incuTANK: Sharing ideas and innovation.

living in boston means that going out to bars, pubs and clubs is a weekly ritual that never seems to get old. From new and hip to old and rustic, bars come in all shapes and sizes. in the back of my head there has always been a similar problem that comes up time and time again. when paying for drinks, you can either open a tab (leaving your credit card open at the bar) or paying by cash and credit each round. there has always been an uneasyness that comes from leaving your credit card at the bar. i can recount numerous stories from friends and a few on my end. everything from lost or stolen cards, forgotten cards, over-charge, false orders, over-tip, etc… I usually end up paying with cash or credit, but its takes time for the money or card to come back. Obviously no perfect solution but if I was operating a bar or similar type of space, I would want people to buy food or drinks as quickly as possible without any hesitation that something would go wrong.

this concept is nothing new or innovative but the RFID or other chip/radio technologies that we find at our local Mobil station, MBTA(Boston Subway Charlie Payment System), highway toll passes or in the new Visa paywave. it would be great to bring this contactless payment system to a bar. benefits include:quick, easy and in some cases more secure than regular credit cards. I would set up the systems as 2 ends of the bar and automatically calculate a 18% gratuity into the charge. so here is the situation. Patron goes up to bar, orders drinks, gets drinks and taps his card to the payment reader and walks away.

the transaction is so quick but most importantly it eliminates a contact point with the bartender (i.e. no need for change or writing in a tip on a piece of paper or leaving your bar tab open). the time saved means more orders and less mistakes and i have no doubt would generate additional revenue for the bar. some drugstores/grocery stores have already set up Visa Paywave stations so why not a bar. a beer vending machine might be nice too

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