As we were seated, I saw an iPad mounted to the table, and realized that all the tables had them.  Curious, I asked the hostess about it.  She told me that they were testing the use of iPads in their restaurant –for viewing the menu, for ordering, and for paying—and the server would explain all the details.  She left and I sighed.  After all, I had been at work all day, staring at a computer, and the last thing I wanted was to look at another screen and be my own waitress, if even for just ordering my meal.

But then I saw what the iPad could do.

When iPads first hit the market their potential for restaurant-industry use was immediately recognized.  Most saw the iPad’s greatest strengths as lying in the realm of a portable POS device, one to replace the bulky, space-stealing, immobile units that servers needed to walk to, and often wait in line for, in order to use.  The portability of the iPad opened up new avenues for restaurants.  And the possibility of having one at each table was exciting.  With the capability of holding more than 140,000 apps, a washable screen, WiFi capability, and a competitive price, iPad was staged to change the way the front-of-the-house operates in restaurants across the nation.

With the addition of an iPad to every table in a restaurant, operators are able to blend their already-great hospitality with technology.  Now guests can view high-resolution photos of their favorite items, and simply tap to order.  They can request changes based on their personal taste or dietary needs.  And they can really see what an item is, as Steve Martorano of Café Mortorano in Fort Lauderdale, Florida points out.  He had regular customers who had been coming for more than 20 years and ordering the same thing every time, “simply because they didn’t know what guanciale was or what a certain kind of pasta was.”  With the addition of the iPad, they were able to identify the items they didn’t recognize and make different decisions about what they would eat that day.

When diners decide what they will be having for dinner, a simple tap on the screen sends their order directly to the kitchen.  The obvious benefit here is that the service is expedited, but the secondary improvement in this instantaneous ordering is that the risk of errors is drastically, if not completely, eradicated.  Nothing is lost in translation between the guest, the server, and the kitchen.

And don’t know which wine or beer will pair well with the food you have chosen to eat, or vice versa?  With an iPad, the information is at your fingertips.  How about an interactive wine list or an app that will make suggestions based on the ingredients of their chosen meal or the guest’s personal taste?  When customers can read about the wines, learn their qualities, their flavor profiles, and other information about the winery, for example, they may be more apt to purchase a glass or a bottle to have with their dinner.  The same for beer, or for cocktails—allowing customers to customize their beverage purchase enhances their dining experience while also increasing your restaurant’s sales is a win-win situation!

Paying your bill when there is an iPad on your table is also a breeze, and this is where the entire idea fully won me over.  A single swipe of my card paid my bill, but not before offering to help me split the tab, suggesting a gratuity for my server, and allowing me the option to use multiple cards or payment options for my transaction.  This payment method has been found to cut off, on average, seven minutes of the average diner’s stay.  Seven minutes?  You mean I don’t have to sit around and wait for my server to take my card someplace else (away from me, the customer, and subject me to credit card fraud, as this is where most restaurant fraud occurs), run the card, stop and chat with a few other guests, refill some water, and finally get around to bringing me back the slip to sign?  Yes, I am happy with that!  The restaurant benefits, too, because the faster turnover rate means more diners per night, which in turn equates to more sales.  Yet another win-win!

With all that the iPad and other techno-gadgets can do for the restaurant business, one may be quick to think, “well, there goes the servers, and with them, the quality of service I receive” but you would be hasty to jump to that conclusion.  What I find really great about the growing use of technology in the front-of-the-house is that it works to complement the service of the wait staff rather than replace it.  What the iPad did was to free my server up to do the other important functions of the restaurant.  When I needed more water, she was able to swing by more quickly with the pitcher to fill my cup. I needed more sauce for my sandwich and with just a quick turn of my head I caught her eye and she was on her way.  The technology actually gives the waiter or waitress more time to meet many of your other dining needs besides the ordering and paying.  I felt the service was amplified rather than diminished, and I was happy with what the new system added to my overall experience.

Skeptical at first, I have been converted to a techie, at least in the world of restaurants.  The rise of technology is bound to benefit both the operation and the guest.  I’m excited to see where the next wave takes us.  How about you?

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