Mega-trend No. 1: Companies embrace mobile apps for business use

The next time you visit the South Loop brunch spot Waffles, plan on bringing your mobile phone. You’ll be able to order a second orange juice before your waiter even comes back to your table.

Waffles is using Silvrspoon, a dining app that allows customers to view menus, rate service and provide suggestions directly from their tables. Created by Chicago-based startup veterans Nick Terkay and Eugene Revzin, Silvrspoon also lets restaurant managers track ordering data. Customers scan a Quick Response code at their tables, and their requests pop up on Android handheld devices placed next to Waffles’ point-of-sale terminals.

The app has been a boon for Jose Lopez, Waffles’ manager. It recently let him know he needed to order more eggs and Hollandaise sauce after demand for eggs Benedict unexpectedly jumped. The app also helps staff speed up service and track orders in the kitchen. Since opening in August, 30% to 45% of customers have used the app, he says.

“It saves us a lot of time,” Mr. Lopez says. “The staff really likes it.”

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20111210/ISSUE02/312109998/mega-trend-no-1-companies-embrace-mobile-apps-for-business-use#ixzz1jdCMr3i9