Restaurant-tech firm Toast, with its extensive clientele of 85,000 eateries, has stirred up controversy by implementing a 99-cent charge for online orders. Consumers, perplexed by inflated prices, may be quick to blame their local restaurants, but the real culprit lies with Toast, the digital ordering tech provider. The fee, applicable to online orders surpassing $10, was introduced nationwide on July 10. Toast asserts that the revenue generated will foster ongoing innovation, empowering restaurants to manage digital orders internally.

Although Toast began as a payments platform, it has since expanded its services to include inventory management, pay-at-the-table devices, digital ordering systems, and a rewards program. However, dissenting voices from customers and restaurants challenge the fee's legitimacy.

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