Entrepreneurial inspiration can strike you in the unlikeliest of places – as Torontonian Alex Barrotti knows all too well. He hit on the idea for an iPad app for wait staff while dining on sushi at a friend’s restaurant in the Caribbean.
His friend “was looking for ways to take care of his customers on the patio,” Mr. Barrotti explains. “In the Caribbean, they have issues that we take for granted – for instance, their power goes out three times a day, and they have no steady, reliable Internet connection.
TouchBistro is one of a growing number of iPad-based restaurant software programs – a list which includes apps for drinks menus, such as Uncorked, or purely customer-facing apps, such as MenuPad.
What separates TouchBistro from others is the depth of the program, and how it works in a three-fold manner – for customers, for wait staff, and for the business back-end that keeps things running.
This last point is key to the program’s success – the app can divide sales by section, waiter, food and drink, allowing restaurant managers to quickly figure out what's working and what isn't.
Busy restaurants can opt for an iPad for every waiter, while small cafés and bars can just use one for the point of sale. The TouchBistro website offers packages for purchasing everything from single iPads ($519+) to adding a cash drawer, printer and AirPort ($1,499).
Source: Globe and Mail
