A group of diners. A Chili's in Dallas. Some beer, some chips and a missing server holding the check hostage. For Shawn Gentry, who sat at that table and waited (and waited) to pay, they were the ingredients for a new business.
"Of course the server does a great job of bringing out the food and topping off your glass, and then when it comes time to check out, they're conveniently on a break," Gentry said. "And we really posed the question to each other right there: 'Why can't we just check out right here at the table, right now?'"
Now, only a couple of years later, Gentry is president and chief operating officer for TableTop Media. His company and others such as Nextep Systems are innovative technology providers trying to sell restaurant operators on pay-at-the-table self-service options.
And restaurants and chains big and small, from fast casual to quick service, are looking into how to take advantage of the pay-at-the-table technology that is already available.
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What's out there
While some quick-service chains such as Jack in the Box are testing self-service kiosks located near the service counter, the trend among most fast casual chains leans toward pay-at-the-table options. Boston-based Legal Seafoods has pay-at-the-table devices at more than a dozen of its restaurants, with plans to introduce the devices in all locations by the end of the year.
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TableTop Media's Ziosk device |
Pay-at-the-table options are gaining ground, by offering customers speed and the security of swiping their own credit or debit cards, but most patrons continue to rely on a restaurant employee when it comes to settling the bill. TableTop's Ziosk device and the Nextep Self-Order Foundation offer alternatives, say Gentry and Nextep president Tommy Woycik.
In addition to the integrated pay-at-the-table solution, Nextep also has a swipe-at-the-table tablet, brought out to the customers by the server. The customer is still dependent on wait staff to bring the bill in a timely way, but the security issue is addressed. But Woycik says the self-service-payment technology that seems to be taking off most readily, in casinos restaurants, restaurants and airports, is the fixed type.
In addition to accepting payment, one Nextep solution allows customers to order at the table, too.
"With the other devices, the customer is still waiting for the server to order," he said. "Nextep is really dedicated to putting the ordering in the hands of the customer. When you want to order another drink, order another appetizer, or when you want to pay, you don't have to wait for the server to get back to your table. It puts the customer in charge."
Nextep's tabletop ordering option also enhances order accuracy by eliminating the chance for miscommunication between the server and the customer, Woycik says. It also offers a multilingual option, allowing customers to order in the language of their choice.
While TableTop's Ziosk is capable of order entry if the restaurant operator wants that option, Gentry's company is focusing on pay on demand and digital promotions, he said.
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A pay-at-the-table deployment by Nextep at the new Terminal 5 at JFK Airport. |
Pay-at-the-table technology has been embraced already by consumers in Europe, in part because the European market is typically more open to new technologies, and government regulators have been faster to accept and promote technology, Gentry says. But he's hopeful U.S. diners will push the technology forward, too.
"If you look at the way that we really operate in the U.S. and the trends that we're in right now, people really want to take control of their experience," Gentry said. "You see it at the grocery store, you see it at the airports … and when we look at where we are now, I think people really want to take control of their experience in restaurants, too."
Annika Stensson, media relations director for the National Restaurant Association, agrees.
"Our research shows that more than half of consumers (53 percent) say they would be likely to use a pay-at-the-table option if it were offered in their favorite table-service restaurant, and three out of 10 operators see it as an increasingly popular trend," she said.
And it's hard to argue with the success of at least one self-service ordering solution. After a nine-month test at the Cozymel's Mexican Grill chain in Texas, the Ziosk helped lift sales orders by up to 33 percent, Gentry says. The increases spiked up to 80 percent when interactive elements and video were incorporated.
TableTop also partners with companies like Viacom and Universal Studios to offer advertisements on their devices, creating another revenue stream to share with restaurant partners.
Still, among all the benefits, the most important is that pay-at-the-table and order-at-the-table improve the customer experience, Gentry says.
"Sure, we have to make the restaurant happy," he said. "But if the guest isn't happy, we're not staying on the table."
