Sporting events draw large crowds to local restaurants, and independent operators are streamlining service to handle the surge while boosting revenue. SpotOn, a restaurant technology company, positions itself as a partner to help restaurants capitalize on game-day traffic and support long-term growth.
SpotOn’s Super Bowl Strategy: Turning Game Day Into Long-Term Gains
SpotOn is a top software and payments service provider to the restaurant industry. The company has leveraged its flexible, cloud-based technology and 24/7 personalized support to provide restaurants with end-to-end solutions to take payments and streamline operations, boost revenues, and provide smooth guest experiences.
SpotOn’s operator-first approach is clear in its Super Bowl sponsorship, which targets peak priorities: operational efficiency, smooth ordering and payments, and marketing strategies that turn game-day traffic into sustained growth.
SpotOn offers a five-step checklists to help operators plan ahead for game day. The 5-step game-day checklist consists of:
- Profit-first menu approach: Minimize the length of menus and prioritize high-margin dishes. Dining packages or meal deals with group-friendly options can be used to boost the average ticket size without placing an additional burden on the kitchen.
- Market the moment: The National Retail Federation has forecasted that in 2024, the average household is expected to spend $86.04 on game-day necessities. Restaurants are urged to post hours, specials, and options for ordering the food in all channels to ensure the guests are prepared to order when the demand is at its best.
- More intelligent staff scheduling: Use past POS data and performance reports to plan more intelligent scheduling, minimize staffing shortages, and increase the number of table turns during the rush.
- Automation during peak demand: When there is a high order volume, QR code ordering, tap-to-pay, online order throttling, and kitchen display systems keep restaurants well-organized even as waitlists and reservations stretch out.
- First-party data and digital loyalty programs: Digital loyalty programs enable operators to capture guest data using loyalty tools, which enables them to send timely and targeted offers and convert one-time game-day guests into loyal customers.
Guy’s Flavortown Tailgate Presented by SpotOn
SpotOn is the title sponsor of Guy’s Flavortown tailgate presented by SpotOn, the large, food-focused fan festival that is going to be held on the weekend of the Super Bowl. The event combines food, entertainment, and restaurant culture in a high-energy environment that is intended to celebrate independent operators in one of the largest weekends of the year.
Guy’s Flavortown Tailgate features restaurant pop-ups, brand activations, and live performances. The all-ages, free event runs between 11:30 a.m. PT and 3.30 p.m. PT and is free to the public without the need to purchase a ticket to the Super Bowl. The event features more than 20 Bay Area restaurants, with menus inspired by Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and developed by Guy Fieri.
The Chief Marketing Officer of SpotOn, Kevin Bryla, says that the Super Bowl weekend is a unique, high-intent period when fans make quick decisions about where to gather and what to order.
He said, “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.”
How SpotOn Supports Operators During High-Intent Demands
The Super Bowl remains one of the most dependable high-intent dining moments of the year, which stimulates steep growth in dine-in traffic, takeout orders, and online sales. According to the National Restaurant Association, 67% of Americans watch the game at home, and nearly 59% of them order takeout.
While the surge itself is significant, the broader opportunity lies in the local economic impact created. In the case of independent operators, it is simple: organize in advance, act well under pressure, and continue interacting with new guests after the event is over. SpotOn’s platform is designed to support this strategy.
SpotOn restaurant POS is a cloud-based solution that is designed to assist operators in responding swiftly, precisely, and in a controlled manner to sudden surges in demand, resulting either from Super Bowl weekend, a local concert, or a local festival.
Its platform combines POS, online ordering, payments, reservations, waitlist management, labor, and marketing in a single system, which enables restaurants to generate more output and less friction at peak times.
The QR code ordering and contactless payment features facilitate the flow of lines, and the real-time reporting features allow the operator to have real-time visibility of the performance as the volume increases.
SpotOn’s Broader Vision for Every Peak Moment of 2026
Beyond the Super Bowl, the idea behind the strategy of SpotOn is designed to assist the independent restaurants and local bars in planning their high-impact events throughout the 2026 calendar.
Cultural and seasonal occasions like March Madness, Cinco de Mayo, world cup, and neighborhood festivals will create instances of high demand as customers actively decide where to gather, watch, and order.
SpotOn pushes operators to plan these moments just like Super Bowl game day – by creating repeatable playbooks that focus on profit-first menus, data-driven staff scheduling, and kitchen pacing with order throttling. Together with targeted marketing activities, these tools allow turning first-time visitors into loyal and repeat guests.
SpotOn offers guidance on this topic through its operator resource hub. The goal is to help operators treat every major cultural moment in 2026 as an opportunity for sustained growth, not just a single-day sales lift.
SpotOn, with its Super Bowl-centered playbook and collaboration with Guy’s Flavortown Tailgate, is also strengthening its position as the technology partner of independent restaurants. The company will assist in transforming game-day excitement into business development by combining short-term operational tactics with long-term business strategies.
[Editor’s note: SpotOn is one of Whatnow’s Preferred Partners.]
