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Cost and comparison

The whole operating cost behind a headline price. TableSpark plans and pricing →

Last published 9 Oct 2026 — the TableSpark team, London
ARTICLES369
FILMS14
TOPICS9

All entries

1–12 of 27 Newest first · Cost and comparison Cost and comparison ✕

October 2026

2026-10 4 entries
FIG. 02 Cost and comparison
Cost and comparison 2026-10-08

What a Restaurant App Costs in the UK, and a Cheaper Route

You have been quoted for an app and nobody has said what happens after launch. Here is the full cost of three routes, and the one guests can install from your own site.

FIG. 03 Cost and comparison
Cost and comparison 2026-10-03

What a £10 or £25 Deposit Really Leaves You After the Card Charge

On UK cards, the fee on a deposit is a percentage plus a fixed 20p, and the fixed part takes a bigger share of £10 than of £25. The figures are worked here line by line.

FIG. 04 Cost and comparison
Cost and comparison 2026-10-02

What a Phone-Order Takeaway Needs From a Website Builder on Day One

Menu, hours and a number to tap go live first. Collection orders come with a move to Full; paying up front by card adds Stripe's fee per order.

FIG. 05 Cost and comparison
Cost and comparison 2026-10-01

What a £50 Gift Card Sale Costs You Before Anyone Eats

A gift card's card fee is paid on the day of sale and is not returned if the sale is refunded. Work out the cost per card before setting the amounts and any bonus offer.

September 2026

2026-09 8 entries
FIG. 06 Cost and comparison
Cost and comparison 2026-09-30

Does Online Ordering Need a Separate System to Print Kitchen Tickets?

An online order that lands on a laptop in the office still has to reach the pass. Before taking on the cost of a second system, check what the ordering plan already prints.

FIG. 07 Cost and comparison
Cost and comparison 2026-09-27

What Tonight's No-Shows Actually Cost, Counted From the Diary

A no-show leaves no invoice and no ticket, only covers missing from a total nobody checks against the diary. Four figures already in the building price what it costs.

FIG. 08 Cost and comparison
Cost and comparison 2026-09-24

What Waiting to Reprice the Menu Costs, Week by Week

A dated rise in the statutory wage floor landed in April; the menu did not move with it. Whatever that cost on this owner's payroll has been foregone on covers already served.

FIG. 09 Cost and comparison
Cost and comparison 2026-09-24

The Booking Feature Switched On At Setup, Never Opened Since

A module switched on during onboarding costs the same every month whether it runs at every service or has never been opened, and the invoice never says which.

FIG. 10 Cost and comparison
Cost and comparison 2026-09-21

The National Living Wage Just Rose to £12.71. What Is the Floor Under an Hour of Taking Orders by Phone Now?

The minutes spent answering the phone mid-service arrive with no invoice, so that labour goes unpriced. The wage floor under the hour rose on 1 April 2026.

FIG. 11 Cost and comparison
Cost and comparison 2026-09-17

Your Card Rate Didn't Change. Your Processing Bill May Still Have Gone Up.

The rate on a merchant agreement is not the whole of a card bill. The scheme fees beneath it are set elsewhere, and the regulator has found them rising without competition.

FIG. 12 Cost and comparison
Cost and comparison 2026-09-16

The Smallest Direct Order Worth Taking, Once Packaging, Card Fees and Commission Come Out of It

A small order carries the same packaging, the same fixed card fee and the same handling minutes as a large one, and a marketplace commission takes more than a third off the top.

FIG. 13 Cost and comparison
Cost and comparison 2026-09-15

Your Website Tools Renew Themselves, and the Reminder Rules Announced for January 2027 Are Not Written for Your Business

Nobody warns a restaurant before its website add-ons renew, and the rules announced for January 2027 were drafted for consumers, so the recurring fees keep leaving unannounced.

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