The Advantages of Using IPads in Your Restaurant

Have you ever thought about being the first restaurant in your area to use an iPad or notebook to enhance the dining experience for your customers? It might seem overwhelming at first, but this is becoming more and more popular in fancy restaurants and popular places to eat. 

However, using this type of technology can be expensive, so it isn’t the right choice for everyone. This then brings about the inevitable question: How do I know if my restaurant is a good candidate to use iPads and other electronic notebooks?

Photo Credit: zurb.com

Different Ways to Use an IPad in the Restaurant Industry

Below are a few ideas that may help you decide if this is the right decision for your establishment.

• Menu – If you think changing a paper menu each season when your menu changes you’re right. Just think of how easy it would be to change your menu, whenever you want, with just a click of a few buttons. No more going to the printers and enduring the extra expense of seasonal menu changes. Having the high-tech notebooks right at your customers’ table is easy and fun.

• Wine List – Notebooks have become increasingly popular for restaurants to showcase their extensive wine lists. They enable the sommelier to have extensive descriptions of the wine selections without having to take the time to explain, in detail, several wines to each table that wishes to order a bottle. The customer simply selects the wine of their choice, clicks the order button, and voila their bottle of wine appears at their table within minutes.
• Security – Don’t worry about someone accidentally walking off with your iPad when they are finished with their meal. It is very simple to put a sensor on each tablet that will sound if the tablet is taken away from the table.
• Ordering Options – Just think about how you can enhance your customers dining experience when using an iPad for a menu. You will be able to showcase your dishes with beautiful, state of the art photographs to show the customer just what they are ordering. We eat with our eyes first, and being able to see the food they are about to order will excite your guests.
• Increasing Revenue – When we have a visual of what we are thinking about ordering, it will make many people order an appetizer, entrée and dessert. No more having to have your waiter come around with a meat tray or dessert tray trying to entice the customer to order something that he may or may not want. By seeing all your delicious dishes before their eyes right at their table, will make hungry people even hungrier, therefore, increasing your profitability.
• No More Incorrect Bills – People are human, and they make mistakes, but by implementing an iPad at your restaurant will take away human error. When the customer clicks on the items he wants to order, it automatically goes into the system with the correct price. No more charging for something that wasn’t ordered, or worse yet, not charging for something that was ordered! Bills will be correct and waiters won’t have the stress of hoping they’re right.
• Staffing – Ipads are computers, and can help your staff serve their customer in a more efficient manner. When your restaurant is busy, the valued customer won’t have to wait for the server to make it to their table. They will be able to see everything right at their fingertips and do the ordering themselves. This enables you to be able to cut your staffing down because the server won’t be as time consumed at each table. Fewer servers will be able to attend to more tables.

This is the 21^st century. Technology is here to stay, so why not embrace it in your restaurant. Younger diners are expecting technology in their everyday lives now more than ever. The future is now!

   Jackie White

About the Guest Author:

Jackie White is a professional blogger that writes on a variety of topics including places to eat. She writes for Restaurants.com, a leading directory of restaurants.