Many see problems as hurdles, and very few see the same problems as the opportunities to come up with the solutions. Those few people accept challenges, learn, and lead.
In 2010, Alex Barrotti was enjoying sushi on the patio of a restaurant in the Caribbean when his friend, Yoshi Ono, the restaurant owner, approached him for help in finding technology to solve a problem. Waiters were wasting a lot of time running back and forth between the kitchen and patio, taking orders and payments, slowing down table turns. At first, Yoshi’s request seemed simple. But as Alex dived into the technology available at that time, he found there was nothing on the market that would solve the problem – a problem many restaurant owners experienced.
Every solution provider company has a story behind their inspiration and ideas, and TouchBistro is no different. By making the point of sale mobile, TouchBistro has revolutionized restaurant operations. Waiters can enter orders into an iPad right at the table-side and send them to the kitchen for preparation without running back and forth. Food pictures and allergen information are at the waiters’ fingertips. Secure, integrated EMV payments can also be taken at the table.
TouchBistro as a System
TouchBistro is an affordable and easy-to-use iPad Point of Sale system designed specifically for restaurants. Topping the Apple App Store in more than 37 countries, TouchBistro helps restaurateurs increase sales, improve service, and make informed decisions on how to grow their businesses.
Ordering is done in TouchBistro with just a tap on the iPad. With TouchBistro’s award winning patented design, even complex actions like bill splitting or combining orders from different seats take only a tap or swipe. Forced modifiers tell serving staff what to upsell and how to list food preparation variations, so there are no missed opportunities or guessing.
TouchBistro uses readily available Apple hardware that can be purchased off the shelf to deliver a cost-effective, mobile solution, unlike the expensive proprietary hardware of a traditional point of sale system that is stuck in fixed positions.
TouchBistro supports multiple payment processors, has integrated with popular restaurant and business apps, and provides APIs for future integrations. Comprehensive security features and robust reporting make it easier for owners and managers to control, monitor, and measure operations. World-class training and installation teams with extensive restaurant experience are available 24/7. TouchBistro may be downloaded for a free 30-day trial from the Apple App Store.
The Journey of Founder
Alex Barrotti, Founder and CEO of TouchBistro, is a pioneer in mobile restaurant POS technology. Fifteen years ago, he had developed an online store with downloadable templates that sellers could use to set up their own e-commerce websites. At that time, this was a novel concept and most people thought online shopping would never take hold. But we all know how history evolved, and Alex sold this disruptive technology in 1999, at the age of 30, for $45 million.
As his next major project, Alex decided to take on the development of new technology that could revolutionize the way restaurants operate. A year later, TouchBistro was launched. Fast forward to 2017, TouchBistro is now the top selling iPad point-of-sale (POS) solution for restaurants in 37 countries.
Staying Ahead of the Competition
More than 7,000 restaurants have provided feedback from their experience with TouchBistro. Their insights and wish lists are the basis for TouchBistro’s rich feature set that is enhanced every six to eight weeks.
As TouchBistro focuses exclusively on restaurants, it has the best workflows and usability designs for restaurant operations and management. This includes a full suite of real-time reports that can be accessed in-house or in the cloud to help restaurant operators make better business decisions, such as which wait staff is performing the best, what items are selling the most, and whether the restaurant is running out of any item. TouchBistro is also integrated with accounting, shift scheduling, and other key apps that a restaurant owner may need for success.
Diminishing Challenges
Educating restaurant operators on the benefits of using a tablet table side for ordering and sending it directly to the kitchen took some time. By sending orders directly from the table side to the kitchen, waiters are not queuing or lining up waiting for access to the point of sale terminal. Tablets were seen as gimmicks at first, but now TouchBistro has direct data to show an increase in sales and decreased wait times.
Future Expectations
TouchBistro will continue to add features and integrate with the best-of-breed applications that restaurant operators need. “This has been the foundation for our rapid expansion — we are engaged with restaurateurs, we see how their operations function and the challenges they face, and we listen to their wish lists of how to do things better; then we provide easy-to-use functionality in our POS that address those challenges, making TouchBistro a dynamic asset for improving their bottom line and creating an exceptional customer experience,” Alex said.
Website – www.touchbistro.com
