Roger Fingas
A new payments terminal, E la Carte's PrestoPrime EMV, could potentially bring Apple Pay to more restaurants, and let people pay for food and drinks without either a card or interacting with a waiter.
The terminal sports dual processors with one dedicated to payments, E la Carte said, and can even temporarily save some data locally in case of a power failure, forwarding it later once an internet connection is back. In addition to Apple Pay, it also supports Android Pay and Samsung Pay, plus less direct mobile payment methods by way of a camera and QR code reader.
For card-based transactions the device supports both chips and magnetic stripes, with a PIN pad and signatures. Before or during a meal it can provide entertainment like games and video.
The PrestoPrime EMV's predecessor is said to be in use at over 1,800 U.S. restaurants, including chains like Applebee's. While restaurants are unlikely to upgrade en masse, a gradual changeover during the next few years could see Apple Pay become more prominent.
Traditionally Apple Pay has been limited to fixed point-of-sale terminals, or handheld readers like those from Square. At restaurants, waiters may sometimes have to bring a reader to a table for people to pay.
Platforms like Apple Pay and PayPal so far appear to be winning out over QR-based options. Recently MCX sold off assets from CurrentC, a failed QR-based challenger to Apple Pay, to JPMorgan Chase. The latter company is working on a system called Chase Pay.
William Gallagher
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Stephen Silver
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25 Comments
I think it's fair to say that in the UK and from my experience, other countries in Europe, it is customary for the waiting staff to bring the card machine to the table or failing that, and increasingly more rarely, for the bill payer to go to the counter to pay. And yes, portable contactless (NFC) payment terminals have become quite common in the UK, though not quite ubiquitous in the restaurants. It is surprising to see from this viewpoint, how prolonged and protracted the rollout of NFC and contactless payments has become in the USA, though in fairness, the USA has a much larger population and land area than any single European country. Presumably there are also 50 different financial rules from each of the 50 states to comply with when attempting to rollout a nationwide system in the USA.
I had an opportunity to play with one of these at an Olive Garden recently. From what I could tell, it wasn't hard-wired into a phone or ethernet jack.
So it's utilizing bluetooth or some other wireless connection to send CC info? Pardon my ignorance, but are these terminals at risk for RFID Skimming? :#
Here's the question on everyone's tongue, but no one has brought it up yet:
What's up with the two women in the photo drinking cocktails and the two, mostly off-frame men sipping pints of water? Seems kinda creepy. Get the ladies drunk, quietly pay the terminal, sneak them out the back way and who knows what after that?
weird propping choice, at the least.