POS
Building secure payment systems for quick service restaurants
Although payment systems in quick service restaurants (QSRs) have never been more convenient for businesses and customers, there’s growing concern over just how secure financial transactions are in the here and now.
February 6, 2025 by Michael Aminzade — Vice President Of Managed Compliance Services, VikingCloud
Although payment systems in quick service restaurants (QSRs) have never been more convenient for businesses and customers, there's growing concern over just how secure financial transactions are in the here and now.
It's thought that at least 31% of retail stores have witnessed a data or security breach — and QSRs, naturally, fall under that umbrella. Although interconnectedness and software accessibility have made paying for food and drink much easier, they've brought along a wave of security threats that QSR owners need to be prepared for.
In this article, we'll explore the risks facing QSR payment systems, and what business owners can do to better protect themselves, any money handled, and their customers.
Understanding QSR Payment Systems
QSRs face unique service challenges that traditional restaurant owners might never experience — for example, customers heading to QSRs expect fast, seamless service that's tied into automation and self-ordering.
Therefore, QSR systems need to offer incredible uptime. Any risks to payment delays or orders getting lost in the chain could lead to frustrated customers. Malware and cyberattacks could bring down such systems — not only stealing sensitive data, but also bringing service speed and accuracy to their knees.
What's more, QSRs are serving more and more people. The demand for fast food and service hasn't gone away, and the rise of mobile apps has increased revenue but they also helped to build pressure for business owners.
Case in point—data from a few years ago suggests that around 37% of people eat at fast food establishments. In the years since, demand and pressure on QSRs for strong security has only increased further.
Key Challenges in Payment Security for QSRs
Dependent on modern technology, QSRs are naturally at risk of a variety of different threats from cyber criminals.
Point of sale (POS) systems, while vital for managing and fulfilling orders in any QSR environment, are prone to cyberattacks to both bring down service and to steal data. In fact, around 40% of people believe POS systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks.
From there, QSRs need to be vigilant with regard to how they manage third-party vendors. Although third-party software and management can help to improve efficiency, QSRs are only as secure as the companies they work with. Therefore, there's increased pressure on QSRs to look carefully at the security credentials of who they work with.
Beyond this, there's always the risk of outdated software and hardware providing hackers with easy access to the inner workings of a business. High-profile data breaches have affected some of the world's biggest names in fast food and QSR, such as McDonald's, Dunkin' Donuts, and Subway. It's vital to keep software patched and up to date!
Building a Secure Payment System
A great first step in building a secure payment system for a QSR is to take stock of your current security posture. For example, some firms run penetration testing, which effectively means running controlled hacks to hunt down vulnerabilities to fix.
One of the most effective ways to secure payment data, beyond testing, is to run software that offers end-to-end encryption. Encrypted data is impossible to read and use — even when hackers gain access to the inner workings of a POS.
Regardless of the POS and payment system you use, regularly updating software ensures your payments are protected by the latest security patches designed by vendors. And, again, it's always a good idea to work with vendors with proven security acumen.
When building a secure payment system, always choose vendors and suppliers based on reputation and features, not on low costs — the best value vendors are those that offer industry-standard security.
Best Practices for Maintaining Payment Security
Although setting up a secure payment system in the first instance is vital for laying the groundwork, QSR owners need to continuously manage their payment data security.
For example, training staff to better understand how to safely handle and process financial information is a must. This could be as simple as providing training on certain software, but general refresher training for data protection standards is also paramount.
Cybersecurity experts also suggest taking certain technical measures behind the scenes to protect financial information from hackers. For example, some of the most secure QSR systems use network segmentation, which means key systems are separated, data is stored in multiple locations, and there are several working parts in case one part fails or is breached.
The more systems there are that are secured and isolated from each other, the harder it is for hackers to break into them and the less likely it is that cyberattacks will be successful and be able to spread.
Beyond this, multi-factor authentication (MFA) for users and staff is also important. MFA refers to using several things — something you have, something you know, or something you are to confirm your identity. For example a system may use a passcode (something you know) and another authorized device (something you have) or a fingerprint (something you are) to confirm that you are who you say you are and that you're authorized to login.
MFA only gives access to those who have multiple authorized routes of login available, meaning hackers with just one access route are left high and dry.
Looking Ahead: Trends in Payment Security for QSRs
As we recently discussed, credit card scams are once again becoming popular with would-be criminals — meaning we can certainly expect security technology to evolve to combat refund scams, device skimming, and digital theft.
Many of the emerging threats facing QSRs are easy to prepare for with vigilance and common sense. For example, we always recommend regular technology audits, employee re-training, and building a culture of transparency over suspected data risks.
Of course, we're only likely to see more advances in automation and artificial intelligence in QSR tech in the year ahead and beyond — meaning it pays to secure your payment data smarter with the help of a cybersecurity specialist.
Conclusion
The news isn't all good for QSRs — hospitality technology is becoming more intuitive, yet with that, there's always going to be evolving threats against your devices.
Therefore, it's more important than ever to re-invest in training and awareness around payment data threats, and to work closely with cybersecurity professionals to run tests and solidify your security posture.
Ultimately, secure payment systems keep QSRs running at speed, and do a lot to welcome repeat customers — you're building and maintaining trust, after all!
About Michael Aminzade
Michael Aminzade has over 26 years of experience within cyber, information security and compliance industries. Michael’s experience covers the full spectrum from internal information security where he has been the CISO for a large global service provider to running large global consulting teams. As an industry leader, Michael often has articles published across different publications such as Computer Weekly and Compliance Today. Michael is often asked to speak at different events such as RSA, InfoSec Europe, and Black Hat.
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