Manchester-based start-up Payper Technologies is using graphene to provide the restaurant industry with a new pay-at-table technology.
Graphene antennas are printed on paper to enable customers to pay their bill by tapping their smartphone on the receipt. The process is said to take two clicks and under five seconds, with no app required. Customers settle the payment using their existing Apple Pay or Google Pay.
The product is the brainchild of Payper co-founders Dr Thanasis Georgiou, a scientist in advanced materials, and Renate Kalnina, who has worked in digital tech sales and marketing for more than 13 years.
“Many of us have been left waiting to pay the restaurant bill for 20, 30 or even 40 minutes whilst operators and staff are struggling with PDQ terminal connectivity and shortage,” commercial director Kalnina said.
“Our solution for restaurants consists of replacing the roll of paper inside the printer with a roll of our Paydots. Once a receipt is printed and taken to the table, the customers can pay at their leisure without requiring a card machine; thus reducing cross contamination as well as limiting waiting staff time spent per table.
“This solution also brings commercial benefit from increased table turnover. No doubt the social distancing measures will reduce the available tables per restaurant, so this solution can achieve faster table turnarounds by reducing the need to wait around for card terminals.”
Payper is currently looking for Manchester and North West restaurant partners to take part in a pilot trial of the product.
“We understand that most of the industry is currently on furlough however, now is the best time to engage and embrace innovative technologies since government guidelines allow employees to take part in training while on furlough,” Kalnina added.
Graphene was “re-dicovered and identified” by two scientists from the University of Manchester in 2004.
