Restaurant owners weighing a switch from Toast face several different decisions: removing a paid add-on, stopping an automatic renewal or ending a contract before its term expires. Toast's published documents assign different steps and costs to each.
Those distinctions are under scrutiny after the Federal Trade Commission announced a lawsuit on October 29, alleging hidden and unauthorized fees, unwanted add-ons and obstacles to cancellation. State and California local officials joined the case. The allegations have not been decided by a court.
Toast said it strongly disagrees with the allegations and will defend the company. The dispute concerns restaurant software, payment processing and related services.
Removing an add-on
Toast's product-removal guide, updated September 21, directs eligible restaurant customers to Toast Web, then Toast account, My products and Subscriptions. Choose the listed product, select View and manage, review its billing period and cost, then select Request cancellation.
That submits a request; Toast says it sends an email when cancellation is complete. Bundled subscriptions must be removed together. Payroll follows a separate Customer Care process, while third-party delivery integrations are managed elsewhere. Most Toast Retail changes require Customer Care.
The guide gives conflicting billing expectations. Its main instructions say billing stops at the end of the current cycle, but its FAQ says approval may take one or two billing cycles. It directs customers still charged afterward to Customer Care for a credit for an incorrectly billed subscription. That is not a promise of an immediate refund when a request is submitted.
Declining renewal or leaving early
The Merchant Agreement, last updated September 10, 2025, sets the initial term through the order, followed by annual renewals unless either party gives at least 30 days' written nonrenewal notice.
Section 8.4 separates early-exit charges by plan. For a standard software subscription, the fee is the remaining subscription fees for the current term. For pay-as-you-go, it is $150 multiplied by the months remaining. With six months left, the pay-as-you-go formula produces a $900 termination fee, before other amounts owed. Other plans use different calculations.
There are exceptions. Section 6.2 allows termination without that early-termination fee after specified processing-rate or core-tablet subscription price changes, provided the merchant gives written notice before the change takes effect. Software-financing processing fees are excepted. Check the order and applicable agreement before treating the standard formula as the final amount.
Closing the whole account
The product-removal guide says the base software for the first terminal cannot be closed through subscription self-service. Full account closure goes through Customer Care and requires written notice under the Merchant Agreement. Removing an individual module does not establish that the entire account is closed.
Toast's support-contact page also says signed contracts cannot be downloaded from Toast Web. Customers must request a copy through support chat or Customer Care. Ask for the relevant agreement and order, particularly if the account includes financing or a hardware lease. Obtain a case number so later billing questions can be tied to the same request. The contact page lists US phone support at 617-682-0225, from 7 a.m. to midnight Eastern, seven days a week. Chat is available through Toast Web, Toast Payroll and the Toast Now app.
What the lawsuit addresses
The FTC alleges that some customers were charged for add-ons without consent and that cancellation involved unwanted charges and substantial exit costs. It also challenges the effect of outstanding Toast Capital loans on customers trying to leave. The agency's announcement describes accusations, not a judgment granting restaurants debt relief.
For a restaurant preparing to change providers, the immediate documents to compare are its order, renewal date, applicable cancellation terms and any separate financing agreement. Keep the cancellation confirmation and subsequent invoice together: they identify whether the requested change actually reached the bill.
