New App Lets You Pay Restaurant Bill By Phone
BOSTON (CBS) - It already seems you can use your smart phone for just about anything these days, but now there is something else.
Some restaurants are now letting patrons pick up their tab with their phone, without having to wait for the check.
A new app called "Tabbed Out" will calculate your bill while you're eating and display the amount on your phone.
Waitress Lonnie Russell said, "You can just pay out, it's all paperless. You don't have to worry about a receipt or anything like that."
Restaurant owner Chris Dilla thinks this app could catch on fast. "Everyone has a cell now and it's the tool we are using , for many things, like mobile banking," she added.
WBZ-TV's Paula Ebben reports
So far, customers seem to like the concept. "I saw it online," said diner Tim Edwards. "I thought I would check it out, and it's great technology to use."
Here's how this technology works. The app gives you a random code to give the server, and that code connects your phone to the register. It allows you to view your tab in real time, and even pay thru the phone if you're in a hurry.
Tabbed Out is just starting to appear in restaurants. But some restaurant owners like Dilla think once people get used to the convenience, this technology will take off.
"I do think 5 years down the line, most every restaurant will have something like this," said Dilla.
Tabbed out also takes the mystery out of calculating a tip. Russell explained, "It's an automatic 15% that is added on, and if they want, they can add more."
"Tabbed Out' started in Texas and is now expanding into the Northeast. The app is free and works in both the Android and IPhone.
