[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vftONArH4Q[/ame]

If you happen to be in New York City and anywhere near Grand Central Terminal and you fancy a coffee, then why not go and check out what may well be one of the very first iPad cash registers at a well-known coffee shop in the area (in Graybar passage off Lexington Avenue) called Joe, as featured on Cult Of Mac. The iPad cash register has been introduced into the coffee shop by ShopKeep.com who have previously designed Mac and PC point-of-sale apps. Aside from looking cool and being a bit of a talking point, the iPad cash register prints out receipts, transmits sales to BackOffice on the web enabling real-time tracking of sales, and even makes a nice tinkling sound when you ring up a sale.

According to ShopKeep.com, the iPad app has been primarily designed for coffee shops, bakeries, small cafes and any small, quick-serve retail environments.

Source: iPad Cash Register Arrives at Grand Central Coffee Shop | Cult of Mac

Wow, this would be killer in a restaurant! A server could literally enter the order from the table! No more, oops I forgot to place that...since there would be no more paper failure and at the end of the night everything should line up fine. Brilliant!

Just would need a rugged case so it can get spills and take falls to be grabbed on the way to the table.

Originally Posted by gentlefury

Wow, this would be killer in a restaurant! A server could literally enter the order from the table! No more, oops I forgot to place that...since there would be no more paper failure and at the end of the night everything should line up fine. Brilliant!

Just would need a rugged case so it can get spills and take falls to be grabbed on the way to the table.

Would be awesome, but imagine the price of this for 15 or so servers at each restaurant? That's roughly $8,000 without the software. Cool, yes, but wouldn't be efficient for profits. It's cheaper for just pen and paper.

$8000 is a small amount to invest in efficiency. Both in order/transactions, but in inventory/sales tracking.

If I were to open up a small business similar to the one described above, I'd go the same route.

Originally Posted by xune

$8000 is a small amount to invest in efficiency. Both in order/transactions, but in inventory/sales tracking.

If I were to open up a small business similar to the one described above, I'd go the same route.

Not too sure. I feel there's a cheaper alternative to this rather than spending roughly 500 dollars a piece for a piece of equipment that can fall and shatter in one drop.

Originally Posted by gentlefury

Wow, this would be killer in a restaurant! A server could literally enter the order from the table! No more, oops I forgot to place that...since there would be no more paper failure and at the end of the night everything should line up fine. Brilliant!

Just would need a rugged case so it can get spills and take falls to be grabbed on the way to the table.

It would be more practical to do it with an iPod Touch like they do in certain Apple stores. It's easier to stash one in an apron or shirt pocket... just sayin'!

Originally Posted by Jaws3288

Originally Posted by xune

$8000 is a small amount to invest in efficiency. Both in order/transactions, but in inventory/sales tracking.

If I were to open up a small business similar to the one described above, I'd go the same route.

Not too sure. I feel there's a cheaper alternative to this rather than spending roughly 500 dollars a piece for a piece of equipment that can fall and shatter in one drop.

Otterbox!


Actually, there a more than a few restaurants around the world using iPads:





iPad used in restaurant - Google Search

[ame=http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=safari&q=iPads+used+in+restaur ants&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=]iPads used in restaurants - Google Search[/ame]

A 7" iPad would be welcome for this restaurant task! LOL!!!

Originally Posted by iVan

A 7" iPad would be welcome for this restaurant task! LOL!!!

Never gonna happen

Originally Posted by Jaws3288

Not too sure. I feel there's a cheaper alternative to this rather than spending roughly 500 dollars a piece for a piece of equipment that can fall and shatter in one drop.

Insurance would more than take care of this issue.

However, I do agree that the Touch would be better served for the Servers. There is a spot where I live called Tumbleweed (not sure how big the chain is) that used Palm devices at the tables to put in orders - to my knowledge they are still using them. I don't go often.