The Tabbed Out app allows customers to pay for their meals. (Credit: KDKA)
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – It’s a cashless world we’re living in these days.
Paying with cash is falling out of favor as more people turn to credit cards and debit cards.
Now, there’s a high-tech way to pay the tab the next time you go to a restaurant.
“[About] 85 percent of our transactions are going through the computer at this point. Hardly any cash comes in and out of people’s pockets,” Chris Dilla said.
While swiping is the preferred method at places like Dilla’s Bocktown Beer and Grill, the future is already in your pocket with an app called Tabbed Out.
“You can just pay out. It’s all paperless. You don’t have to worry about a receipt or anything like that,” Lonnie Russell said.
Dilla rolled it out this month and is already getting high marks from customers.
“I saw it online and Chris has been promoting it a lot and it’s a great technology to use,” Tim Edwards said.
When you arrive at the restaurant, the app gives you a random code to give to the server. That code connects your phone to the register.
Once connected, you can view your tab in real time. You can even pay your check if you’re in a hurry. Of course, change isn’t always easy or popular.
“It’s still catching on. We’re just trying to get the word out now. We have some marketing on the tables about it. I would say less than 1 percent or around 1 percent now. I do think around five years down the line most every restaurant will probably have something like this,” Dilla said.
Paying the bill is fine, but what about leaving a tip?
You could go the old-fashioned way and leave a couple of bucks on the table, or put in on your card. Tabbed Out also gives you the option to tip from the phone.
For those who think technology takes away from face-to-face contact with your servers, Dilla disagrees.
“I think it absolutely does the opposite. It adds to the quality time you can spend with your customer and leaves all the little paying tab details, the technology details to the phone and the computer,” Dilla said.
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