I popped in for lunch today at one of my favourite spots in Edmonton: Dahlia’s Bistro. Located in the “trendy” 124th St. design district, owner/operator Fadi Smaidi greeted me with his typical broad smile and infectious good nature.
“The regular,” I said. (I love being a regular and having a regular order and walking in and saying “the regular”.)
I grabbed a Diet Coke from the cooler and sat down with my MacBook and connected to the free wifi. (Here’s why free wifi is very important to small businesses.) A few minutes later a member of Fadi’s always smiling and friendly staff delivered my falafel with hot sauce. I devoured it in minutes. Man, was it good.
Dahlia’s Bistro is a great little spot. The food is fresh and tasty – and well-priced. The atmosphere is convivial and the attitudes of Fadi and all his people are exceptionally friendly. It’s a perfect example of a business that attracts it’s customers by being really good at what they do.
Then, Fadi walked over and showed me his new point-of-sale (POS) system – a sleek iPad2-based system sold by a Toronto company called TouchBistro. Using his personal iPad, he can take orders and print receipts wirelessly, control inventory, and track staffing. He can even watch order processing remotely via his iPhone in real time and get his reports emailed to him nightly.
Best part is the cost: Well under $1,000 for the software app and all the required hardware (printer, cash drawer, iPad stand). This is compared to $6,000-$10,000 for a traditional POS system. Huge savings for any small business person. Very bad news for the traditional POS vendors.
If you’re a small business owner in Edmonton, I highly recommend you drop into Dahlia’s Bistro and see the new POS in action. While you’re here, you have to try the falafel. There’s lots of other great sandwiches and dishes too.
But trust me on the falafel.
David Boroditsky
9 months ago
Yet another device and market that will be highly disrupted by an iOS device. Remember voice recorders, pocket calculators, GPS units, etc…
Jay Palter
9 months ago
You’re right, David. iOS solutions are disrupting many markets. POS is certainly one that is long overdue for a cleanup. Thanks for your comments.
Mack D. Male
9 months ago
I don’t know if it is the same system, but Bubble Buzz on 104 Street also uses an iPad for their POS!
Jay Palter
9 months ago
Thanks, Mack, I’ll check Bubble Buzz out. I spoke to the TouchBistro people last week and they are really new – less than 20 installations in the Toronto area and a handful outside of Ontario, such as Dahlia’s. POS vendors are in for a serious disruption.
Jay Palter
9 months ago
In a subsequent chat with TouchBistro CEO Alex Barrotti, he told me that their application is available online from the Apple app store (30 day free trial) and so far they’ve had almost 1000 downloads from users around the world. Watch for big things coming from this innovative POS solution in the future.