Want a speedier checkout? Just tap.

With Change’s easy-to-use design, tapping on buttons offers more precision and requires fewer hand movements than swiping or scrolling. So checkout takes just seconds.

If you’re looking for a menu item, tap the small squares at the base of the iPad screen and see the buttons respond instantly. We prefer tapping over swiping or scrolling because you don’t have to wait while the screen slides and settles before your next move. It’s just tap and GO.

So tap your way through the entire app. This speedier checkout may get your toes tapping, too.

Testdrive this feature with a Change demo. And of course, you can always reach out with questions about this or any other feature at help@change.io or 515-661-5561.

Twelve hot dogs, four full stomachs, and a whole lot of donations later, the Change Challenge: Hotshots Edition has come to an end. Chris Ford of Christopher the Conquered was a man on a mission, as he destroyed the competition by over one whole Change dog.

Each of our four competitors wolfed down three Change dogs, monstrous compilations of andouille sausage, red beans and rice, pickled ginger, and Louisiana hot sauce. They are as appetising as they are brilliantly named.

Want to try a Change Dog? Well, you’re in luck. Our friends at Hotshots Craft Hotdoggery will continue to feature the Change Dog throughout the remainder of June. For every Change dog sold, both Change and Hotshots will each donate a dollar to the Central Iowa Shelter and Services.

We cannot give enough thanks to our four competitors: Chris Ford, Sam Auen, Van Holmgren, and Clint Harvey. Though Ford demolished them in the competition, their support is what we value.

We also would like to thank a truly magnificent host, Hotshots Craft Hotdoggery. They not only provided an awesome atmosphere for the contest, but also one killer dog for Des Moines to enjoy throughout June.

For those who came out to the event, we are extremely grateful for the support. It was a paparazzi of sorts, so please send us your photos and videos at help@change.io. Heck. It’s 2013. Just tweet them to @usechange.

Thank you again to everyone who made it out to our very first Change Challenge. We’ll be sure to bring it back for round two very soon.

To watch video of the competition, check it out at the Des Moines Register.

Thumbnail provided by Van Holmgren.

This Thursday, June 13, at 2:00 pm, we’ve lined up three hungry competitors to go stomach a stomach to see who can down three Change dogs the fastest. This will all take place at the latest addition to the Change roster: Hotshots Craft Hotdoggery.

Not only will we be testing the gastrointestinal fortitude of the human stomach, we will be raising money for an awesome cause: The Central Iowa Shelter & Services.

Without further ado, I give you the bold amatuer eaters brave enough to take on the Change Challenge:

As mentioned, The Change Challenge is an event for charity. Each contestant will sit behind their very own donation jar, accepting incentives to win. Cough. Bring your wallets. Cough.

Can’t make it? Don’t worry. Hotshots will be featuring the Change dog for the remainder of June. For every Change dog purchased, both Change and Hotshots will donate a dollar to The Central Iowa Shelter & Services.

So come out to Hotshots Thursday at 2:00 p.m. You won’t be disappointed.

For more information on the event, check it out on Facebook.

After Hotshots Craft Hotdoggery joined the Change family this past month, we felt inclined to celebrate. Not just because we were adding another killer establishment to the Change roster, but it had been one year since Change kicked out its first receipt to a paying customer.

Since then, we’ve fixed, updated, and tweaked a ton of features. We’ve worked with (and have learned from) so many incredible business owners, and with each week that passes, we find ways to make Change faster, stronger, better.

So how should we celebrate these accomplishments?

Drinks? No. Office party? No. Hot dog eating contest? Hell yes!

On June 13th at 2:00 pm, join us as three hungry competitors (to be determined) see who can finish three Change Dogs the fastest. What’s a Change dog, you might ask?

Well, Hotshots’ resident food scientists are concocting a dog with a killer edge to it. It will be unveiled at the event, so stay tuned, we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Throughout the month of June, Hotshots will continue to feature The Change Dog and it will be paired with a charitable donation. For every Change Dog purchased, both Hotshots and Change will donate one dollar to Central Iowa Shelter & Services.

So come out to Hotshots and witness this gastrointestinal feat. Even if you’re not participating in the gluttony, grab a hand-crafted dog and chat with some good people.

To RSVP for the Change Challenge, check it out on Facebook.

As customers search for your restaurant online, what do they find? PDFs? Flash pages? Scanned copies of you menu? These can be slow to load, difficult to search, and awkward on a smart phone.

The good news is there are excellent websites and apps out there to help you design a sleek menu and increase your online traffic. Here are three we love:

In our never-ending quest for function and flex, we set out to find ways of making Change easier to use without a receipt printer. We want to do everything we can to get our customers up and running faster, while giving them more flexibility, and keeping a few extra dollars in their pockets.

So, what was our answer? Email receipts.

Emailing a receipt is simple and can be done with just a few quick taps:

• In the Settings tab, turn Auto-Print off, and make sure Email Receipt is turned on.
• After completing an order, a print preview pane will appear on the right side of the screen.
• Select the Email button at the bottom, and enter the customer’s email address.
• Tap Next on your keyboard.
• Tap OK to exit, and the email receipt will be sent.

In this update, email receipts are just one of the many ways Change can help your restaurant go paperless. Take a look at its green side.

1. Print Preview
   You can now preview a receipt before printing it. If a printer is connected, and the email receipt setting is turned on, this screen will give you the option to print, email, or skip the receipt altogether.
2. Auto-Print Options
   In the past, receipts automatically printed after each order was completed. Now, you have the option to either keep Auto-Print on for speedier checkouts, or you can save some paper by turning it off.
3. Preview and Email Reports
   When you need quick stats to balance the drawer, you can now preview end-of-session reports without having to print them or go to your Change Dashboard.

The heart and soul of a restaurant is its kitchen. It’s what customers come for. So we decided to help them out too.

1. Auto-Print Kitchen Receipts
   In a previous version, we gave users the option to print Customer Checks and Kitchen Receipts for each order. Now, you can have these print automatically each time an order is completed. Simply turn on Auto-Print for kitchen receipts.
2. Better Kitchen Receipts
   Kitchen receipts are now much easier to read with bigger type and more white space.

If you’re considering using Change,or are already a part of the Change family, this update will get you one step closer to being paperless. Along with that, your kitchen will see a whole new level of efficiency.

Remember, as a Change subscriber, all these updates and improvements are free of charge. We just like you that much.

What Super Powers Do These Reports Give You?

More Control: You can download, view, and save these reports on your computer as a backup in case your system crashes.

More Perspective: You can see the break down from many angles – by payment type, by transaction, by which sold the most, and so on – giving you any view of your business you want.

More Time: These reports save you time by cutting out the extra step of printing out reports and recording data manually to store or analyze.

More Knowledge: View, export, and/or analyze to your heart’s content. With a better understanding of what happens at your restaurant, you can do more to improve your strengths and eliminate your weaknesses, growing stronger with every report.

Transaction Report

This is a comprehensive list of orders. If a customer reports a wrong order, you can go into your report, find the transaction, and make it right.

Payment Report

Here, payment type and amount are listed for every transaction, even if multiple forms were used for one order – say, cash and credit together. If someone rings up a credit card wrong, you can make it right with this report.

Discounts Report

Want to know which transactions sold at a discount, why and for how much? This report will tell you.

Top-Sellers Report

Tally which items sold best – and which sold least – with this instant report. If you want to tweak your menu, this report can help you identify dud items and promote top sellers.

Items Report

For every transaction, see the breakdown of what customers ordered – by item name, quantity, price, department, and more.

How to access these reports

• Head on over to Change.io and log in to your Change Dashboard.
• Click “Reports” in the lefthand column.
• Click on the session you want to view. What will appear is a pared down sales report, useful for quick and accurate accounting.
• Now click EXPORT in the top right corner of your screen. All reports mentioned above will download to your computer in a single folder labeled with that session’s date in the format YearMonthDaySession#. For example, the folder for May 10, 2013 will be named: 20130510000.
• Now you can peruse, sort, store, and compare to your heart’s content.

The power is yours.

Greetings! I’m Abbie, the new Communications Coordinator at Change.  I joined the team to be pen pals with the world about all the cool stuff Change is doing and creating.

I grew up in Des Moines and recently moved back from the Quad Cities, where I taught English, Humanities and Communications at Scott Community College and Palmer College of Chiropractic. Before that, I studied Journalism at the University of Iowa and earned my Masters degree in New Zealand.

Though I don’t write code, I do nerd out about yoga, bike rides, home brewing, huevos rancheros, my 1988 gold Volvo station wagon, french press coffee, and Neil Young. Sometimes, I even try to play guitar and sing at the same time.

As I rediscover Des Moines, my two favorite pastimes are visiting all the eating and drinking establishments and helping my husband Chris LoRang as he opens Capital Chiropractic and Rehabilitation Center in the East Village.

I’m new to the tech scene, so find me on Twitter @theabbierevue. Cheers!

So how do you tip when service is removed from the equation?

Quick-service restaurants are virtually on every corner. The pizza places, burrito joints, and sub shops, we frequent all too often. Yet, we still aren’t sure how to tip at these establishments.

Do we cut back to five percent? Do we tip at all?

The simple answer is, well, it depends. There really isn’t one overarching rule for quick-serve restaurants, mainly because no two are alike. Each restaurant ends up with its own set of standards and rules for receiving tips.

Here are a few of mine.

Show Love For Awesome Food Preparation:

Nothing else matters when life calls for a hearty, meat-stuffed burrito, as long as the weight of Mexico lines your stomach within the hour. So how should you treat someone who pours on an extra spoonful of steak? Simple. Give that humanitarian an extra dollar, because they just made your future a better place.

Appreciate The Speed:

Even if no one wants to admit it, the speed of McDonald’s in phenomenal. Wouldn’t it be great if a ribeye and garlic mashed potatoes was on your table in three minutes? While that may be impossible, a restaurant serving quality food in a hurry should be rewarded. There is no feeling more frustrating than a grumbling stomach and a ticking watch, so reach into your wallet and pull out a one. You never know how it will impact your next visit.

Chip In For Cleanliness:

It’s quite possible there is no job more underappreciated than the bus-boy. Imagine if they didn’t show up to work. Your table would be riddled with the filth of previous diners, your plates would be crusted with earlier meals, and your glasses would be covered in grandma’s lipstick. That is a world I don’t want to be a part of. Lay down your change for service which largely goes unnoticed, because if they’re unhappy, you’ll be unhappy.

Go The Extra Mile For Someone Who Did The Same:

Checking on tables is not required of staff in most quick-serve restaurants. If they’re willing to give you a smile and  “How is everything?”, I don’t see why it shouldn’t be reciprocated. Leave a few singles on the table for someone who went out of their way to be friendly to a stranger.

Remember. Don’t adopt a doctrine of tipping rules. Adjust your tips for each restaurant you dine in, because service is no longer identical. That doesn’t mean tipping the “old fashion way” is gone, it just means keep an open mind for each scenario.

Void and Refund Orders

We know you and your customer never make mistakes, but just in case, you can now void or refund orders. Just tap the orders tab in the top action bar and select the order you’d like to edit.

Easy Group Editing

During testing, we noticed people struggling to edit groups. Not anymore! Tap a group while editing screen layouts and it will now give you the option to move or edit the group. You can also now edit the group’s name and color or delete the group entirely on the edit group screen.

New In-App Purchase To Extend Plan

Need to extend your plan in a pinch? No problem! You can now do this right within the app. Just make your way over to the settings screen and purchase a month extension on your plan.

Create Account In App

You probably already have an account, but what about everyone else? Well, now your friends can create accounts right within the app. It’s faster and will save them hundreds of seconds!