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iPad's Momentum in Restaurants Grows with Buffalo Wild Wings Trial

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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buffalo_wild_wings_logo-150x104.jpg


Ever since the iPad was introduced two years ago, its potential to revolutionize the restaurant industry has been widely touted, with some restaurants already moving to replace their traditional point-of-sale devices with iPads and companies such as Square seeking to fill that need.

And while iPads in restaurants have been catching on here and there, the concept could be ripe for major expansion if a pilot program from restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings proves worthwhile. As detailed by Computerworld, Buffalo Wild Wings is expanding an initial pilot program at one of its Toronto area locations to a new location in Minneapolis, stocking each table with an iPad to allow customers to place their own orders and browse the Internet.
"Ultimately, we are trying to use the technology to enhance the customer experience," [Buffalo Wild Wings director of international business Tim Murphy] said in an interview. "People are familiar with iPads, iPhones and Android tablets, so this would enhance that."

The chain hasn't decided whether to combine purchasing from the device with purely entertainment uses, something it hopes to measure in its tests, Murphy said.
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The iPad project has seen Buffalo Wild Wings partner with HubWorks Interactive, which offers several different mobile ordering platforms for the iPad along with a case that offers security and protection, a kickstand, a credit card reader, and extended power capabilities including AC power or up to 16 hours of battery life. The company sells basic iPad packages for $750 apiece.

buffalo_wild_wings_ipad.jpg



Rather than bolting or tethering the iPads to the tables, Buffalo Wild Wings has opted to equip each device with an RFID chip to serve as a deterrent to theft.

The report notes that social restaurants such as Buffalo Wild Wings are ideal environments for the iPad, with the restaurants typically catering to larger crowds where at least some members have an interest in staying for extended periods of time and watching sports on the numerous televisions mounted around the dining areas.
In the first test, while men in a group typically watched a football or hockey game, women in the group would pick up the iPad and launch Facebook, Murphy said. "We have a very captive audience with good sales volume in our restaurants, so we view this iPad as a way for customers to stay connected socially and not have to use their own device."
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Buffalo Wild Wings continues to explore all options for the iPad in its restaurants, considering integration of mobile advertising to help offset costs and discussing the possibility of using camera-equipped iPad models to allow video chatting at tables.

Article Link: iPad's Momentum in Restaurants Grows with Buffalo Wild Wings Trial
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2012/02/07/ipads-momentum-in-restaurants-grows-with-buffalo-wild-wings-trial/
chrmjenkins

chrmjenkins

macrumors 603
Oct 29, 2007
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Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

Of course, this is much more important than the VP of iPhone and iPad engineering leaving apple.
 
M

mbowler

macrumors newbie
Aug 7, 2009
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I can't wait to touch other peoples' wing sauce and saliva from their fingers. I can't think of a worse restaurant for this.
 
JGowan

JGowan

macrumors 68000
Jan 29, 2003
1,766
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OMG -- can you imagine the gunk, food and greasy fingerprints that these things have on them at the end of the day?! I believe there are even those that would deliberately try to break the device (pour soup into the head phone jack, etc) -- there are some ridiculous people out there that just want to destroy stuff.
 
U

Undecided

macrumors 6502a
Mar 4, 2005
704
167
California
There's a walk-up cafe (walk up, order, pick up food, sit where you want) near me that gives the option to order by iPad at the entrance. No way - I'm not touching that thing after everyone else has. I'll order from the human behind the cash register, thank you very much.
 
hobo.hopkins

hobo.hopkins

macrumors 6502a
Jul 30, 2008
568
0
This could really be a cost-saving feature for restaurants, if they needed fewer waiters/waitresses. Although as others have pointed out, it would require some thought to overcome the logistical problems associated with chicken wings and iPads...
 
Diode

Diode

macrumors 68020
Apr 15, 2004
2,443
124
Washington DC
Undecided said:
There's a walk-up cafe (walk up, order, pick up food, sit where you want) near me that gives the option to order by iPad at the entrance. No way - I'm not touching that thing after everyone else has. I'll order from the human behind the cash register, thank you very much.
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And then take the cash they hand you that's just as dirty as the iPad (or dirtier - I bet that iPad gets wiped clean every once in a while, when was the last time you cleaned the cash in your wallet)?
 
O

omgwut

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Oh boy, I can't wait use a locked down iPad coated in old honey mustard and crusty barbecue scunge.
 
W

winterspan

macrumors 65816
Jun 12, 2007
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Used for Ordering and Payment!

Hey guys,
I've been a longtime lurker and occasionally post here... I work with HubWorks Interactive... its awesome to see it make the front page of MR!
 
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U

Undecided

macrumors 6502a
Mar 4, 2005
704
167
California
Diode said:
And then take the cash they hand you that's just as dirty as the iPad (or dirtier - I bet that iPad gets wiped clean every once in a while, when was the last time you cleaned the cash in your wallet)?
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Nope, credit card, which of course gets touched. But I didn't claim that going to the cash register is sterile; rather, it's just better than touching an iPad that hundreds of different people have touched.
 
M

mms13

macrumors 6502
Jun 29, 2010
367
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Baltimore, MD
JGowan said:
OMG -- can you imagine the gunk, food and greasy fingerprints that these things have on them at the end of the day?! I believe there are even those that would deliberately try to break the device (pour soup into the head phone jack, etc) -- there are some ridiculous people out there that just want to destroy stuff.
Click to expand...

This. I'm all for the employees having iPads...but just giving them to customers is not a good idea. Especially at a place where people will constantly have wing sauce all over their fingers.
 
B

bdkennedy1

Suspended
Oct 24, 2002
1,275
528
So, who's going to be the one to chase after the people that run out of the restaurant with the iPad? How will the screen be cleaned after Junior dumps hot sauce all over it?
 
Buckeyestar

Buckeyestar

macrumors 6502a
Sep 17, 2011
804
39
Undecided said:
There's a walk-up cafe (walk up, order, pick up food, sit where you want) near me that gives the option to order by iPad at the entrance. No way - I'm not touching that thing after everyone else has. I'll order from the human behind the cash register, thank you very much.
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Do you touch door handles to get inside buildings? Germophobes are funny. Sad, but funny.
 
M

mwjd299

macrumors regular
Nov 9, 2003
141
2
Santa Maria, CA
JGowan said:
OMG -- can you imagine the gunk, food and greasy fingerprints that these things have on them at the end of the day?! I believe there are even those that would deliberately try to break the device (pour soup into the head phone jack, etc) -- there are some ridiculous people out there that just want to destroy stuff.
Click to expand...

Do restaurants leave gunk, food, and greasy fingerprints on the table after someone leaves? No, a good restaurant cleans the table before someone else uses it! :confused:
 
W

wilycoder

macrumors 6502
Aug 4, 2008
337
0
As great as the ipad is, I'd much rather interact with a hot waitress when ordering food.
 
_Refurbished_

_Refurbished_

macrumors 68020
Mar 23, 2007
2,272
2,901
GenesisST said:
I will by stock in Windex... Wings + iPads will results in very greasy screens...

Interesting nonetheless
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Don't use cleaning products on your iPad! :eek: :D

On a serious note, this is what I've been waiting for. Need a refill? iPad to the rescue. Especially important in a wing place.....where you need a drink...and you haven't seen your waiter in fifteen...
 
K

Keebler

macrumors 68030
Jun 20, 2005
2,960
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Canada
chrmjenkins said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

Of course, this is much more important than the VP of iPhone and iPad engineering leaving apple.
Click to expand...

say what?
 
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