Best card machine for Caterers and food trucks
Independent caterers, mobile food trucks, festival traders, event caterers. Mobile or semi-mobile operations with strong seasonal patterns.
Our pick
SumUp Solo or Tap to Pay on iPhone
Acquirer: SumUp
Mobile, no-contract economics, simple flow. SumUp Solo has the receipt printer for festival pitches that need it; Tap to Pay covers smaller operations.
Card machines compared for Caterers and food trucks
Headline rate, hardware cost, contract and form factor at a glance, from our full terminal reviews.
| Rank | Terminal | Rate | Hardware | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | SumUp Solo Our pick | 1.69% per transaction | £99 to £149 hardware | No contract |
| #2 | Square Terminal | 1.75% per transaction (UK) | £149 to £199 | No contract |
| #3 | Zettle Reader 2 | 1.75% per transaction | £29 to £69 | No contract |
Why this trade matters
- Cashflow shape
- Strong seasonal peaks (summer events, Christmas markets). Quiet winters for festival-led caterers.
- Average transaction
- £8 to £25
- Contactless share
- ~75%
Watch outs
- 4G connectivity at outdoor pitches.
- Battery life over 8-12 hour event days.
- Food-hygiene certification not directly relevant to acquirer underwriting but compliance gaps elsewhere can surface.
Alternatives
Compare picks
How SumUp Solo or Tap to Pay on iPhone stacks up
Caterers and food trucks by location
Locations we cover for Caterers and food trucks.
- Leicester
- Southall (Ealing)
- Wembley (Brent)
- Harrow
- Birmingham (Handsworth and Soho Road)
- Smethwick (Sandwell)
- Slough
- Coventry (Foleshill and Stoney Stanton)
- East Ham (Newham)
- Manchester (Cheetham Hill and Rusholme)
- Leeds (Harehills and Chapeltown)
- Wolverhampton (Bilston Road and Whitmore Reans)
- Tooting (Wandsworth)
- Bradford
- Forest Gate (Newham)
- Hounslow
Related on our sister sites
Need finance for your Caterers and food trucks business?
Card flow is the security on which most Caterers and food trucks businesses borrow. See our sister site BestBusinessLoans by sector for editorial reviews of UK lenders that fund Caterers and food trucks.
Founder & Managing Director, Muswell Rose, founder and PSC of Best Business Loans Ltd
Adam is the founder and managing director of Muswell Rose and a founder of Best Business Loans Ltd, the company behind MerchantHQ. His career runs through insurance, mortgages, commercial finance and fintech lending, including payments and merchant services. He writes the MerchantHQ library.
Last reviewed: 26 April 2026