Atlanta Restaurant Runs Business With iPads
by Jared Erondu
August 8, 2011
When was the last time that you went to restaurant and had to deal with rude waitresses and a slow valet? When dining out turned from a relaxing diversion to a stressful occasion? At the "Do At The View" restaurant in Atlanta, GA, such a day hasn't occurred — ever.
When you enter this restaurant, you are greeted by one of the employees and given a quick overview of how things run. The worker explains that the iPads on each table are used to view the menus and place orders. Essentially, a waiter only comes to your table twice; to bring your food and to pick up the plates.
A satisfied customer told CNN, "You can order as you go along. So you get your drinks first, then you order an appetizer. So you don't have to wait on anyone. When you're ready you just have to order it."
The restaurant's co-owners got a certified Apple developer to write the app to their liking. There is a back of the house system iPad that gives the waiters all the orders that have been placed and at what tables. For inventory purposes, they can check statistics for what foods are most popular and at what times of the day or week.
The fun and creativity doesn't end there. Do uses their lead iPad to control the media system of the entire restuarant. They can control the music, dim the lights and change the wall video backgrounds all with their fingertips. They also give customers the ability to enter their valet parking number into the iPad when they are ready to leave so their car can be pulled up to the front. Valets are notified, via their connected iPhones, which cars need to be pulled up.
Now you might be wondering: A bunch of iPads all around the room? Surely some will be stolen. Surprisingly, the owners said no theft has occurred since their launch. All the iDevices have sensors that activate if they cross any exit. If that happens, "there is a nice security guard at the door to greet them," said co-owner Christian Ruffin.
I like the idea of a restaurant where wrinkled orders and receipts are non-existent. As a matter of fact, I think I'll add this eating place to my to-do list. How about you? Do you think it takes away from the traditional dining-out feel?
