Handheld devices cost hundreds of dollars each
Each handheld payment device can cost hundreds of dollars, making full-restaurant adoption a significant capital expense for owners.
Where this was said
The Toast Solution: Handheld Devices Change Everything
At 5:42 · chapter starts 4:16
The fix to Bisaha's grievance comes in the form of handheld payment devices — the kind travelers to Europe or Australia have seen for years. Steven Bisaha introduces Miguel Aguilar, his server at a Jersey City restaurant, who describes life before and after. [1] — Miguel Aguilar "The minute we got these, we could take 4, 5, 6 tables outside, not worry about having to run in for every single order. And it nearly halve…" 05:09 Before: everything took forever, constant trips in and out. After: four, five, six outdoor tables managed without running inside, and service time nearly halved. Darian Woods notes he's seen these devices increasingly in Chicago and appreciates how easily they split checks. The devices come largely from a company called Toast, and Bisaha notes that restaurant inertia — plus a hardware cost of hundreds of dollars per device — slows adoption. [2] — Steven Bisaha "170,000+ US locations use Toast devices: As of March, more than 170,000 restaurant locations in the US were using Toast's handheld payment …" 06:40 But the momentum is real: Toast reported more than 170,000 US locations using their hardware as of March, and with competitors in the market, the pen-and-paper checkout may be heading for extinction.
A Server's Verdict on Handheld Payment Devices
Server Miguel Aguilar tried both systems. The old way: constant trips back and forth, everything taking forever. The new way: four to six tables at once, service time nearly cut in half. The change wasn't optional — it was transformational.
Why Menus Don't Show the Real Price
US restaurant menus don't show tax-inclusive prices — not out of malice, but because it's a collective action problem. Any single restaurant that adds tax to listed prices will look more expensive than competitors. Add overlapping state, city, and county taxes, and you start to understand why menus stay the way they are.
3 reasons restaurants omit tax from menus
Sherry Kimes cited three reasons: tradition, competitive collective action risk, and the complexity of varying state, city, and county tax rates.
Menu tax omission is a collective action problem
A Cornell professor explained that if one restaurant shows tax-inclusive prices but competitors don't, it will appear more expensive and lose customers — a classic collective action problem.
Server could take 4–6 tables with handheld devices
With handheld payment devices, server Miguel Aguilar said he could manage 4 to 6 tables outside without running back inside for every order.
Handheld devices nearly halved serve time
Server Miguel Aguilar said the handheld payment devices nearly halved the time needed to serve each table compared to the old pen-and-paper system.
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