Stacked: an iPad Eatery

Former executives at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse Paul Motenko and Jerry Hennessy have combined the their passion of using an iPad and their love for American foods to create a new restaurant venture: Stacked. While it’s not a proven point that they indeed have a passion for using an iPad, they have definitely indicated that their idea for a high-tech restaurant chain came prior to the release and accolade of Apple’s iPad. Also, apologies in advance, the owners of the restaurant are claiming they are not trying to market themselves as an “iPad eatery”, although the use of an iPad is a huge part of the process and experience the restaurant is explaining.

Noting that not all diners are always ready to order at the same time, one of the perks of a digital menu and ordering system via the iPad is that diners will be able to order at their own convenience. Customers will be greeted by a host, seated at a table and delivered food by a hostess. The rest of the process is taken care of via an iPad, with the tablet being passed around, hopefully creating an ordering efficiency previously not available at standard restaurants of yester-year.

Motenko and Hennessy’s positioning for this process is: not only is using the iPad fun and intuitive, it frees up their staff from the administrative tasks of taking and entering orders, giving them more time to provide service to the guest. Ready to build your own pizza, burger, salad at the table with a few simple swipes of your finger? That’s what Stacked aims to do. Question is, are we ready for it? Do we care? What are your thoughts on this concept? The chain currently has three locations in Southern California.