Kyle
one of the largest casual dining chains in the country announced the availability of their exciting new app. While many restaurants have mobile apps, TGIFridays is the first national casual dining chain to include mobile payments as part of the app.
Now, with the new app, customers can order on their phone while in the restaurant, and then pay the bill via their phone. The self ordering eliminates any confusion between you, the server and the kitchen. The mobile payment part insures the safety of your credit card information. It also means that you can pay or leave quicker. How many times have you had dinner and a movie hindered because you waited so long for the server to bring your credit card back?
The best part of it is that Fridays used the Austin startup Tabbedout to integrate their mobile app and the ability for mobile check out. With the availability of ISIS just around the corner, mobile wallet is going to become more and more popular.
“This new app puts the Friday experience at guests’ fingertips – whether they’re looking for the closest Friday’s to celebrate and indulge or if they want to pay their bar tab quickly,” said Ricky Richardson, chief operating officer at T.G.I. Friday’s.
More after the break
In addition to the 300 TGIFriday’s using TabbedOut’s technology there are another 400 bars and restaurants that use it in Houston, Dallas, Austin and Seattle. TabbedOut expect to continue to rollout their functionality across the country.
On the bar side TabbedOut is a much safer option than leaving your credit card at the bar. In fact many bars require both your credit card and your license. You can get into some real trouble if you forget to close your tab out and pick up your card and ID at the end of the night. Using TabbedOut’s technology you don’t have to give up either and at the end of the night you can close out your tab on your phone. Also, as long as you stay sober enough, you can make sure that no one adds anything to your tab without your permission.
“Our integrations with major POS providers make it easy for…bars and restaurants to provide mobile payment to their patrons in a way that is simple, secure, easy to install and made specifically for the hospitality industry,” said Kevin McKeand, vice president of sales for Tabbedout. “As the consumer demand for mobile payment continues to grow, we look forward to helping more bars and restaurants embrace this consumer trend.”
If you’re already a Tabbed out user TGIFridays can be added to your profile. If you don’t already have Tabbedout the Fridays Tab portion of the app allows you the same functionality as TabbedOut.
A TGIFriday’s spokesperson told nibletz.com on Friday that every store in the country has been thoroughly trained on the new app and the TabbedOut features. One thing that I was worried about was that by paying with the app, possibly some of the smaller market restaurants may think I’m running out on the check
This is just the first of many enhancements Friday’s is doing to stay on top of technology. They are setting the pace for restaurants to move over to more secure, quicker payment protocols.
“The launch of the T.G.I. Friday’s app is only the beginning for us in this realm. We look forward to continuing to enhance the digital experience and new mobile app with more functionalities to come,” said Richardson.
The mobile app is available in the iTunes store and the Google Play store and the TabbedOut functionality works at 300 of the chains restaurants with more to come.
Linkage:
Download the TGIFRiday’s App from iTunes or the Google Play Store
Nibletz is the voice of startups “everywhere else” check out these new stories
We’re on a nationwide sneaker-strapped startup road trip, check it out & support us here
We’re in a startup challenge “endorse us” (vote) here it’s free.
