In recent years, the economy has moved away from cash in favour of credit and debit cards. Now, new mobile payment methods are also becoming a popular option to pay for goods or services.
Whether you run a fast food restaurant like McDonalds or a fine dining establishment like The Ivy, every restaurant owner should adopt one of the mobile payment solutions available today. These solutions can enhance the customer experience, ensure secure transactions, and increase order accuracy.
If you own a restaurant, providing mobile payment solutions can increase table turnover, optimise operational flows, reveal more about your customers and their behaviours, and boost
revenue.
This article will explore four mobile payment solutions that restaurants should adopt as we near the start of 2025:
Mobile Wallet
A mobile device with near-field communication (NFC) technology can be turned into a secure mobile wallet that allows customers to store payment cards, loyalty cards, and coupons. This enables diners to pay quickly by simply tapping their phones, eliminating the need for cash or cards.
Popular mobile wallet apps include Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay. In addition, you can store your Nandos or Starbucks loyalty cards in your mobile wallet.
Customers can use mobile wallets to make payments through a physical card machine at your restaurant, allowing them to leave their cards and cash at home. They can also use their mobile wallet to checkout online.
Mobile wallet solutions offer speed and convenience for both customers and staff by reducing wait times, simplifying transactions, and enhancing overall buyer satisfaction. This is particularly useful during peak hours to reduce queues at checkout and improve table turnover rates.
QR Code or App Payments
QR code and app ordering and payments started as a way to minimise human contact during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet now it has become a standard procedure for most restaurants.
Scannable QR codes at the table or access to the restaurant's mobile app enable diners to browse the visual menu, order, and pay from their mobile wallets or by entering their card details.
Allowing customers to do this in their own time improves customer satisfaction, reduces order errors, and increases table turnover as there are no queues or waiting for staff.
Self-Ordering Kiosks
Like QR codes and apps, self-ordering kiosks also became popular during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to create a touchless experience for customers.
Following the pandemic, it was easy for the restaurant industry to notice the benefits of self-ordering kiosks, such as their efficiency, improved order accuracy, and reduced labour costs. Self-ordering kiosks can handle more orders during busy hours without requiring additional staff.
In addition, self-ordering kiosks have digital menus that display real-time menu availability, prices, and promotions. This reduces the need for printed menus and increases revenue through upselling.
Table-Top Tablets
Table-top tablets allow your staff to take orders, accept payments, and interact with your guests at their table. This is because table-top tablets are mobile POS systems acting as both the point-of-sale and the card machine.
As the tablet is linked to your restaurant's POS system, as soon as the order is placed, it goes to the display screen in the kitchen, where staff can begin preparing the order instantly. This means no more writing down customer orders on paper or running to the kitchen, reducing errors and improving efficiency.
Table-top tablets are ideal for older customers who may not have access to a smartphone for QR code or app ordering or for those who want to ask employees for meal recommendations or allergen requests.
Restaurants that use table-top tablets to take orders and payments may hand out physical menus or ask guests to scan a barcode to access a digital menu.
Ready To Adopt Some Trending Mobile Payment Solutions?
Several emerging technology trends have the potential to reshape the restaurant industry, and mobile payments are one of them. It can improve the dining experience for guests and modernise restaurant ordering as we enter 2025.
No matter which mobile payment solution you choose to link with your restaurant POS system, you will have a clear overview of your real-time sales, customer ordering behaviours, and revenue.
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