Packed wants to make it quicker and easier than ever before to close your tab or pay your check.
Founder and CEO Dylan Munn enthusiastically describes his company’s mission to “elevate the dining experience.” He says research has shown that paying the bill has the potential to sour even the best meals. So, instead of waiting on the server to bring the check, Packed users can pay the bill and leave without relying on their server.
The company has been AB testing for 6 months and now, they’re done with that beta testing and ready to hear back from real-world users.
“We’ve done the work, so let’s just open the doors and see what happens,” Munn says.
Munn also boasts that Packed is flexible, with three variations of how restaurants can take advantage of the app. For example, an upscale restaurant could configure the platform to still have the servers in charge of the process and a bar could make the closeout process fairly independent for customers. Munn says they’ve tried to think of every possible use case, but he says they’re hoping tonight will bring up scenarios they haven’t solved for yet.
Munn agrees that improving the point of sale for restaurants and bars isn’t a novel idea. He’s aware of what he calls the “elephant graveyard” of unsuccessful products. However, he emphasizes that Packed is unique in that they focus less on the technology – which has already been implemented by Square and others – and more on the customer experience.
The company’s other priority is making sure servers jump on board. Servers will need to change their workflow in order for the company to take off, so that’s why Packed focused a lot on servers in their testing.
The company’s starting small at first, focusing on breweries and restaurants along Mill Ave. But, as with every startup, they hope to eventually expand to a variety of places.
For customers uncomfortable with technology or who are unsure of the app, they can still close the tab in the usual way. But Munn hopes the Packed way will eventually become the standard for point of sale transactions.
Packed is launching the app at Varsity Tavern tonight in Tempe. Munn invites everyone to come hang out with him from 4pm-11pm.