Weekend and Public Holiday surcharges are different from credit card surcharges, which are used specifically to offset the cost of payment processing fees. |
Overview of Weekend and Public Holiday Surcharges in Australia
Many restaurants use percentage-based service charges (surcharges) on weekends and public holidays to help balance higher operational costs. To ensure accurate guest billing, you can easily activate and deactivate these charges in Toast Web to match your holiday and weekend trading hours.
While operators and guests customarily call this a "surcharge," it is entirely separate from a card surcharge (the processing fee applied when a customer pays by card).
In Toast, holiday and weekend fee adjustments are configured using the core Service Charge features in Toast Web.
Set Up Weekend and Public Holiday Service Charges and Surcharges
Follow these steps to edit or create Weekend and Public Holiday Surcharges in Toast Web.
To add or update operational charges, follow these steps:
Log in to Toast Web and navigate to Finance > Related > Settings > Service charges & fees.
Select + New Service Charge to create a charge profile, or click an existing item from the list to edit it.
Note: For Multi-location groups: Confirm that the Target and Owner drop-down selections match the intended restaurant location or entity before clicking Save.
Standard Configuration Settings for Weekend and Public Holiday Service Charges and Surcharges
You should build an independent service charge record for each active scenario your venue requires (for example, a 10% charge for weekends and a 15% charge for public holidays). Use highly accurate, descriptive names that will appear on guest bills, such as "Weekend Surcharge 10%" or "Public Holiday Surcharge 15%".
Use the values below to configure the core charge options:
Setting | Recommended Value | Operational Notes |
Charge Type | Fixed Percent | Percentage-based fee adjustments utilise this setting. |
Charge Percent | Operator's chosen rate (e.g., 10% or 15%) | Standard weekend rates normally sit between 10% and 15%. Public holiday rates are frequently higher. |
Apply After Amount Threshold | $0.00 | Ensures the charge triggers on checks beginning at the first cent. |
Assign to check owner (Gratuity?) |
No
| Selecting No maps the collection directly to net sales as an employer-kept operational offset. Selecting Yes pays the amount out to the employee as non-tip wages. |
Calculated on |
Pre-discount Total
| Standard industry practice for hospitality surcharges. |
Tax Settings
Scroll down to the Taxes section on the same service charge profile.
Tax Settings: Select Tax Inclusive (Tax is already included in the service charge amount.)
Applicable Taxes: Choose the option that fits your local requirements.
Note: Please consult your tax advisor for guidance on collecting and distributing service charges in your region. Compliance with applicable tax laws is your responsibility.
Configuring Channel Routing and Receipt Labels
We recommend creating two separate service charge profiles for each rate. This ensures your custom surcharge names display clearly and accurately on guest receipts, whether they order Dine-In, Takeout, or Delivery.
Follow these steps to structure your channel settings for a single rate (e.g., 10% Weekend Surcharge):
Profile A: Dine-In & Takeout Configurations
Create a service charge profile named exactly how you want it to read on guest receipts (e.g., "Weekend Surcharge 10%").
Complete the core settings and tax options outlined in Standard Configuration Settings.
Under dining options, use these configurations:
Delivery?: No
Takeout?: Yes
Dine-In?: Yes
Select Save.
Profile B: Delivery Channel Configurations
Create a companion service charge profile specifically earmarked for delivery orders (e.g., "Weekend Surcharge 10% - Delivery").
Mirror the exact Charge Type, Charge Percent, and Tax Settings from Profile A.
Under dining options, apply the inverse parameters:
Delivery?: Yes
Takeout?: No
Dine-In?: No
Select Save.
Note: When transitioning your systems into active surcharge periods, you must toggle both Profile A and Profile B to active status simultaneously to maintain perfect coverage across your entire order floor.
Managing Weekend and Public Holiday Schedules
To ensure accurate guest billing, you must activate and deactivate these charges in Toast Web to match your holiday and weekend trading hours.
Activating and Deactivating Your Surcharges
Activating your surcharge: Before your weekend or public holiday trading begins, follow the navigation steps above to locate your surcharge profiles and switch their status to Active so the fee begins calculating for your guests.
Verifying live calculation: When the surcharge period starts, check an active order on your POS terminal or generate a test receipt to guarantee that your custom line-item name and correct percentage are calculating successfully on the floor.
Deactivating your surcharge: Once the weekend or public holiday concludes, return to the service charges screen and turn the profiles off so your system switches back to your baseline, standard weekday pricing.
Handling schedule overlaps: If a public holiday falls on a regular weekend day, remember that only one rate should be active at a time. Simply turn off your standard weekend profiles before activating your higher-rate public holiday profiles.
Note: Ensure you turn off the service charge when a surcharge period ends so it does not continue to apply to guest checks during your normal pricing windows.
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This content is for informational purposes and is not intended as legal, tax, HR, or any other professional advice. Please contact an attorney or other professional for advice.