With springtime came the moment so many were waiting for: our favourite restaurants, diners, buffets, and bars opened so we could enjoy the delicious flavours on their terrace together with a glass of ice-cold Coca-Cola. To ensure we can order completely safely on location, Coca-Cola has developed its own contactless menu platform for smartphones, which they offer to local restaurants free of charge. Next time we see a table where everybody is browsing their smartphones, we shouldn’t judge them: they might just be looking at the menu.
The contactless menu, which is comfortable and safe to use for both restaurants and their guests, was developed by Coca-Cola Hungary to support local restaurants in the reopening period. The beverage company provides the service to its HoReCa partners, completely free of charge. It is already available in several restaurants, including popular places such as the Alessio Café and Restaurant in Buda and the Trattoria Cardinale restaurant at Szentendre Dunakorzó. The interface was developed in Hungary, in collaboration with Isobar Budapest. However, after seeing its great success, hospitality sectors of neighbouring countries can soon start using it as well.
“Our experience so far has shown that guests like it; they are always very open to novelties, and this platform is easy to use, which is a special benefit and will be useful in the long run. The pandemic has made people more cautious, so this new, contactless design has absolute legitimacy in terms of hygiene and precaution,” Miklós Forrai, owner of the Alessio restaurant in Buda summarized his professional insights.
“Guest feedback is very positive: not only young people had started to use the online menu, but our senior guests also enjoy using it. We would like to get the traditional menu out of everyday use once and for all – although right now more people insist to read the paper menu, returning guests are no longer asking for it. It is very practical that for example, when we update our offer, we don't have to edit and reprint the menu, we just update the system. It also makes the work of the waiters easier, as it spares them the round when they bring the menu to the table and wait for the order,” Emese Győri, store manager of Old Negresco Restaurant said about their experiences.