The Perkwave mobile application  has teamed up with Apple Pay to bring quick payment options to customers of a slew of local restaurants including the Crown & Anchor Pub in Las Vegas, NV, Café Vico in Fort Lauderdale, FL and The Grille in San Diego, CA.

With the multitude of restaurants beginning rollouts of mobile payments and rewards platforms within apps, Perkwave, developed by point of sale system Harbortouch, aims to make dining easier for patrons of local restaurants with its built-in loyalty functions. Pay-at-the-table options are becoming critical for all restaurants to offer, and Perkwave is the latest app to integrate with Apple Pay in a bid to streamline consumers’ payment processes.

“We have been hearing for years that mobile payments are coming, but the recent release of Apple Pay may finally make this prediction become a reality,” said Nate Hirshberg, marketing director at Harbortouch, Allentown, PA. “Pay-at-the-table is a critical component of the new EMV requirements that will soon be facing US businesses.

“With their massive user base and global marketing clout, Apple is the company best positioned to bring mobile payments mainstream.”

Marketing to loyal customers
Perkwave is marketing to loyal customers of local dining establishments with its loyalty and rewards features, which encourage guests to pay with the app, dine at the restaurant more frequently and locate other nearby businesses that accept Apple Pay’s technology.

Perkwave offers rewards points for every transaction, which can then be collected and redeemed for discounts at frequented restaurants.

While many popular chain restaurants are developing standalone apps that are beginning to use pay-at-the-table functionality, more local establishments may not have the large client base to necessitate such a development.

Perkwave is available to use at over 15,000 locations in the United States and features a search option within the app that displays places closes to the user. The app is available for iOS as of Oct. 21.

Importance of mobile payments
Brands and retailers are increasingly recognizing the importance of mobile payments in the mcommerce sector. For the restaurant industry, providing a faster way to pay will streamline the dining experience for the consumer and for the restaurant staff.

To use the Perkwave app, guests may either scan the QR code at the bottom of their receipt or enter the seven-digit code. The check can be reviewed for accuracy before the tip is added, and the consumer may then press the Touch ID sensor to complete the payment.

A digital receipt is then automatically sent to the patron’s phone.

“The other reason that Apple Pay will be the solution to finally succeed at changing consumer behavior is that it is truly more convenient and more secure than traditional credit card payments,” Mr. Hirshberg said. “Apple Pay is going to be the future of payments, and Harbortouch has been proactive in supporting this new technology.

“Over time, it will become critical for restaurants to accommodate the tens of millions of consumers who will prefer to pay with their phones.”

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York