Anyone who has ever eaten out at a restaurant with friends or colleagues has experienced that awkward moment when the check comes and everyone looks around, unsure who is paying.
Are they using cash or credit? Some people have one, some only the other. Do you split it evenly or by what each individual ordered?
Two new systems, E la Carte and Cover, are trying to solve this problem.
E la Carte is a tablet that is designed to be stationary on restaurant tables and provide multiple functions. It serves as a menu and gaming device, as well as offering payment options and allowing the user to leave feedback.
At the beginning of the meal, diners enter information about their table, such as the number of people eating. They can then use the menu to place their orders, which will then print out in the kitchen. This makes it easier to order custom foods, such as requesting salad dressing on the side.
According to the E la Carte web site, the device is intended to serve as a compliment to the wait service provided, rather than as a replacement.
Cover lets users of the app choose a debit or credit card to be stored on their account. The card will be used every time they book a reservation through the app. It is initially serving New York City, and it works by passing the details of a reservation on to the restaurant.
The total bill is automatically charged to the credit card at the end of the meal. This ends the process of trying to flag down the waiter, who always seems to have wandered off after leaving the bill at the table.
It also allows restaurants to get more customers in each night, making the app to their benefit as well.
The one downside to Cover is that no bill is brought to the table, so the total cost of the meal will not be known until it shows up on bank or credit card statements. It is also not yet clear how to leave the gratuity, other than separately as cash.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
