When the bill arrives, diners call for Leo

Fran Foo
The Australian
July 18, 2012

SMARTPHONES just got much smarter for the manager of one bustling city cafe.

Since last week, Frank Astorino’s Paradiso Terrace Cafe in the Sydney CBD has been trialling a modified iPhone that turns the smartphone into a secure, portable point-of-sale terminal.

Dubbed Leo, the Commonwealth Bank device consists of a slimline terminal wrapped around an iPhone to process chip and magnetic-stripe credit and debit cards, as well as cash and contactless card payments. “We started trialling Leo last week and it’s just fantastic . . . an absolute godsend,” Mr Astorino said.

Things can get hectic so it’s easy to see why he’s chuffed: each time someone uses Leo to pay during peak periods he saves between four and six minutes, allowing his staff to tend to more customers.

Another benefit is Leo’s mobility. Mr Astorino and his staff can take the device to the customer’s table instead of them queuing at the counter.

“No longer are we confined to the counter. We can move around the cafe and go straight to the customer for payment . . . it saves time,” he said.

Receipts can be printed or emailed to the customer.

Leo will be officially launched next week.

Retailers have been looking for ways to increase sales and improve customer service as well as cut queues, and Apple is at the forefront of mobile paperless payment methods.

Customers use its Apple Store app to scan the barcode on a product and the transaction is completed using their iTunes account. No cash or cards are exchanged and there’s no line at the counter. In the second quarter of next year, CBA will launch Albert, a wireless touchscreen POS terminal smaller than a desk phone which will run on Google’s Android operating system.

CBA corporate banking solutions executive general manager Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said an internal survey of 500 consumers showed that 83 per cent hated waiting in queues.
A CBA-developed app called Split the Bill allows patrons to choose to pay either by cash or card and even divide the bill unevenly between the party.