Cash vs Cashless: what impact on restaurant performance?
February 13, 2026
For a long time, the idea of a lasting decline in species seemed remote.
Today, the fact that the end of red coin production is being discussed at European level speaks volumes about the evolution of usage.
In the restaurant business, payment is not limited to the bill. It has an impact on throughput in service, on the reliability of figures, on cash loading and, ultimately, on sales.
While cash has long dominated, card, contactless and mobile payments are gaining ground.
These changes raise operational questions for plants: should we continue to handle cash "as before", or upgrade our cash management system to make it more fluid and efficient?
Behind this choice lie a number of issues that have not yet been fully taken into account: security, time spent fencing, crowd management, customer experience... So many levers capable of supporting or (slowing down!) performance.
In this article, we take stock, with figures to back it up, of the evolution of payments in France, the limits of cash in restaurants and the benefits of cashless payments on customer management and experience.
Cash vs cashless in France: where do we stand in 2026?
Since 2024, cash has no longer been the number one means of payment in France. For the first time, the card has overtaken it with 48% of payments made by CB against 43 % in cash..
This shift marks a turning point. In less than 10 years, the share of cash has fallen from 68% in 2016 to less than half of transactions today.
This decline can be explained by the rise of contactless technology, the growth of mobile payment and a more varied payment offer.
The amount threshold also influences the payment method. Cash remains the most common for small amounts (under €10), while cards and contactless devices dominate as soon as the average ticket increases.
Behaviour also varies according to the age of the consumer. Visit Gen Z tend to use less cash than previous generations in their daily transactions, with greater adoption of digital payments (cards, mobile).
Want to find out more? See our resource ➜ Catering: the essential means of payment in 2026
Cash in the restaurant business: a drag on performance?
Security: theft, loss and financial risk
Cash multiplies cashier errors and increases the risk of theft, whether internal or external. (in 2024, over 74,000 business premises were broken into in France).
Without an automated tool, a few missing bills can easily slip under the radar until the next fence. Taken together, these discrepancies can add up to several hundred euros over the course of a week, and have a direct impact on your monthly margin.
Transporting funds to the bank adds another level of risk. Team cash handling, travel, bank deposits: each step creates additional exposure. The more manipulations there are, the greater the risk of error or incident.
Management: counting, fencing and complexity
Nobody wants to have to recount the till 3 times at 11pm to get their hands on the missing €2. And yet, with cash, this is a frequent occurrence. At each closing, you have to count, check, open and close the drawers, check the totals and prepare the bank transfer.
Cash register discrepancies do not reflect a lack of seriousness, but the reality of manual management, often carried out at the end of the day, after intense service. A missing ticket or an inaccurate total means additional checks, adjustments and lost operational time.
Closure also depends on the context: workload, fatigue, time pressure, etc. In these conditions, cash adds a human variable that is difficult to secure.
Wasted time: queues and the brakes on throughput
"I must have the 10 cents, wait, I'll have a look".
Each cash transaction takes longer than a contactless or card payment. The customer looks for his change, you return the coins, the amount is checked. In busy times, those seconds add up fast.
This slows down service and reduces your ability to serve more customers in the same time slot. Fewer transactions per hour means eroded sales potential, particularly in fast food or during peak periods.
Cashless catering: measurable gains?
Offering cashless means more than just offering a different payment method. It acts on 3 fundamental levers of a plant's performance:
➜ time
➜ data reliability
➜ the quality of the customer journey
Operational speed: faster transactions
Visit integrated ordering and payment solutions have a direct impact on case loading. By allowing payment at the time of order or at the tableThey reduce the concentration of cash collections at a single point, particularly at peak times.
Payment is no longer a separate stage in the shopping experience. It becomes an integral part of the order flow, with no need to handle cash or wait at the counter.
In high-throughput facilities (fast food, food court, multi-purpose complex or coffeeshop) the cash register ceases to be an operational constraint. Payment no longer slows down the service, which means more transactions can be processed in the same time, without the need for additional staff.
Financial traceability: a more reliable view of sales
With payments integrated into the ordering tools, every transaction is automatically recorded.
✔ fewer cash discrepancies
✔ faster fencing
✔ a reliable reading of sales by department, outlet or channel (terminal, Click & Collectcounter, etc.)
When order, payment and checkout are synchronized, payment becomes usable data. You can analyze flows, identify peaks in activity and manage your operations more precisely.
Customer experience: a lever for loyalty
At lunchtime, customers are looking for comfort and speed. Payment is part of this equation. When it's settled without a trip to the counter or a glance at the watch, the experience is perceived as simpler and more controlled.
For regular appointments such as the lunch break, this comfort plays a key role in the loyalty. It doesn't always provoke a visible reaction, but it does create a reflex: to return to the place where you know everything always goes smoothly from start to finish.
How can you upgrade your payments to cashless?
Migrating to cashless solutions doesn't mean rejecting cash overnight. An effective transition depends above all on the right tools, depending on your sector, flows and operational constraints.
The choice of equipment has a direct impact on throughput, waiting time and collection:
✔ of control terminals to absorb flow and reduce counter pressure
✔ le payment at table to streamline service, especially at lunchtime
✔ and now control terminals with integrated Tap to Pay technologywhich allow you to order and pay in the same place, without the need for a separate payment terminal.
Are you wondering about this for your business?
➜ Contact our team to discuss your configuration and the solutions best suited to your business.
Want to find out more about Tap to Pay?
➜ Read our dedicated article to understand how it works and its benefits for foodservice.
