TabORDER, a Croatian smart table, offers contactless ordering and payment in catering facilities. It has a wooden surface with a built-in computer, electronics, a touch screen, and thick glass to protect against damages and spills.
The software part has an ordering application that includes the complete offer of an individual catering facility. It enables quick ordering without a waiter, sending the order directly to the cashier. It is also possible to pay via the table, which is another benefit in preventing the spread of coronavirus infection by reducing unnecessary social contact.
TabORDER / info-MINOVA
The ordering table can also serve as an interactive desk for using the Internet. It also has advertising space that can be an additional source of income for owners/caterers. To adapt to all caterers’ requirements, mobile or tablet applications are also offered as a cheaper option of the contactless ordering system.
Young people and children loved Croatian smart table
Different screen, table, and stand sizes are available where design, material, top panel thickness, and stand can be picked.
The idea came from Mihaela Popović, the owner of the company info-MINOVA, the manufacturer of TabORDER. Like most people, Mihaela once waited for an order in a cafe when she got the thought of a smart table that would speed things up. How is it even possible that at the time of the greatest digitalization, something like this had not already been planned, Mihaela wondered.
TabORDER / info-MINOVA
“I reviewed existing similar solutions for applications, panels, and smart tables, but I didn’t like them. At that time, an entrepreneurship competition had just come out where innovative ideas scored the most, so I wrote the first business plan for a smart table and suggested it to my brother. He is an expert in hardware and software solutions. We did not win the competition, but we decided to start the development ourselves. The prototype was made and exhibited for the first time at INOVA 2018 in Zagreb, where it received a lot of attention and interest from visitors, especially young people and children,” explains Mihaela.
Croatian smart table soon in Zagreb and abroad?
This smart table has also been recognized at numerous innovation fairs. So far, TabORDER has won three awards: at the 7th Innovation Fair in Bjelovar in 2019, the innovation award at INOVA 2019 in Zagreb, and even the award at the ITE Expo Innovation Fair in London in 2019.
Mihaela Popović, owner of the info-MINOVA company and conceptual initial of the Croatian smart table TabORDER / info-MINOVA
Will we soon really be able to order food and drink via TabORDER? As Mihaela says, that will be possible soon in Zagreb and maybe even abroad. So far, they have focused on functionality and product testing, but the commercialization has begun in the last month.
“We have recently been realizing a facility that would have a complete system of our smart tables that offer digital ordering and advertising, and the facility should be opened in Zagreb soon. We also have several inquiries abroad, so we are arranging offers for them,” says Mihaela.
Info-MINOVA was established in August 2018 as a continuation of the family business and brings together a team of design, electronics, hardware, and software experts. Their main activity is design, but they also create websites, applications, and sport scoreboards.
Solving tourism problems with Croatian smart table
Besides caterers, TabORDER could also be helpful to tourism workers, especially in hotels, as it reduces unnecessary social contact, which is currently extremely important for tourists when choosing a destination during a coronavirus pandemic. With the digitization of all systems, it enables better control and organization of the business. Mihaela emphasizes that they can offer similar solutions to all other tourism sectors and redesign the systems to their needs.
TabORDER / info-MINOVA
Although TabORDER seems like an excellent solution for catering facilities and tourism, caterers’ first reactions were not good. Several caterers were skeptical. Given that the first TabORDER prototype was created before the coronavirus pandemic, it was considered a significant investment, and that it was not yet time for it.
TabORDER was not supported because some were not satisfied with the existing applications they used, which also created further mistrust. As an innovator and entrepreneur, Mihaela feels responsible but also insecure in these uncertain times. However, she is sure that TabORDER responds to all current challenges.
“For the last year, we have been witnessing the consequences of the coronavirus crisis that were left on all branches of the economy, especially on the catering sector. I believe that it is now necessary to make digitalization and that TabORDER offers complete digitalization while adapting to caterers’ needs and capabilities,” says Mihaela.
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