There’s been a fair amount of concern that tablets would put human servers out of jobs, but thus far Outback and other casual dining chains say they are using tablets as server’s assistants: Human servers still interact with the tables and lead service, but diners can use them for common requests like ordering drink refills and closing out their tab. Steve Weigel, CEO of Cerca Trova, which as the largest Outback Steakhouse franchisee in the nation operates more than 100 stores, said that the tabletop tablets enable their restaurants to cut labor costs by “one or two percent,” and run fewer servers per night who are each making more money. (Don’t expect tabletop tablets to start appearing at DineEquity’s other brand, IHOP, though: Jones explained that the tables are already too crowded with syrup bottles, coffee carafes, and the multiple plates that a full breakfast spread typically occupies.) Jones says only 15 percent of diners use the tablets to play games during their meal, but all those small transactions add up - and mean that the tablets basically pay for themselves. In addition to self-order and pay features, the Presto-branded tablets used at Applebee’s come loaded with games that guests can fork over $1.99 to play during their meal. Jones estimates that 30 percent of the chain’s transactions now come from tablets. “More than 70 percent interact with the tablets, and more than 50 percent of those guests will use it for payment,” Charlie Jones, executive director of digital and guest-facing technology for Applebee’s parent company DineEquity, told a crowd at this year’s MUFSO conference presented by Nation’s Restaurant News. Now that such systems have been in place for a few years, chains are finding that tablets are a valuable tool in their technology arsenal.Īpplebee’s installed tablets at its restaurants in 2014, and they’re now found on every table at all of its nearly 2,000 U.S. In theory, they allow restaurants to turn tables more quickly and serve more guests. Putting tablets on tables is intended to speed up service by enabling diners to perform various tasks such as ordering food or paying their check without having to wait for their server to appear. iPads and their ilk are now a common sight on tabletops at numerous restaurants, from fast-casual burger chains to pillars of the casual-dining sector like Olive Garden and Chili’s. Over the past few years, a new fixture has popped up on restaurant tables next to the ketchup bottles and salt shakers: tablets.

Table top games with many dices