I-pad Menu’s

It's the new trendy gadget everyone needs to have.  I've seen it around at a few restaurants in the Capital Region. Be on the lookout for i-pad menus.

Instead of using the big bulky long paper menu's,  restaurants are turning to i-pads to put their menu's on.  Servers can take your order on a i-pad instantly sending your order back to the kitchen.  You can pay just by punching in your credit card information.  The use of the i-pad has definately simplified the process and restaurant ordering experience.   

What about thief? They are loaded with software that will prevent the i-pads from walking out the door, so dont try taking one out with you when you leave.

I can see the i-pad being used to develop customer relationships. Digital surveys, collecting customer e-mails and offering frequent diner programs.  Restaurants can get valuable data about customers, how often they eat, what a particular customer likes to order etc.   It will be just a matter of time before they entirely replace the paper menu.