[restaurant] Device to input order and send to printer?

Hello,

I know someone who started a small restaurant without much money so is currently using one of those calculators with a printer.

Problem is, the bills just show a list of numbers so customers don't know what each line refers to, which is not fun for groups that go Dutch (ie. everyone pays what they owe instead of just splitting the bill equally).

The full-fledged Point of sales (POA) devices I've seen seem a bit pricey, so I was thinking of using a small, light device to input the order, and then a basic thermal printer to print the bill.

To avoid having to connect/disconnect the tablet to the printer through USB and possibly break it, going wifi could be a better idea but I don't know if those entry-level printers can receive data through wifi, or if they're limited to USB/Ethernet.

If someone's been there already, would you recommend using a tablet for this? If not, what other device in the same financial ballpark should I use to input the order?

Thank you.

Use a normal computer instead of a tablet? I don't understand why you would need to connect/disconnect the device from the printer frequently, and tablets are not exactly cheap.

Are you wanting to change your existing business process so the waiters carry around a tablet to take orders? (I can't imagine they currently carry around a calculator with a printer when taking orders)

If you're on a tight budget though, I really can't see anything beating the cost of a desktop system permanently connected to a cheap printer.