Tim McLaughlin is Co-Founder and CEO of GoTab, a platform that is more than a point-of-sale (POS) system. GoTab helps restaurants, breweries, food halls, hotels, and other venues improve the guest experience and address substantial inefficiencies that continue to plague the hospitality and retail industry. Featuring a sophisticated POS that can optionally integrate with other popular POS and property management systems (PMS), GoTab also includes a robust bar and kitchen display system (KDS) with integrated two-way messaging to optimize operations and delivery. GoTab’s platform empowers every guest and staff member to make the most sensible, convenient choices for their scenario while maintaining appropriate controls.
GoTab creates measurable benefits for its operators, driving increased spend while reducing operating costs. GoTab operators’ guest spend per labor hour (SPLH) of $83 is 84% above the industry median. Moreover, GoTab operators spend an average of 14% less on labor than standard industry benchmarks typically adding an additional 4% to the bottom line.
Founded in 2016, GoTab processes over $500M in gross merchandise value (GMV) annually with operations across 39 U.S. states, Canada and growing.
Prior to co-founding GoTab, McLaughlin led Siteworx, Inc., an e-commerce and digital experience agency with clients including PayPal, Goldman Sachs, VeriSign, Bain & Co., and Thermo Fisher Scientific, to a successful PE exit in 2012. Subsequent to Siteworx, Tim and his wife Jen co-founded Caboose Brewing Co., an upscale 2 location brewery and farm-to-table concept based in Vienna, Virginia. Tim is also owner of craft beer and cider distributor, Ferment Nation. In 2022, Insider named Tim to its annual Restaurant Innovators Power Players list, and Inc. recognized GoTab as a Power Partner for the company’s proven track record supporting entrepreneurs and helping startups grow.
Go Tab has been on Deloitte’s Fast500 for the last two years.
Q1: What inspired the idea for GoTab?
GoTab started with a simple but frustrating problem—paying the check at a restaurant; it is one of the worst parts of dining out. It’s clunky, slow, and inefficient. Back in 2016, we set out to fix that. But we quickly realized the issue was bigger than payments. The entire way restaurants operated—from ordering to kitchen workflows—was full of inefficiencies that were costing operators time, money, and customer satisfaction. So, we built a system that not only solved payments but also helped restaurants serve guests faster, operate smarter, and boost revenue.
Q2: Please share your background. Have you always been active in the food service industry?
I came from the eCommerce and web development world, where everything is built around user experience, analytics, and efficiency. Restaurants, on the other hand, weren’t thinking about things in that way—there was so much room to improve. When I co-owned a brewery, I got a front-row seat to the challenges of running a hospitality business. That’s when it clicked: why not take the same data-driven, user-first approach that works online and apply it to restaurants? That’s where GoTab was born.
Q3: Briefly talk about the GoTab services.
At its core, GoTab is an entertainment commerce platform—designed to help operators elevate the guest experience, boost revenue, and slash labor costs. Whether running in the cloud or fully on-premises with our new GoTab SNC for offline mode, our platform gives you ultimate flexibility and reliability.
From mobile ordering and payment to point-of-sale (POS), self-ordering kiosks, kitchen display systems (KDS), server tools, and guest engagement features, GoTab adapts to your unique needs. Whether you’re a brewery with a sprawling outdoor space, a fine dining restaurant perfecting its coursing, or an eatertainment venue juggling multiple activations, GoTab makes service faster, smarter, and always connected—no matter what.
Q4: Who are GoTab key clients/customers?
We work with a wide range of operators—breweries, restaurants, hotels, food halls, stadiums, resorts, fine dining, eatertainment venues—you name it. If you’re in the business of serving food and drinks and want to do it more efficiently, we’re probably a fit. Some of our biggest wins have been in places where traditional POS systems fall short, like large venues, eatertainment concepts, multi-vendor spaces, and businesses with high guest autonomy. Some of our notable venues which are ideal use cases would be Maui Brewing, Golden Mill Food Hall, and T-Squared Social.
Q5: What makes GoTab stand out from its competitors?
GoTab was built cloud-first, mobile-first, and guest-first from the start. That means we aren’t weighed down by outdated hardware or clunky interfaces. We pioneered QR-powered ordering before it became mainstream, making it intuitive and scalable for operators who need speed and flexibility. Unlike legacy systems, GoTab is designed to help restaurants and bars serve more guests with fewer staff, optimizing operations without sacrificing hospitality. We focus on solving real operational problems, not just selling hardware.
Q6: What is in the future for Go Tab?
As we expand, we’re staying focused on what operators really need—less complexity, smarter FOH and BOH coordination, and more flexibility. Guests want more control, and operators need tech that works without getting in the way. With transparent pricing and always-available, on-shore support, we’re committed to helping hospitality businesses run smoother, serve faster, and grow stronger.
Q7: Anything else we should know about Go Tab?
If you’re still running on a legacy POS, you’re leaving money on the table. GoTab isn’t just another system—it’s a better way to operate. If you care about faster service, higher revenue, and happier guests, it’s time to make the switch. And hey, we make it easy to try—just book a demo, and let’s talk.
