SAN FRANCISCO — January 14, 2026 — SpotOn, a leading software partner for restaurants, today announced it is the Title Sponsor of Guy’s Flavortown Tailgate presented by SpotOn, the larger-than-life, food-forward fan festival held during Super Bowl weekend. The sponsorship underscores SpotOn’s focus on what matters most to restaurants on their busiest days: operational efficiency, a frictionless guest experience, and the customer marketing tools needed to turn a traffic surge into long-term growth.
Guy's Flavortown Tailgate is a Big Game-weekend destination built around restaurants, pop-ups, brand activations, and live entertainment. The free event runs 11:30 a.m. PT to 3:30pm p.m. PT, is open to all ages, does not require a Super Bowl ticket, and features 20+ San Francisco Bay Area restaurants highlighted by Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives-style pop-ups and Guy Fieri-curated concepts.
“Super Bowl weekend creates a rare, high-intent moment where fans are making fast decisions about where to watch and what to order, and restaurants can see the demand spike immediately,” said Kevin Bryla, Chief Marketing Officer of SpotOn. “SpotOn is proud to be the presenting sponsor and restaurant technology partner of Guy’s Flavortown Tailgate and help independent operators run smarter game-day operations, handle payment volume spikes, and turn high volume sales into repeat business.”
Turning high-intent demand, into real local economic impact
The Super Bowl is one of the most reliable, high-intent dining moments of the year, often driving a demand spike across dine-in, takeout, and online ordering volume. Last year, the National Restaurant Association estimated that 67% of Americans would watch the game from their homes, with 59% of those ordering take out. But the real opportunity is bigger than one Sunday, it’s the local economic impact created when independent restaurants and local bars win these moments, further supporting local jobs, strengthening community-driven commerce, and fueling local business success. For independent restaurant growth, the path is clear: plan early, execute with precision and keep the momentum going when new guests discover a neighborhood favorite.
A repeatable, profit-focused “Game-Day Ready” playbook
SpotOn encourages operators to plan ahead using their five-step checklist designed to improve labor efficiency, raise average ticket size and protect the guest experience during peak demand.
- Profit-first menu strategy: SpotOn recommends streamlining to a profit-first menu strategy built for speed, protecting throughput while offering group-friendly platters or meal kits that can lift average ticket size without adding kitchen complexity.
- Market the moment: In 2024, the National Retail Federation estimated the average household would spend $86.04 on game day essentials including food and beverage. Promote across every channel with clear hours, specials, and how-to-order details so guests are ready to order when the rush hits and online ordering grows.
- Staff scheduling, powered by data: Staff and schedule with insight based on last year’s POS transaction data and reports to mitigate staffing shortages, and to reduce table turn-times and other operational inefficiencies.
- Automation during peak demand: Use technology to stay fast under pressure, especially when waitlist and reservations pressure climbs, by enabling QR order & pay, and tap-to-pay for guests. Operators can also leverage online order throttling and Kitchen Display Systems (KDS) to keep tickets flowing smoothly and maintain a consistent customer experience even as volume surges.
- First-party data & digital loyalty programs: Keep the momentum going after the last bite by capturing guest contact information with loyalty programs to deliver timely, targeted offers that turn one-time guests into regulars.
How SpotOn supports operators during peak moments
SpotOn’s cloud-based restaurant POS is designed to help restaurants handle sudden demand spikes with speed, accuracy and control, whether the rush comes from big game weekend spending, a concert crowd or a neighborhood festival. With tools across restaurant POS, online ordering, payments, reservations/waitlist, labor management, and marketing, SpotOn helps operators increase throughput and reduce friction during the most intense hours, supporting QR code ordering, contactless payments, and the real-time reporting needed for operational visibility when lines grow and tickets stack up.
Beyond the Big Game: a 2026 playbook for every peak moment
In 2026, operators can apply the same planning to other cultural moments like March Madness, Cinco de Mayo, World Cup, and local festivals and events, when customers are actively choosing where to spend. The winners will be the independent restaurants and local bars that build repeatable playbooks with profit-first menus, optimized employee schedules, kitchen pacing with order throttling, and marketing that converts first-time visits into long-term loyalty.
To learn more about how SpotOn helps independent restaurants and local bars prepare for peak volume weekends—including optimizing labor, protecting the kitchen with tools like order throttling and KDS optimization, and turning Super Bowl Sunday sales into lasting loyalty with first-party data ownership and native loyalty programs—visit SpotOn’s operator resource hub for practical, profit-first guidance built for game-day operations and every major cultural moment in 2026.
About SpotOn
SpotOn is one of the leading software and payment companies, providing the technology and support that helps local businesses—and the people who run them—to succeed on their own terms. Known for its flexible, cloud-based technology and personalized support, SpotOn offers an end-to-end platform to accept payments, boost revenue, streamline operations, and create exceptional guest experiences. From seamless and efficient point-of-sale systems to integrated restaurant management solutions, SpotOn builds technology that "works the way you work" and backs it up with a 24/7 team of experts that make sure it always does—with fairness, flexibility, and a personal touch. For more information, visit www.spoton.com.
Media Contact:
Megan Palmer, SpotOn
MPalmer@spoton.com
410-262-7349
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