Last week I went to a fancy Italian restaurant with my family after work. Frequently surrounded by barcode scanners and mobile computers, I thought I was done seeing data collection devices when I left the office – but boy was I wrong.
Walking into the restaurant (a bit earlier than the rest of my party, so I had time to look around), I immediately noticed two of the hostesses staring down at tablets. I initially assumed they were slacking off and browsing Facebook, until I saw their screens – they were using the tablets to check table availability and seat customers. Brilliant.
How didn’t I realize this opportunity before, especially after I just wrote a blog about practical mobile POS solutions in various retail settings? While the tablets weren’t being used for point-of-sale purposes (yet), they were used with the same end goals in mind:
- Empower the employees
- Enhance the customer experience
- Strengthen overall business operations
Just the other week, I wrote another blog on how retailers can use iPhones and iPods as mobile POS platforms with Captuvo Enterprise Sleds to better enhance their business operations. Considering an iPad mini is essentially just a slightly larger iPhone or iPod, it should be able to function with a Captuvo sled. Right? Well, Honeywell will soon be rolling out with the Captuvo SL62 Enterprise Sled, compatible with the iPad Mini.
So, considering this restaurant was using a tablet, let’s take a look at how mobile technology and mobile POS solutions could improve restaurant operations:
- Checking table availability & seating customers
- Notifying wait staff when they’ve been sat
- Taking orders digitally, reducing errors due to poor handwriting
- Showing customers pictures of various dishes
- Providing customers nutritional facts about various dishes (if they really want to know how many calories are in the alfredo sauce)
- At-the-table checkout (rather than dropping off the check and awkwardly glancing over frequently to see if the credit card has been put in the checkbook yet)
- Checking and tracking inventory
Seeing the tablet in action at the restaurant caught my attention, and I’m sure I’m not alone. Can you think of any other ways a tablet and mobile POS solution can be used in a restaurant setting? Let us know on Twitter, @LTronCorp.
About the author
Jason Shanley is a member of L-Tron’s content creation team. His background in communication and technology provides him the deep knowledge base required for the articles he authors. Jason can be reached at info@L-Tron.com or (800) 830-9523.