Payment app ends wait for restaurant bill at Wagamama

Wagamama is claiming a world first through the launch of a mobile payment app which it describes as the "Uber for diners".

The restaurant chain says wagamamago enables customers who have downloaded the app to walk in to restaurants, order, eat and go.

The cashless technology was developed with Mastercard (Swiss: MA.SW - news) after Wagamama's chief investment officer wanted a way to ease stress among diners waiting to pay up at one of its airport outlets.

Wagamama claims the app will save people an average 12 minutes every meal through not having to ask for a bill, waiting for it to turn up and then waiting to pay.

The company told Sky News it did not believe it would have a detrimental effect on tips or staff numbers because only starters and some drinks can be ordered via the app, which it said was purely aimed at saving people time when they are ready to leave.

The app has to be opened on entering a restaurant when the customer is supplied with a four digit code.

That code is given to the waiter to pair with the till - later taking payment automatically with a receipt emailed to the bill-payer, or payers as the cost of meals can be split.

Wagamama customer director Emma Woods said: "We wanted to bring truly frictionless payment to restaurants as we know waiting for the bill is frustrating.

"No more waving your hand in the air, trying to catch the waiter's eye, once you're ready you just go, and customers are automatically charged with the receipt emailed directly.

"Customers are accustomed to one-click payments for online retailers and walk-out payments from Uber, but there hasn't been an app offering all of these functions for restaurants, which is what we have now created."

Jennifer Macrae, vice president of product innovation at Mastercard, said: "We are bringing our digital ordering and payment technology - Qkr - into an app tailor-made for Wagamama's loyal customers.

"We can adapt this technology to any kind of restaurant and Wagamama is the first to use it in this way."