Card machine guide · Sweets & specialty food
For cupcake shops the Clover Station Duo is the usual starting point: custom orders, deposits and pickup tickets. Read on for the layout we would quote and the mistakes we see most.
✓ Installed by our team and supported by phone. Rates and equipment are quoted to your business.
At Merchant Fund Express, we set up Clover for which credit card machine is best for a cupcake shop: the right devices, the features that matter in your workflow and on-site training for your staff.
For most cupcake shops we start with the Clover Station Duo. The Station Duo pairs a 14-inch staff screen with an 8-inch customer-facing screen and a built-in printer, and it accepts contactless tap, chip and swipe. We lead with the Duo rather than the Station Solo because the Solo does not accept contactless tap, which most cupcake shops need.
Cupcake shops sell grab-and-go flavors at the case and take big custom orders for birthdays, weddings and offices.
Flavors by the piece and dozen, with custom orders priced by the tier and deposits for events.
Cards and cash with gift-card purchases, plus deposits on custom cakes.
A baker and a counter person; special orders need clear due dates.
A Station Duo at the counter and invoicing for custom orders, with a Flex at events.
We configure your account and hardware before anything ships, then come to you to install, load your items, connect the extras and walk your staff through the first rush, with a phone number for anything that comes up afterward.
| Role | Device | Why it earns its place |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Station Duo | Case register |
| Add-on | Flex | Events |
| Add-on | Mini | Pickup counter |
Tracking special orders on a whiteboard misses deposits and due dates.
What you get from Merchant Fund Express is a team, not a box: installation at your location, practical training and phone support, plus funding options from the same company if your plans grow.
Yes. Deposits can be taken as partial payments and applied at pickup.
Order notes and pickup times can be attached to tickets or invoices.
Yes. Items can be priced by weight or unit so the register handles both without a calculator.
The Merchant Fund Express team installs on site, configures your items and trains your staff, then stays available by phone after launch.
It helps but is not required. A recent processing statement lets us compare your effective rate to what a Clover setup would look like for your sales mix.
Call Merchant Fund Express. We install it, train your staff and stay on the line after launch. Ask for a free rate review while you are at it.
