After the release of the first iPad in 2010, excitement about this new technological development reached a fever pitch. Some restaurants were eager to take advantage of consumer interest in tablets by incorporating them into their in-restaurant ordering process. Customers could browse the menu and order via tablet, and even play a limited selection of games while they waited for their food to be ready. In-restaurant tablets seemed perfect for games-focused establishments like family-friendly restaurants and sports bars. Most crucially, in-restaurant tablets offered an alternative way for customers to pay that sped up table turnaround time.

Despite these advantages, in-restaurant tablets may soon become an endangered species. Instant payment, which was the main functional advantage of tablet technology, can now be handled by mobile apps on customers’ own smartphones. With mobile payment technology, customers can browse a restaurant’s menu and send payments directly to a central point-of-service terminal without the need for table-side tablets. While tablet technology seemed promising at first, it may turn out to be just another fad.

Read the full article here: Will Mobile Cause Tablet Ordering to Go the Way of the Dinosaur?