The average restaurateur has no idea exactly what they are paying

The National Restaurant Association opposes the current swipe fee settlement saying "The current payments system is so convoluted, the average restaurateur has no idea exactly what they are paying and why they are paying large amounts to accept credit and debit cards, which are necessary in today's marketplace." 

While the NRA and card companies fight it out with lobbyist and attorneys, one thing the average restaurateur can do right now is calculate and compare their cost to accept card payments. 

According to myRealRate.com, a resource that tracks processing costs, the restaurant industry category saw real rates for card processing decrease between April 2012 and July 2012. 

At myRealRate.com, restaurants can compare card processing costs with other restaurants of similar size (by sales volume and average transaction) to find out where they stand.