Top Restaurant Tech Headlines from NRA Show
The 96th annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show and the co-located BAR (Beverage Alcohol for Restaurants) at NRA Show, recently held at Chicago’s McCormick Place on May 16-19, posted record exhibit space and a 3% uptick in registration in the key buyer category of restaurant and foodservice operators. Over the course of four days, the 2015 NRA Show showcased more than 2100 suppliers across more than 637,000 feet of exhibit space and offered operators a chance to see firsthand technology innovations that could potentially change the scope of their day-to-day operations. The technology pavilion was teeming with new releases geared to helping restaurants drive business profitability and shape the future of the restaurant, foodservice and hospitality industry. Here are a few of the headlines that emerged as top stories.
Survey Sees Growing Opportunity for Mobile Payment in Restaurants
Harbortouch published the results of a recent survey investigating the changing attitudes consumers have toward mobile payments technology. The results revealed that out of seven categories, including entertainment and retail, one in four people chose the restaurant industry as the most likely to widely adopt mobile payments in the near future. Among those surveyed, Millennials were the highest percentage of mobile payment users, with nearly half of respondents (41.9 percent) falling into that demographic.
Paytronix Rewards Platform Expands Mobile Features
Paytronix Systems, Inc. has announced improvements to its mobile apps that include more home screen functionality, social features, customizable appearance and reporting capabilities. For clients planning to create a custom app, Paytronix offers an Open API REST integration. The API enables developers to tap into all the benefits of the responsive guest web pages to create branded sites, powerful online ordering platforms, and apps.
NCR Unveils Mobile POS Solution for the Hospitality Industry
NCR Corporation has announced the North American launch of the NCR Orderman7, its newest mobile point-of-sale (POS) solution. Orderman7 handheld devices create efficiencies, boost productivity and reshape the guest experience. Employees are able to take orders and payment at the table or in-seats at theaters, to line-bust during peak traffic periods and to quickly and easily serve guests in bars and nightclubs.
OpenTable App Integrates with NCR Aloha POS to Offer Mobile Payments
NCR Corporation and OpenTable, part of The Priceline Group, have announced they have integrated OpenTable’s ‘Pay with OpenTable’ app with the NCR Aloha point-of-sale solution via the NCR Hosted Application Protocol Interface (API) platform. The NCR Hosted API Platform is a cloud-based gateway that allows third parties to integrate, maintain and deploy their services across NCR’s installed base of point-of-sale systems. This cloud offering allows payments through the OpenTable app to be tightly integrated into the NCR Aloha point-of-sale solution. To pay with OpenTable, diners who book at participating restaurants simply add a credit card in the OpenTable app before they dine and then view and pay their check on their smartphone. There’s no separate app to download; no codes to enter; and no scanning or barcodes involved. Diners who pay with OpenTable simply get up and go whenever they’re ready.
Integrated Solution Brings Enhanced Pre-Ordering Benefits to Restaurants and Patrons
Epson America, Inc. has announced that Wait List Ordering LLC, a provider of white labeled mobile software solutions for restaurants' wait list and reservations, has selected Epson's Omnilink® TM-T88V-i and OmniLink TM-T20II-i intelligent printers for their unique ePOS™ Print and Server Direct Print technologies to manage restaurant reservations and pre-orders. Wait List Ordering is a white labeled application that features a pre-ordering platform to help restaurants increase table turnover while boosting sales, guest satisfaction and customer loyalty. It includes a host app and mobile guest app, both solely dedicated to the restaurant's brand.
Caesars Palace Buffet Streamlines Service with New Reservation, Waitlist Management App
Heartland Payment Systems has announced the availability of Heartland Guest™, a new comprehensive app delivering reservation, wait-list management and mobile-ordering services in a single app for U.S.-based restaurants and their customers. Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace debuted the service in December of 2013 and witnessed an immediate positive impact. Heartland Guest wait-list management service allows diners to join the queue remotely and virtually hold their place for hours, alerting them by text when it’s their turn.
Breadcrumb Live iPhone App Lets Operators Monitor Biz Performance in Real-time
Breadcrumb has announced the launch of Breadcrumb Live, an iPhone app that gives restaurant owners a way to monitor the performance of their business in real time. With Breadcrumb Live, restaurant owners are provided with quick and easy access to important sales figures, guest and check counts and performance trends––24/7, right from the palm of their hand. Breadcrumb Live is an iPhone app that gives restaurant owners a way to monitor the performance of their business in real time.
Digital Dining Announces New Mobile Pay Capability Powered by MyCheck
Menusoft Systems, the owners of Digital Dining Point of Sale Software and MyCheck have announced a complete integration into Digital Dining point-of-sale software for quick service and full service restaurants. In line with the company’s capacity to develop branded apps for restaurant groups and chains, MyCheck is also creating the new DDpay App for Digital Dining, which incorporates online ordering and loyalty capabilities in addition to payment.
Heartland Introduces Heartland Secure for Restaurants
Heartland Payment Systems has introduced Heartland Secure, a comprehensive credit/debit card data security solution that combines three powerful technologies, Heartland’s proprietary Heartland E3® end-to-end encryption and tokenization, and Europay, MasterCard and Visa (EMV), all working together to provide restaurateurs with the highest level of protection available against card-present data fraud.