By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

One of the newest restaurants in Hays – The Golden Griddle, 230 W. Ninth – is about to make ordering easier with the development of an online mobile ordering app.

Once the sole domain of large chain restaurants, the Griddle hopes to bring the ease of mobile ordering to their stand alone restaurant soon, allowing patrons the ease of ordering and paying online and arriving only to pick up their order.

“It basically just eliminate the hassle of calling and ordering over the phone,” said Brady Herman, general manager.

“I know larger chains … they just pay people to run that constantly, but this is the first non-chain business to try it,” he said.

With the new business still settling into its customer base, Herman has hopes the app also drives additional business.

“Our expectations are very high for the carryout. I think it will eliminate a lot of hassle,” he said. “I think it will generate a lot more carryouts, since they don’t have come inside and wait in line.”

Herman also hopes when the app is finished, it will also be available through Facebook.

With any technological innovation comes implementation concerns and this one has been no different, but those are being addressed in the time before the launch in order for a smooth rollout to take place.

The team that is building the app – made up of people from all over the world, including former IBM employees – will be selling the app to the Griddle outright, and is concerned the app might have errors when Apple iPhone system updates occur, in which case they will need to be rehired to fix the problem. The Griddle is also exploring the best setup with the current point-of-sale system in the restaurant.

“We have a point-of-sale system back by the window that has a cash drawer,” Herman said, but an iPad also might be mounted in the area to assist staff with the ordering process.

The system could be ready as early as October and, as part of the launch, the Griddle is planning a test scenario with the public to ensure the system is fully ready prior to a full-scale launch. But the app is nearly ready.

“It’s built. I’ve seen it. There is just a little more back end stuff they have to finish up,” Herman said.