Avoid Queuing With This Mobile App That Allows Customers To Order Food And Drinks At London Bars

Many tourists who visit London are fascinated by the efficiency of the transport system, the grandeur of the buildings, or the resilience of the locals to a lack of sunlight.

On my recent trip to the United Kingdom, however, I was most impressed with a mobile app which allowed me to order food and drinks in a pub.

Immediately upon arriving, I was struck by the ubiquity of smartphone-based interaction, Wi-Fi hotspots, contactless payments, and other technological amenities which have yet to penetrate South Africa’s urban centres outside of certain shopping centres.

The perfect summary of this was the first night I spent in London when we visited a local pub for dinner.

At the suggestion of my local friends, we took a train to a Wetherspoon-owned pub. Wetherspoon is a UK company which owns pubs and hotels, with each of its properties operating under their own name.

Upon finding a table, I was prepared to brave the queues at the bar (many pubs in England have no table service – you must order food and drinks at the bar) before my friend chimed in with some unexpected advice:

“Don’t queue at the bar, it’s so much easier if you order using the app.”

Using the app

I’m no stranger to ordering food on my phone – I open Uber Eats more than my fridge – but it seemed counterproductive to order food through an app while at the venue where the food is made.

I was curious, however, and promptly downloaded the Wetherspoon app using the pub’s Wi-Fi.

The app allows you to register in a matter of seconds and after entering your credit card details, you are ready to order.

Each table at the pub had a number affixed to it, and by entering this into the app and choosing from the selection of food and drinks on the menu, I was able to place my order in just a few taps.

In the time it had taken the app-less patrons to reach the bar and order, I had already received my burger and beer delivered to my table without speaking to any service staff.


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