What actually happens when the truck loses signal?

The register keeps taking orders. Tickets, payments and inventory changes are written locally and pushed to the server automatically once you have a connection again. You do not switch modes or press anything.

No. Every plan is month to month. Toast and Clover typically require two- and three-year commitments respectively — a long time to promise anything in a business on wheels.

Do you charge per employee?

No. Unlimited logins on every plan, so a seasonal crew costs the same as a solo operator.

Can I take orders ahead of the lunch rush?

Not yet — online ordering is on the roadmap, not in the product, and we would rather say so than have you find out on a Monday. Phone and counter orders can be held and fired to the kitchen screen in the meantime.

Built for trucks

The price does not change where you park.

A truck moves, and the bill should not. Flat monthly price, unlimited crew, month to month — and the register runs on the tablet you already own rather than a terminal you have to buy.

Proprietary hardware you have to buy from the vendor
Multi-year contracts signed for a business that moves every day
Per-employee fees on a crew that changes by the season
A card rate that climbs every time you add a feature

Apply for the beta See all plans

Run your own numbers against Toast

Pre-filled with a typical food truck. Change anything — including which vendor you are comparing.

Card sales per month$18,000

Average sale$12.00

People who need a login

Kitchen / kiosk screens

1Your own devices

Screens are your own. ArkSlate runs on approved iPads, Android tablets, Stripe readers and Star printers — we sell no hardware and charge no per-screen software fee. Competitors license that same screen by the month.

Compare against

Toast

Starter plan · cheapest that fits

Software subscription$0.00
Free tier
Extra user seats$0.00
Unlimited users
Scheduling & time clock$0.00
Not needed
Per-screen software (KDS/kiosk)$0.00
1 screens, no license fee
Online ordering$0.00
Not needed
Card processing$673.20
2.49% + $0.15 × 1,500 sales

Software$0.00

Processing$673.20

Total / mo$673.20

Contract: Toast hardware required

ArkSlate

Solo plan · cheapest that fits

Software subscription$59.00
Solo plan
Extra user seats$0.00
Unlimited users
Scheduling & time clock$0.00
Not needed
Per-screen software (KDS/kiosk)$0.00
1 screens, no license fee
Online ordering$0.00
Not needed
Card processing$561.00
2.70% + $0.05 × 1,500 sales

Software$59.00

Processing$561.00

Total / mo$620.00

Contract: None — month to month

You would keep

$638/yr

versus Toast, at $53 a month — before counting the inventory, accounting and unlimited seats they charge extra for.

Apply for the beta — no card required

Both sides quoted at that vendor's cheapest tier for this setup, using published list prices as of September 2026. Card-present rates only; keyed and online rates differ. Hardware is bought separately on every platform — ArkSlate sells none. Where we were unsure whether a vendor charges for something, we assumed they do not.

What you get on day one

The hardware is already yours

Approved iPads, Android tablets, Stripe readers and Star printers. Nothing proprietary to buy, and nothing to replace when the truck changes.

No contract to outlive the truck

Month to month, always. Competitors ask a truck to sign two or three years; we ask for the month you are in.

A crew that changes every season

Unlimited logins on every plan. Add a summer hire, remove them in September, pay the same either way.

Pick-up windows and online orders

Take orders ahead with a pick-up time, and let the window work the queue instead of the crowd.

Prep screen on a tablet you own

Route tickets to a screen in the truck with no per-device license — useful when the window and the flat top are two feet and one shouting match apart.

Books that follow the route

Sales by day and by location, cost of goods and card fees in one P&L, so you can tell which lot is actually worth the drive.

The kit for a food truck

We sell no hardware. We certify a short list of commodity devices, guarantee they work, and support only what is on it — which is how support stays fast and your gear stays replaceable on a Saturday.

RegisterSupported iPads or Android tablets

Card readerStripe Terminal readers, including mobile

ReceiptsStar CloudPRNT thermal printers (optional)

Prep screenAny approved tablet — no per-screen software fee

Food trucks, specifically

Also built for

Coffee shops Quick service restaurants Full service restaurants Retail shops Hot tub & pool service Field service

Try it on your own numbers

Free during the beta, no card required, and no contract to sign your way out of.

Apply for the beta Talk to us