It is one of life’s little annoyances – leaving your card behind the bar after imbibing a few too many pints. Then there is the fact of actually leaving your card behind the bar in the first place, as well as the inevitability of a friend having a couple of drinks at your expense when your back is turned. Finally, however, the tab is going digital, with Oracle and Mastercard teaming up to launch Bar Tab at TGI Fridays.
Launching initially at the American restaurant’s Leicester Square location, Bar Tab is a new function within Mastercard’s Qkr! payment app.
Those heading to TGIs can set up, manage and pay bar tabs using their smartphone via the app which is integrated into Oracle Hospitality’s restaurant management platform and digital payments service Masterpass.
“We’re always looking for ways to improve the unique Fridays experience for our guests,” said Jeremy Dunderdale, Head of Business Solutions, TGI Fridays UK. “With Bar Tab, we’re able to offer our diners the freedom to settle their bills on-demand, with this quicker and more convenient payment platform. Enabling self-service payments also allows our team members to focus on engaging guests in more meaningful ways – which is what we’re all about at Fridays.”
Those using the service are given a designated four-digit PIN that connects orders in the restaurant management software to the Qkr! payment account. The app allows you to split the bill, manage which rounds you are in with friends and pay without a card machine.
Betty DeVita, Chief Commercial Officer for Mastercard Labs, said: “Nobody wants to hand over their card to a bartender. Your card should be with you at all times, so it’s natural for people to leave a pub without having closed their tab. This is a common problem we wanted to solve through Qkr. For bar staff themselves we have removed the headache of card storage and admin.”
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TGI Fridays plans to roll out the app to 80 further locations in the UK by the end of this year.
“Oracle Hospitality’s restaurant management platform allows the food and beverage industry to innovate by creating a single view of operations,” said Dale Grant, Senior Vice President Food and Beverage Oracle Hospitality.
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“With Oracle Hospitality solutions at the core, restaurants and bars can easily integrate additional solutions like Mastercard’s Qkr payments platform to reinvent their customer experience. By implementing Bar Tab, TGI Fridays can now offer its customers a quicker, more convenient experience that empowers staff to provide more welcoming bar experiences while reducing the number of unpaid tabs at the end of the night.”
