Wagamama and GBK embrace mobile payment
The app allows diners to place an order for takeaways at Wagamama, pay for them using PayPal, and specify a collection time.
A separate function is used at GBK that allows customers to pay at the counter by showing their profile picture on their phone to the server to prove their identity. The system was trialled at GBK’s Richmond site last year.
BigHospitality's sister title, M&C Report, reported in October that Prezzo has introduced another app via PayPal that allows customers to pay at their tables.
According to PayPal, its app can now be used to pay at more than 2,000 high street restaurants and shops.
Customer convenience
Richard Tallboy, director of business development at Wagamama, said: “Allowing customers to order ahead and pay for their take-out through the PayPal app makes the experience more convenient for our customers. Payment is already sorted so they just need to pick up their food and enjoy.”
Katie McDermott, GBK marketing director, said: “With counter service at GBK, the facility for customers to check in and pay with their PayPal profile picture has made the transaction faster and easier and we’ve got to know more of our customers by name.”
Christian Poole, marketing director of Prezzo, said: “PayPal has helped us give customers the control to view, split and pay the bill directly on their mobile phone. We’ve increased our sales, customer insights and satisfaction.”
Smartphone revolution
Rob Harper, head of retail services at PayPal UK, said: “PayPal has built the biggest network of high street stores and restaurants that let their customers pay with the one thing they always take with them: their smartphone. It’s the beginning of the end for the wallet on the high street.
“The smartphone has changed our lives, and we wanted to use it to solve some of the most common frustrations about traditional ways to pay on the high street. Our new Order Ahead and Pay at Table services save busy people valuable time. Why wait for the bill when you can pay at the table with your smartphone? And why wait in a restaurant for your takeaway when you can skip the queue by choosing and ordering ahead on your phone?
“We found in a recent survey that 76% of Britons dislike having to wait in long queues. The mobile is at the heart of the new age of money, and we’re delighted to join big brands like GBK, Prezzo and Wagamama to make life easier for people.”
This story was first published by M&C Report. To subscribe contact Emily Croft on 01293 846578 or email emily.croft@wrbm.com
