Say Goodbye to Bill Drama! Innovative Startup Makes Payments Easy Among Friends

A get-together with friends at any little restaurant or café can be a delightful experience or a real headache when it comes time to pay the bill. Rodrigo Kuri, a former banker from Banamex, noticed that with split checks and varying tips, the payment process can stretch up to 30 minutes. To tackle this issue, Kuri teamed up with two partners to launch the startup Pacto, aimed at providing restaurants and hotels with a faster, more efficient payment method.

"For the past three years, we've been perfecting our product so that banks can integrate our software into their terminals (POS systems)," Kuri mentioned in an interview. For him, the challenge for the financial industry is implementing effective solutions within the existing infrastructure of banks. "You can split the bill among diners, and everything stays aligned (the check); the servers don’t lose their setup," Kuri adds. This innovation allows for bill splitting at terminals, regardless of whether the payment is made with credit cards, debit cards, or cash.

Card Payments in Restaurants Card payments made in restaurants saw a 12% increase in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to data from the Bank of Mexico. As of the first quarter of 2025, card transactions at restaurants reached 95.7 million, according to official figures. Kuri states that with the rise in the use of payment platforms compared to traditional bank terminals, better solutions need to be offered to users. He shares that in 2022, 60% of the people visiting his business wanted to pay by card, a number that has grown to 80% this year. "More and more people just prefer to tap their card or their phone," he noted. Having simpler, faster payment terminals allows establishments to increase their average ticket by 10% to 20% in tips. "Instead of the server asking how much the customer wants to leave for a tip, they just pass the terminal, and the customer decides; leaving a tip becomes a very personal moment," he concluded.

It's fascinating how technology can transform everyday habits like paying at restaurants. The need for quicker and more efficient processes enables both consumers and business owners to get the most out of every transaction. This not only enhances the customer experience but can also boost the revenues for establishments, something that is crucial in the current economic context.