Portsmouth restaurants trial Contactless Menu mobile app that allows customers to book, order pay and check queues

The Contactless Menu software is being trialled by venues in a new Go Local partnership between its developers, the council and Shaping Portsmouth.

When opened, the apps displays the list of restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes available next to traffic light-style graphics that indicate how busy they are.

Other icons tell the user whether venues are wheelchair or dog friendly, have baby-changing facilities, tables outside or gluten-free menu options.

It’s hoped the app will help the city’s hospitality sector to operate safely and profitably after months of lockdown.

Contactless Menu co-creator Paul Cramp, 37, said: ‘This app has been built for the people of Portsmouth to provide a long-term solution, not just the answer to a short-term problem.

‘The aim isn’t to eliminate all interaction because some businesses, particularly independents, will want to continue to greet customers and take that first order in person as they do now.

‘But it’s about driving customers to the right venues to start with and making things more streamlined for them and businesses, because everything can be done via the app.

‘We’re already hearing from businesses that customers using the app are ordering more than they normally would because it’s much faster, there’s no need to queue or get the attention of a member of staff, and orders can be placed without interruption.’

Catalan Barcelona, The Sunday Post and Pitigliano, all in Southsea, are among the first raft of venues signed on to Contactless Menu’s pilot scheme.

MORE HERE: All you need to know about when the Eat Out to Help Out scheme ends – and which restaurants will carry it on

Their manager, Claire Upstall, said: ‘We're really excited by having Contactless Menu – the traffic light system will help customers to check our availability too. It's a great initiative for Portsmouth businesses and residents.’

Up to 40 venues, including chains, can take part in Contactless Menu’s pilot for free by emailing [email protected].

Each will be provided with a handheld terminal that links to the app, which they can keep by paying a small commission on orders if they wish to take part after the pilot.

Stef Nienaltowski, chairman of Shaping Portsmouth, said: ‘If you are a hospitality business in the city please come forward to take part in this pilot scheme.

‘There is no cost to you but many benefits – including your venue appearing on the app when people are searching for somewhere local to eat or drink.’

Councillor Steve Pitt, Portsmouth City Council’s deputy leader and cabinet lead for culture, leisure and economic development, said he hopes the app will ‘helps customers to feel more confident about eating out safely’.

Mr Cramp said ‘high-level’ talks are ongoing to launch Contactless Menu in other council areas.

You can download the app by visiting contactlessmenu.co.uk.

A look at how Contactless Menu works for customers and businesses

The app is now available to download for free from the App Store on Apple devices and the Android devices.

To be able to use it to place orders and bookings, you must first open the app and create a Contactless Menu account.

You will then have the option to securely store your bank details on the app, which will allow you to place orders and pay.

Payment is contactless and does not need to be carried with the help of a member of front of house staff.

The traffic light system explained

The traffic light system that registered users see when they open the app is controlled by the venues themselves.

Restaurants, pubs, cafes and bars have their own version of the app which they can control on their handheld Contactless Menu terminals.

One handy function of this is the ability to send out real-time information to app users about how busy their venue is.

This appears next to the venue’s name, for example, as a green circle indicating it is not busy or a yellow circle with a specific waiting time.

A traffic light symbol will not appear next to Contactless Menu businesses which are currently unavailable or closed.

Developer Paul Cramp said the goal of the traffic light system is to help customers avoid ‘aimless queuing’ when they’re on the hunt for food.

The feature was thought up by Contactless Menu partner Shaping Portsmouth.

How customers’ interactions with the app gets sent to venues

Venues’ use of the Contactless Menu app runs entirely through the handheld terminals they’re given as part of the scheme, which run on 3G, 4G and wifi.

Before an order can be sent to a venue, the Contactless Menu app connects to the customers’ bank to ensure they have the funds to complete the transaction.

If the customer has the funds their order is sent to the venue, which then has full discretion over whether the order is accepted or denied.

If accepted, money for the order will be taken out of the customers’ account and the food will be taken to their table as normal.