How to use an iPad in cafes and restaurants

A big plus of iPads and mobile devices is their portability, which has allowed restaurants and cafés to embrace both tableside and mobile ordering.

Now staff can attend to patrons at their table and instantly input their order, which is immediately relayed to the kitchen and bar.
Alternatively, in a busy café situation, staff can reduce time spent in the queue by approaching patrons and taking their orders while they line-up.

Meanwhile, there is also the option of self-service ordering where patrons select their own food and beverage items using an iPad positioned at the venue entrance, at their table, or at a designated ordering station.

See our mobile iPad holders, including table stands, wall mounts or floor stand iPad holder options.

This ties in with Point of Sale, but what some might not appreciate is just how valuable a POS-linked iPad can be in the kitchen of a restaurant or café.

As a nifty little hand-held device, it allows chefs and kitchen staff to cross-check inventory, instantly order supplies and gain an insight into items proving popular.

It also enables kitchen staff to immediately remove a menu item should they run out of ingredients or create a special to clear a backlog of stock.

See our POS software guide here, or view our range of durable, commercial grade iPad holders here.

Over the past couple of years, everyone has become a lot more familiar with the concept of checking into a venue in the interests of health and safety.

iPads play a role here, displaying the QR check-in codes required, while also reminding people of the need to register their attendance.

View our secure, floor stand iPad holders here.

What do most people want to know as they approach a restaurant or café? What’s on the menu, including current specials and prices.

An iPad offers the ideal way to display this information, while also allowing it to be updated in real time through the connection to the POS.

Meanwhile, an iPad positioned at the entrance to a venue can also act as a booking calendar, allowing patrons to reserve a table then and there.

See our wall mounted or floor standing iPad holders.

For both cafés and family restaurants, iPads can also be used as an entertainment option, occupying patrons as they sip their latte or keeping children entertained in a playroom while other guests peacefully dine.

In fact, many clubs and large-scale family restaurants now provide iPads as a fixture in playrooms.

View our range of durable desktop iPad holders suited to playrooms here.