Last year, Zapper launched in the UK – one of many firms hawking the idea of using a barcode to speed up payments.
Zapper asks users to download its app, assign their payment details once and then pay with a simple scan whenever they see a Zapper code.
The firm targeted utility firms at first, but is now aiming at the restaurant trade.
It currently works with hundreds in the UK, South Africa and across Europe including the swanky London restaurant group, Burger & Lobster.
Zapper says eateries benefit from faster turnaround of customers, while diners can pay and leave at their own leisure. Restaurants pay a maximum of two per cent of the total bill with no other fees.
Bradley Duke, European MD for Zapper, believes restaurants are the ideal setting for these kinds of m-payments. He said: “In a restaurant, people have time to discover and download the app. That might not be the case in a shop.
“And they really appreciate the ability to pay and leave when they choose to.”
Zapper encourages restaurants to offer a discount to those diners to encourage take-up. The app (available for iOS, Android and Windows Phone) also supports tips and the splitting of bills.
Although Zapper is superficially similar to Powa, SEQR, Yoyo and others, the firm reckons the simplicity of its merchant integration is a big USP.
It connects to POS systems by using a special cable that replaces the one used to connect to a printer.