliminated clunky spreadsheet formulas and fully automated our tip pooling process. After going live, we reduced our time to close out by an average of 30 minutes after every shift.”Key Features of the Union + Kickfin Integration:

Automated Tip Pool Calculations: Calculate complex tip pools in seconds, saving managers hours of administrative work while ensuring accuracy and transparency.
Instant Cashless Payouts: Pay out tips directly to employees’ bank of choice instantly, eliminating the need for cash handling and bank runs.
Simplified Compliance: Maintain a digital record of every payout, making tip reporting and tax compliance straightforward.
Enhanced Tracking: Easily track tips by pay period with comprehensive reporting capabilities.
Streamlined Operations: Implement complex tip policies with just a few clicks through an extremely easy-to-use interface.

“Our integration with Union, a leading POS system built specifically to support the busiest venues in the industry, makes perfect sense,” said Kickfin co-CEO Brian Hassan. “Together, we’re creating a solution that saves time, reduces errors, and delivers a better experience for both operators and their staff.”

Available immediately through both Union and Kickfin, venues can integrate their systems and begin leveraging these capabilities today. To learn how this partnership can transform your tip management operations, schedule a demo at GetUnion.com or kickfin.com/demo.

About Union
Union powers a first-of-its-kind venue operating system purpose-built for the nation’s busiest bars and restaurants. More than a point-of-sale, Union connects 1,500+ establishments with 5M+ consumers and leading brands through real-time consumption data. The platform drives operational efficiency, enables frictionless mobile ordering, and facilitates brand-patron interactions that enhance venue loyalty. With $2B+ in annual transactions, Union creates a virtuous cycle where venues improve customer experiences, brands gain direct consumer engagement, and patrons enjoy personalized rewarding hospitality—transforming high-volume operations into next-gen guest experiences. To learn more about Union, visit http://www.getunion.com

About Kickfin
Kickfin is a leading digital tip management platform that automates tip pool calculations and delivers cashless tip payments directly to employees’ bank accounts. Designed to eliminate the administrative burden of tip management, Kickfin helps restaurants, bars, and hospitality venues save time, reduce errors, and improve employee satisfaction. With features like instant payments, digital record-keeping, and simplified compliance, Kickfin is transforming the way venues handle tip distribution in today’s increasingly cashless economy.