Is it ready to meet the demands of the restaurant industry?

YOUR RESTAURANT’S DIGITAL IDENTITY . SPRING 2012

Since debuting the tablet device in early 2010, Apple has sold 67 million iPads. It took Apple three years to sell that many iPhones and24 years to sell as many Macs.

The new iPad, which released on March 16, sold 3 million units in itsfirst weekend. “The strongest iPad launch yet,” Philip Schiller, Apple’ssenior vice president of wordwide marketing, said in a press release.“Customers are loving the incredible new features of iPad, includingthe stunning Retina display, and we can’t wait to get it into the handsof even more customers around the world.”

Apple didn’t outline opening weekend sales for its previous iPad releases. However, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster estimated thatApple sold 400,000 to 500,000 iPad 2s the first weekend they went onsale in March 2011. However, Munster said that Apple sold out of iPad2s and would have sold more if there had been more on hand.

In 2010, Apple claimed that it sold 300,000 iPads on the first day theywent on sale. Munster estimates that the company sold 600,000 to700,000 iPads that weekend.

Unlike past iPad releases, the new iPad was available in 12 countries at launch. Apple expanded the launch to 24 additional countries on March 23.

Pricing for the device is identical to the iPad 2. Wi-Fi-only tablets cost $499, $599, and $699 for the 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB versions, respectively. iPads with 4G LTE connectivity are priced at $629, $729,and $829 for the 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB editions.

The new iPad’s key feature is its 9.7-inch, 2048 x 1536-pixel “retina” display powered by an A5X quad-core graphics chip. The display has

a higher resolution than your standard, 1080p HDTV, and 44% greatersaturation than the iPad 2.

[It has] text sharper than a newspaper. Photos will look incredible. Fonts look amazing,” Schiller boasted. “[It has] the best mobile displaythat has ever shipped.”

The tablet also comes with significant camera improvements. An upgraded iSight camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels with backside illumination. A new “hybrid IR filter” allows for more advancedoptics, Schiller said, along with autofocus, white balance and face detection capabilities. iPad 3 owners will also now be able to record HD(1080p) video with a built-in stabilizer and temporal noise reduction.

Other key highlights:

• It’s called “The New iPad.” Not the iPad 3.

• Can achieve download speeds of up to 72Mbps using AT&T’s or Verizon’s 4G LTE network and 21Mbps with HSPA+.

• Can function as a personal hotspot if the carrier supports that feature.

• Is 9.4mm wide and weighs 1.44 lbs (slightly heavier than iPad 2).

• The battery lasts nine hours running on 4G LTE and 10 hours running on Wi-Fi.

• Comes in black and white.

• Supports voice dictation for English, French, German and Japanese.

In an unusual move, the company also announced that it will continueproduction of the iPad 2. Pricing for the device starts at $399 with Wi-Fi-only connectivity. For a full list of differences between the new iPad andiPad 2, see Apple’s website.

www.mashable.com March 7, 2012 article by Lauren IndvikMarch 19, 2012 & April 24, 2012 articles by Todd Wasserman

The New iPadApple Makes Magic Again

The new iPad’s “retina” display contains over a million more pixels than a 1080p HDTV

Wondering how the iPad might work for your restaurant? You’re in luck! There are a growing number of companies specializing in tablet POS for the foodservice industry.

http://www.menupad.comhttp://revelsystems.com/http://aptito.com/http://www.incentient.com/http://www.poslavu.com/en/ipad-pos-learn-morehttp://www.isispos.com/en/ipad-for-restaurants/http://www.binnj.comhttp://tapps.com.br/http://tiaretech.com/index.htmlhttp://amburapp.com/http://www.acclaimpos.com/iPad.htmlhttp://www.squirrelsystems.com/http://www.micros.com/Products/RestaurantSolutions/ConsumerSolutions

And this is only a partial list. Judging by the success of Apple’s iPad, tablets are here to stay! They might be a great fit for your restaurant!

How to Use iPads with Your Restaurant’s POS

When news hit early last year that the new chain concept Stacked:Food Well Built allowed guests to design, order and pay for theirmeals with tabletop iPads, industry pundits proclaimed the beginning of the end for the old-fashioned printed menu.

It’s just a matter of time before all restaurant menus go digital,some said. Soon, the concept of human table service, as we knowit, will forever change, said others. Meanwhile, still others wondered if the move would go down in history as yet anothertechno-gimmick.

But Stacked isn’t the only chain to use iPads. As tablet technologybecomes more affordable, their use in restaurants is rapidly becoming more prevalent — and for a variety of reasons.

Stacked’s founders — who also built the BJ’s Restaurant chain —say the game-changing aspect of iPad service is not, in fact, thetechnology itself, but simply the appeal of what it allows guests to do: customize.

In the end, Stacked’s customers have embraced the iPad system notbecause it’s “cool” or simple to use, said Paul Motenko, co-founderof Newport Beach, Calif.-based Stacked Restaurants LLC withpartner Jerry Hennessy.

“It’s because people get exactly what they want,” he said.

At Stacked, 95 percent of guests build their own meals or modifysuggested offerings, said Motenko.

Using the iPads, guests can add or omit ingredients on each burger,pizza or salad. And — unlike most restaurants that charge the samefor any cheeseburger, even if you hold the cheese — guests atStacked only pay for what they specifically order.

Burgers are the most popular category, and a top-seller is the Stack‘n’ Bleu, an Angus beef patty on a brioche bun with blue cheese,fried onion strings, Applewood-smoked bacon and a balsamicglaze with roasted-shallot mayo for $8.92.

Guests, however, can swap the brioche for a pretzel bun, drop theonion strings and roasted-shallot mayo, and add a fried egg, jalapeñosand Sriracha mayo. The price changes, based on ingredients, to a totalof $9.82.

Motenko said the challenge was not educating guests about how to use the technology, but learning how to deal with a menu thatcould be so elaborately customized. For instance, the kitchen staffmight receive as many as 60 burger orders at one time, each with very specific ingredient requests.

Since the first unit opened in Torrance, Calif., last year, Stacked hastweaked its kitchen display system to improve the operational flow,said Motenko.

Initially, use of the iPads was also projected to improve labor efficiencies, he said. But that aspect has yet to come to fruition — in part because Stacked is focused on creating a warm, hospitable environment with the delivery of food and drinks to the table.

Though speed and value are key aspects of Stacked, guests tend to use the restaurants more like full-service concepts, lingering at the table, Motenko said. As a result, the chain has added more appetizers and drink options.

Stacked now has three locations open in Southern California, eachwith projected annual sales of $3 million to $4 million, and morelocations are scheduled to open later this year.

Motenko predicts that tablet technology will soon become muchmore commonplace, and he’s looking forward to the day when people will talk about “the Stacked experience” and not even mentionthe iPads.

“People walk out of Stacked and say the technology was cool, but the concept might not have been successful if it was only about thetechnology,” he said. “If you’re using this technology, it has to be forthe benefit of the guest.”

http://www.nrn.com Jan. 23, 2012Article by Lisa Jennings The iPads are Game Changers for 2012

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Paul Motenko, co-founder of Stacked, said 95 percent of his customers either buildtheir own meals or modify suggested items using the tabletop iPads.

Tablet technology puts patrons in charge of the eating-out experience

It's no secret that dining out has been hurt by the recession.

Now some restaurants are trying to turn things around by usingApple's iPad tablet computers to provide a digital dining experience.

Buffalo Wild Wings, based in Golden Valley, and a few other restaurants around the country are experimenting with having customers order or pay using an iPad at their table. The hope, of course, is that the device will boost food and drink sales.

"Restaurant sales have decreased since the beginning of the recession," said Aaron Allen, a restaurant consultant in Orlando, Fla. "Part of the iPad's benefit to restaurants is the novelty of it. But therehaven't been studies yet of whether using iPads helps improve sales."

In a 60-day test that began Feb. 29 at Buffalo Wild Wings' Oakdalerestaurant, customers are offered the option of having an iPad at their table. They can use it to browse the menu, order food anddrinks and pay for the meal (via a card-swiping device attached to the iPad.) Customers can also play games or browse websites.

The iPad isn't meant to replace employees, who will still be availableto answer customer questions and to bring food to the table. And it won't be forced on customers; the Oakdale location has 25 iPads, costing about $500 each, for about 60 tables.

Buffalo Wild Wings hopes the iPad will boost sales by giving theircustomers more control over when they order food or a second roundof drinks, and that it will please parents by helping entertain children.

One Buffalo Wild Wings customer, Sheng Hang of St. Paul, liked using the iPad to pay the bill instead of waiting for the server.

"I think the iPad would be great for the busy hours of any restaurant,"she said. "I would order and check out when I'm ready."

And, because the iPad takes over the ordering process, servers willhave more time to chat with guests and encourage them to playother restaurant-wide games, such as a trivia contest, that are believed to encourage return visits.

www.startribune.com March 10, 2012Article - Steve Alexander

Photo - Jeff WheelerAt Buffalo Wild Wings, iPad as waiter

Buffalo Wild Wings is one of the first national restaurant chains to offer Apple iPads at tables so customers can order food, play games and pay their bills electronically if they wish.

The concept is being test-marketed at their Oakdale, Minn. restaurant; if it goes well, a national roll-out will follow. Above, Chnika Blair of St. Paul played with the iPad she used to order wings for herself and Jason Williams Tuesday night, March 6, 2012 at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Oakdale, Minn.

Buffalo Wild Wings is testing the use of iPads as menus, order takers and cash registers. But will the iPad boost sales?

"If this goes well, we'll ultimately roll it out everywhere over thecourse of a year or two," said Ben Nelsen, vice president of guest experience and innovation at Buffalo Wild Wings, which has 325company-owned restaurants and 500 franchises. "Right now we've got to make sure this works for us financially."

During an earlier test in Canada, the iPad made customers moreaware that Buffalo Wild Wings offers more than just wings, whichtends to help sales, Nelsen said.

In Oakdale, the financial goal is to increase sales per customer and to generate more return visits. Early expectations are that 20percent of guests may spend $1 to $2 more per visit because theiPad gives them more control over when they order appetizers or desserts, he said.

The device should also streamline restaurant operations. Becauseguests can place an order via the iPad instead of having a waiterwrite it down, it's expected that fewer ordering mistakes will bemade, saving money, Nelsen said.

Buffalo Wild Wings also is considering selling product placement advertising.

"When a customer types in draft beer, he or she can see pictures ofthe first four items," Nelsen said. "We might sell advertising to thosevendors and distributors who want their products to show up firston the menu. But we haven't gone down that road yet."

Several smaller restaurants across the country also are using iPads as a way to present more detail about wine choices or to offer morepictures of food, said Jack Serfass, CEO of Uptown Network, a Naples, Fla., software firm that programs iPads for restaurants.

"Electronic menus have compelling benefits, such as giving guests more information so they have confidence in what they'reordering," Serfass said. "I believe paper menus will completely go away over time."

Nine Chili's restaurants in the Twin Cities offer customers a tablet computer (not an iPad) on which they can browse the menu, buymovie tickets, play games or pay electronically.

"The main goal was to provide an experience that not everybody elseoffers, including convenience and a greater amount of information,"said Phil Wenckus, Wisconsin-based director of operations for ERJ Dining of Louisville, Ky., Chili's largest franchisee.

What sets Buffalo Wild Wings apart is the extent to which the iPad fitsinto its regular restaurant operations. The Oakdale restaurant was chosen for the test because it was already installing a new electroniccash register system that was more iPad-compatible, Nelsen said. In addition, the test was delayed several months so the iPad provider,Idaho-based HubWorks Interactive, could ensure that the card-swiping devices complied with security standards.

"Restaurants are in the early adopter phase of guest computers," Allen said. "And Buffalo Wild Wings knows there's an opportunity in being early."

Square, the mobile payment company, has introduced an iPad appthat turns the tablet into a cash register.

The Square Register app plus Square’s quarter-sized reader lets you process payments via cash, credit card and even by customername. The app also lets you add items easily and create a favoritespage for popular products. Other perks include detailed real-timeanalytics, which you can access via the web.

Square, which was founded by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, has had an iOS and Android app in the market for processing creditcards, but the new app positions the company more as an all-in-one solution for small businesses.

Launched publicly in 2010, Square claimed its 1 millionth vendor in December. While the company doesn’t outline what types ofbusinesses are using it most, anecdotally, it seems to have carved a niche among formerly low-tech trades such as food trucks,farmer’s markets, dog walkers and Christmas tree vendors, as wellas at PTA fundraisers. Such businesses have taken to the iPad.

A survey released Monday by The Business Journals found that 34%of small to medium-sized businesses use the device, up from 9% in 2010. (Square isn’t planning an app for Android-based tablets.)

The company has been looking to broaden beyond that base. One possible way is via New York taxis: This month, the company is pitching a proposal that would replaces Taxi TVs in 50 cabs withan embedded iPad or other tablet PC.

Not that growth is necessarily a problem. Square, which gets a 2.75% cut of every transaction using its reader, is processing $4 billion a year in payments, Dorsey tweeted Monday morning.

Square App Turns Your iPad into a Cash Registerhttp://www.mashable.com March 5, 2012 Article by Todd Wasserman

To see Square’s elegant app in action, check out thedemo video at http://squareup.com/register

www.usatoday.com September 20, 2011Article by Jefferson Graham

iPads increasingly pop up on restaurant menus for ordering

TORRANCE, Calif. – Jamie Hill went to a new restaurant the other daythat required her to order food not from a waiter but by swiping herfingers on an iPad.

"It was amazing," she says of her visit to Stacked, a create-your-ownburger and pizza restaurant here that opened last May. "My daughterbrought me here and showed me how to do it. You get to build yourfood. It was fun."

Stacked, which has two locations in California and is set to open a third in October, is one of many eateries now using technology —specifically iPads or other tablet computers — to serve customers.

Steakhouses in San Francisco, Atlanta and Chicago use tablets to letcustomers make wine and steak selections. At 12 locations in Boston,Au Bon Pain lets customers choose ingredients for their sandwichesusing an iPad.

It doesn't make the ordering process more accurate, says Ed Frechette, vice president of marketing for Au Bon Pain. But "it's tech, so it's fun."

The rise of tablets couldn't come at a more opportune time for the$604 billion restaurant industry. Traffic has been flat since 2007,largely as a result of the sluggish economy and belt-tightening byconsumers, says Bonnie Riggs, a restaurant analyst at NPD Group.

Yearly visits to restaurants are flat at about 60 million, Riggs says.Meanwhile tablets, dominated by the iPad, are one of the best-sellingconsumer items. An estimated 208 million of the devices will be sold by 2014, up from about 54 million in 2011, researcher Gartner projects.

Umami Burger, a Los Angeles-based chain, uses a Presto tabletleased from E La Carte, which supplies the devices to restaurants. The company recently received $4 million in funding from Lightbank,a venture fund run by Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell, the co-founders of Groupon.

"You can look and see everything you want, instead of written descriptions," Umami customer Terri Covert said at lunch hour recently. "I like the visuals. You know what you're going to get."

E La Carte founder Rajat Suri says he has 100 restaurants signed upfor Presto, and another 150 on a waiting list. Presto is powered by an18-hour battery and, because the tablet is proprietary, "It won't getstolen," Suri said.

But Stacked co-founder Paul Motenko says theft has not been anissue. "We have not lost a single iPad; we have not broken a singleiPad; and not a single one has stopped working."

For the first location in Torrance, he bought 60 iPads for the tables, a $30,000 investment for a restaurant that cost him $1 million to set

up. His software system lets customers order from their table, sendthe meal ticket directly to the kitchen — and even pay via the iPad.Servers bring the food and beverages.

"The advantage to the guest is the speed of service," he says. "The communication between the guest and kitchen is immediate,which is something that's unheard of in the restaurant business."

More yummy info, images on tablets

Restaurants are using tablets in different ways. At Bones in Atlanta, it's to show off its wines. At the Lark Creek Steak restaurant in San Francisco, it's all about touting its steaks.

"The advantage for us is we can include a lot more information," Lark Senior Vice President Quinn McKenna says. "Instead of just saying'14-ounce steak,' on the menu, we can show pictures of it and saywhere the beef comes from. One of the common challenges in a steakhouse is that your medium rare might be different from ours. But if I show you a picture, everyone agrees."

McKenna hopes Lark's testing will result in diners spending more.Eventually, he'd like to add Amazon-like features that learn about the customer. For example, "If you ordered this steak, you might likethis particular wine," he suggests.

At Stacked, customers build milkshakes from scratch (add Oreos,peanut butter cups, strawberries) and get rather exotic with other staples, like a macaroni and cheese pizza or burgers stacked with lettuce, pickles and potato chips.

But Riggs says paper menus aren't going away anytime soon."Older consumers won't want to bother with the iPad," she says. And for restaurant owners, "paper menus are way less expensive."

Customers check out the iPad menu at Stacked in Torrance, Calif.

Want to see the iPad POS in action? Check out the USA Today video at http://usat.ly/GLDbrQ

6 Creative iPad Uses for Small Retailers

We all know iPads make great presentation devices and are excellentfor business travel and chock-full of useful apps. Now, let's focus on retail businesses—shops, salons and restaurants that use iPads to better service customers. (If you start using an iPad at your business,just be sure to sanitize it frequently—fingers can carry a lot of germs.)

1. iPad as a POS”We take all of our orders with an iPod, and the staff runs credit cardswith iPads," says Jordan Langer of 620 Jones, a San Francisco bar. Histeam was also "very heavily entwined in developing the app" that drivesthe POS system. "It was a project that POSLab started doing, and then wejumped on board as their first main client. We started going after it withthem because we know how a real POS should work," says Langer.

Jones servers go to tables with an iPod to take orders, and then theiPad drives the merchant processing. The iPads are always in the handsof staff and never handed to patrons.

"People love it...they absolutely love it," Langer says. "Inventory is a loteasier to manage, the development is a lot easier, the interaction withthe customers is a lot easier."

Lesson: An iPad can help you organize and stay on top of inventory, in addition to serving as an excellent POS system.

2. iPad as a customer database"The iPad is awesome," says Flannery Foster, co-owner of Brooklyn'sgoodyoga studio. The studio is also a bed and breakfast and serves as home to Flannery and her partner, "so we want it to seem less like a business and more like a community center or a home."

First order of business? Ditching the front counter and bar code scanner you see at a lot of yoga studios and gyms. "When people walkin the door, we hand them the iPad, and they sit on the couch—it’s a lot more casual, and we can bring them tea or water," Foster says.Instead of standing awkwardly at the counter and filling out waiversand liability forms on a clipboard, the iPad makes people feel comfort-able and also makes data entry a breeze for goodyoga. The studio usesa Google form, so the staff doesn't have to worry about decoding a patron's chicken scratch and the team saves times since the clientinfo goes into the database automatically.

"People have fun with it, and we have a lot of people who've neverused an iPad before," says Foster. "Sometimes they're apprehensive, but most people have a lot of fun using it, and they love being able to sign with their finger when they pay with Square."

Lesson: Impress new customers and get them in your system quickly(for e-mail blasts, etc.) with a sleek iPad setup.

3. iPad as entertainmentTriBeCa nail salon Tenoverten offers iPads at every nail station. Co-ownerNadine Ferber says customers mostly use the iPads for Web browsing, sothey don’t have to offer any fancy apps. And yes, they still offer the typicalglossy magazines for those customers who’ve been staring at a screen allday at work and want something more low-tech.

“Customers love the iPads—some people have never used one before andare just thrilled to be able to without making a commitment to buyingone,” says Ferber. She says more than half of the people who come in formanicures or pedicures use the iPad during their service, either to looksomething or check an e-mail. “It's a great tool for them to multi-task whiletaking a little time out of the day for themselves,” she says. “And it’s one ofthe most differentiating things about our business as we are the only nailsalon in the world that has an iPad at every manicure station.”

Lesson: An iPad is a great investment as a differentiator that could keepcustomers coming back.

4. iPad as a fan base-builderButter Lane in New York's East Village was an early adopter of the iPadcraze, affixing one to the wall to encourage people to "like" and follow theshop on Facebook and Twitter. Now the cupcakery has taken to rewardingcustomers who interact with the iPad, offering a free frosting shot to thosewho do. Frosting shots sell for $1, so it's a small price to pay, and co-ownerMaria Baugh says the shop gets a lot of engagement with the device, and"it's definitely increased our number of 'likes' and follows—we give away a lot of icing shots!"

Baugh says the device also helps them get customers in other ways. "We find that people use it to get more information about our [baking]classes and sometimes register for them," she says. However, be warnedthat if you have an iPad, some customers might use it to check their ownsocial media profiles, and you should also make an effort to lock it down."The first one we put up just after iPads came out was stolen within thefirst month! We now have heavy duty industrial brackets holding it inplace—it would take serious power tools to get this one off the wall," says Baugh.

Lesson: Use an iPad on-site to increase your Facebook and Twitter followings—you can offer a small reward as a thank you.

http://www.openforum.com August 9, 2011 Article by Lauren Drell

Butter Lane in NewYork’s East Village uses a wall-mounted iPad tooffer customers an immediate incentive toLIKE them on Facebook.

Thousands of searchable, scalable recipesPlating photos and how-to videosTrends and tools, ideas and inspirationFree, and at your fingertips

Download ChefRef, Sysco’s amazing new app, from theiTunes store, or visit chefref.sysco.com. Available foriPhone and iPad. Android version coming soon!

5. iPad as a waiter"The iPads allow guests to control the flow and timing of their experience," says Paul Motenko, co-founder of Stacked. "Guests canorder a drink and appetizer and then entrées and desserts, whenthey are ready—or their whole meal at once to move things alongfaster." Stacked also offers customers the option to pay directly viathe iPad, so patrons don't have to wait for the server to bring thebill, and one's credit card information is encrypted at the table, so the system is secure.

Of course, sometimes talking to a person is easier than dealing witha machine, so there are concierges on the floor to help guests whenthey need it. And all guests are given paper menus so that every-one can read through the menu at their own pace. When they areready, they order from the custom-developed iPad app and tap"send" and then the order is routed directly to the kitchen.

Motenko says customers love using the iPad. Since Stacked offers burgers, pizzas, salads and sausages with a myriad of available toppings, guests build their meal from the plate up. "The technology just makes it easier to customize what you want,how you want it and how quickly you want it," he says. Since theiPad is intuitive, Motenko says guests of all ages have found the app to be easy to use and empowering to choose your own ingredients.

Lesson: The iPad is a great, non-invasive tool that's easy to use. You can save money on staff and not have to worry about pacing a meal, since the guests order at their own convenience.

6. iPad as an expeditorHealthy fast-food concept 4Food opened last year in New York City,chock full of digital integrations, like a 15' Twitter feed on one of thewalls. The restaurant has six iPads available for customers to orderfrom and browse the Web. During peak hours, 4Food "hawkers" roam the restaurant with iPads to take orders from customers so they don't have to wait in line. The iPad integration is working well for the concept, and 4Food brand strategist Ashley Tyson says the restauranthopes to develop an iPad app soon so that customers can order easilyand access information about the food and offerings.

Lesson: Integrating digital tools into your business can help it runmore efficiently, which could help your bottom line.