TouchBistro iPad POS Awarded Patent for Splitting Bills Between Customers

We’re sure you can agree: there is no better way to spoil a great meal out than trying to split the bill at the end of the night. And just as it sucks for diners, it’s no less time-consuming and annoying for waiters.

TouchBistro to the rescue.

TouchBistro has been granted a patent for a feature that enables restaurants to easily and quickly split bills between customers. US patent number 9514427—entitled “Graphical Interface and Input Method for Allocating an Invoice Amongst a Plurality of Accounts” —was issued on December 6.

With offices in New York and Toronto, TouchBistro is a leader in iPad point-of-sale technology for restaurants, cafes, bars, food trucks, and other food and drink venues. The TouchBistro app has been deployed around the world on 19,000 terminals across 7,000 restaurants and its POS solutions process Gross Merchandise Volumes in excess of $4 billion annually.

The patented feature provides restaurant staff with a powerful tool to correctly allocate whole (or partial) ordered items to individuals, or to be shared by everyone at the table.

The feature leverages the tablet’s touch and swipe capabilities to designate which diner is to pay for items ordered, or how individuals are to be grouped on a bill. By simply swiping between two seats on a graphical interface showing seats around the table, the software instantly splits the bill among customers and calculates all related taxes and tips.

“This patent, along with our recent New York Design Award, demonstrates that we are design and thought leaders in our space. Unlike a generic register App, TouchBistro has been designed specifically for restaurants, enabling them to automate or simplify processes that ultimately increase revenue and improve the user and customer experience alike,” said Alex Barrotti, CEO and founder of TouchBistro.

“We are committed to continually investing in technology development to address the unique challenges restaurants face,” he added. “We are honored to be recognized for our invention and innovation in the market.”

Last month TouchBistro announced a new $17 million Series B round of funding, bringing their total funding to date to $30 million.