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Revenue-generating advertising, promotions and entertainment could be the next frontier for pay-at-table devices, some industry observers and analysts say.
If such innovations could pay for themselves, restaurants might be more interested in funding a new payment-terminal infrastructure, says of Farhan Ahmad, director of emerging markets and new product development for Discover Financial Services.
"Pay-at-table devices could do more than just handle payments. What if an ad appears while the customer waits for card authorization? What if a promotion or a loyalty program is involved? These kind of revenue streams could really spur development of pay-at-table in the U.S.," Ahmad says.
Some restaurants are experimenting with such ideas.
At U.S.-based uWink Bistro, customers use touchscreens installed at each table to place their own food and beverage orders, play games, and pay with credit or debit cards. Servers merely deliver orders and handle cash transactions.
UWink Inc. last month opened its third California casual-dining restaurant and recently began marketing its proprietary touchscreen and pay-at-table technology to the hospitality industry, a spokesperson says, declining to disclose cost or other details.
U.S.-based TableTop Media this year installed pay-at-table devices equipped with full-motion video at all 50 tables in a Texas location of the nine-unit Cozymel's Mexican Grill casual-dining chain. Customers can use the seven-inch diameter touchscreen to watch videos describing food and beverages. A server takes their order, and they can use the device to pay for their meals with a credit or debit card.
TableTop Media says it would cost a 50-seat restaurant $3,000 to $5,000 to install its system, plus a service charge of $8 to $10 per seat each month thereafter.
Restaurants would get a share of revenue from advertising and sponsorships, says Shawn Gentry, the company's president and chief operating officer.
Microsoft Corp. has participated in a sponsorship of Cozymel's videos, and TableTop Media is in talks with other local and national sponsors, Gentry says.
"So far our test has lifted sales of food and drinks promoted on the video, and it also provides a rich channel for feedback when we offer surveys about the food and the experience," he says. "The system knows exactly what you ordered and who served it."
Though TableTop Media is talking with other restaurant chains, so far it has no plans to expand the system, Gentry says. CP
