Ashby Entrepreneur Pitches Mobile Dining Tech | No waiting for the check with new cell phone system
Generally speaking, whipping out your iPhone at a restaurant table is considered bad form. But if a new Ashby-based startup succeeds it could give diners good reason to do just that.
CheXout Systems Inc., founded by local information technology and finance consultant Brian Foster, promises to allow restaurants to send patrons’ bills directly to their mobile devices. Members of a party could then divide the bill based on who ordered what, add a tip and use PayPal or another service to make their payments, all for free.
Foster said the original concept goes back to 2002, but the technology to make it happen hadn’t evolved then. Over the past year and a half, he said, he’s been actively involved in planning and development. He also added a business partner, Oded Shoshany, a banking technology veteran who serves as chief operations officer from his location in Connecticut.
Customer Orders
So far, Foster said, the company hasn’t sold the systems to any restaurants, but it’s in discussions with several in Seattle, New York and Texas and hopes to have the first signed on before the end of the year. He said progress is bound to be slow since many potential buyers would like to see others adopt the technology before making the leap themselves. But he said he’s seeing some interest from restaurants looking for new ways to differentiate themselves in a difficult market, especially in tech-friendly areas like Seattle.
“They really like the idea of being the first one to come out with something,” he said.
CheXout Systems offers several payment options for restaurants, though Foster declined to reveal the price tags involved. He did say the option eliciting the most interest so far seems to be a per-table or per-patron charge.
“They’re paying only for when the system is used, and they always get the most recent updates we’re deploying,” he said.
Foster said the company got a good reception at the 2009 National Restaurant Association show in May, but hasn’t had any real bites from investors yet.
“The biggest question really is ‘Where is it working right now?’” he said. “That’s what a lot of them want to know. They’re being a bit more conservative with their money.”
So far, Foster and Shoshany have financed the venture privately. Once the first restaurants sign on, Foster said, he expects to follow up with investors that the two have been talking with for help growing.
As the company moves forward, he said, he expects to set up a base office in Massachusetts, probably in the Fitchburg or Worcester areas.
WBJ Web Partners
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