New app Dash allows you to pay at restaurants without waiting; new experience store opens
A new app will allow you to go into select restaurants in the city and suburbs and pay via your smartphone without waiting to sign the bill.
Dash Software LLC launched this week a new mobile payment platform called Dash, that includes about 30 restaurants, bars and clubs in Chicago. It's being used at Zapatista restaurant in Northbrook and Naperville and more suburban spots are expected to be added soon, said Tom McNulty, vice president of sales for the New York-based firm. It also has opened an office at 1871, the center for technology startups in the Merchandise Mart in downtown Chicago.
Dash was founded in 2011 by Jeff McGregor and Gennady Spirin in New York with various backers. The platform launched last year in New York, where it has about 50 venues.
The Chicago and suburban market is the second area for expansion. The Chicago offerings include Fulton Market Kitchen, Tre Soldi, Table 52 and Old Crow Smokehouse, which also has a location in Schaumburg that may be included in the app soon, he said.
Apple and Android smartphone users can download the app at http://www.dashwith.me. It will show you how to create an account and then store your credit card account.
Once you arrive at a restaurant, you should tell the server that you intend to pay via Dash, which connects to the restaurant's point-of-service ordering and payment system. Whenever you order a drink or food, those items will appear in real time on your smartphone. The app also could provide additional perks to help increase customer loyalty in the future, he said.
The app allows you to pay the bill automatically either in its entirety or if you decide to split it with your companion. The companion also must have the app on their smartphone in order to split the payment. If they don't, you can send them an invitation that allows them to quickly download the app.
You also can select how much of a tip you want to pay by clicking on a percentage, he said.
He stressed that Dash is not for ordering or delivery of food. It's only used while you are inside a restaurant or bar, order food, follow the bill, and pay the tab.
New experience store opens: Sweta Lee and her husband, Chong Lee, of Round Lake Beach have opened The Cellular Connection, a Verizon Wireless retail store, in Algonquin. A grand opening is planned for Saturday at 1554 E. Algonquin Road. They have four other stores in Volo, Libertyville, Wauconda and Antioch.
The store is about 1,800 square feet and offers customers a chance to experience all the devices first before they buy, Sweta Lee said.
The new Algonquin store offers dedicated areas for various home solutions, including audio systems, TV programming and home phone services that work with the customers' wireless plans as well as the latest accessories and add-ons for mobile devices.
The back of the store has a lounge with couches and chairs, giving customers a place to play with devices and accessories. If customers buys a device and later doesn't like it, they can return it in 14 days, as long as it's not damaged, she said.
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