How a Restaurant can Implement BTC

[Zetler]

If I owned a restaurant, I'd add a QR code on the bill. It would be an optional feature.

The implementation wouldn't be too difficult. A programmer could make this in one day.
Waiters could be taught how to deal with it in one hour.
Risk of cheating would be so low that zero confirmations would be needed (status pending sufficient).
What would be printed on the bill would be something like this:

Optional:
Pay with BITCOIN.
$21.12 USD   = BTC0.04189 XBT
[QR Code]
Scan and pay with your smartphone.
Ask waiter for further instructions.

[longjohnnoob]

What about the fluctuating exchange rate?

[gagalady]

If I owned a restaurant, I'd add a QR code on the bill. It would be an optional feature.

The implementation wouldn't be too difficult. A programmer could make this in one day.
Waiters could be taught how to deal with it in one hour.
Risk of cheating would be so low that zero confirmations would be needed (status pending sufficient).
What would be printed on the bill would be something like this:

Optional:
Pay with BITCOIN.
$21.12 USD   = BTC0.04189 XBT
[QR Code]
Scan and pay with your smartphone.
Ask waiter for further instructions.

Very interesting idea, but payment for a meal in a restaurant with receiving a check isn't a big problem and it doesn't take long to write a payment check as you do it with computer. But of course Bitcoin payments would make it slightly faster and more comfortable for some people. Of course there must be a choice to choose to pay with FIAT money receiving a check or with bitcoins through app. Maybe we'll have it one day.

[jonald_fyookball]

What about the fluctuating exchange rate?

The POS software would need a small module or code library to connect via API to an exchange rate data feed... Or, even simpler, the value could be set maybe once a day and the software just multiplies or divides.

[Dogtanian]

Why not just use a payment processor or a tablet with your QR code on etc?

[kathmandu34]

Zetler,
Interesting but I have few questions.
Where are you from? I can guess you are not from US,
there are a lot of restaurants in the United States which areaccepting Bitcoin since a long time
not only in the restaurants there are a lot other business which are accepting Bitcoin in this time.

[zimmah]

There should be some swipe and shop bitcoin card, so owners can keep the machine, and the clients can swipe and bitcoin gets deducted.

coinkite has this feature. You can use coinkite terminal with bitcoin and litecoin debit cards, but also with regular bitcoin and litecoin.

[byt411]

You can ask them if they want to pay with bitcoin, and if they do, give them a tablet using coinbase/bitpay to calculate the exchange rate, and then you will receive it in fiat.

[adub]

If I owned a restaurant, I'd add a QR code on the bill. It would be an optional feature.

I agree 100% and have designed a similar approach. It must be done within the existing POS systems to be successful.

The coinkite approach won't work long term, and here's why...
http://blog.atlantabitcoin.com/bitcoin-at-the-point-of-sale-wont-find-success-until-its-integrated/

[shaobao88]

By the way buying food with bitcoins becomes more and more popular

[qerry80]

It can be very useful for your business. Just put a smartphone with bitpay and let them pay using qr code

[joecooin]

There is not much to implement.

If you run a restaurant and want to accept Bitcoin you can basically start doing so the second you choose to do so.

Why would you need a programmer? To install a Bitcoin Wallet on an Android tablett? To call up the blockexplorer of blockchain.info with which you can create payment requests to any address whatsoever?

Starting to accept Bitcoin anywhere takes less effort and time than I needed to write this post really.

Joe

[Patel]

If I owned a restaurant,

The customer would pay when they order. It will get a confirmation by the time food is ready.

Then they can leave a tip at the end of the meal.

[joecooin]

If I owned a restaurant,

The customer would pay when they order. It will get a confirmation by the time food is ready.

Then they can leave a tip at the end of the meal.

You don't need confimations for accepting Bitcoin for food and drink.

In over three years now we had a few thousand Bitcoin payments which were all accepted once broadcasted to the net with zero confirmations and we did not have one single double spend.

I know this might change but so far don't worry about confirmations in this kind of business. Someone wanting to cheat in a restaurant is much more likely to just leave without asking for the bill than to actually try to double spend Bitcoins.

Joe

 

[kwukduck]

If I owned a restaurant,

The customer would pay when they order. It will get a confirmation by the time food is ready.

Then they can leave a tip at the end of the meal.

You don't need confimations for accepting Bitcoin for food and drink.

In over three years now we had a few thousand Bitcoin payments which were all accepted once broadcasted to the net with zero confirmations and we did not have one single double spend.

I know this might change but so far don't worry about confirmations in this kind of business. Someone wanting to cheat in a restaurant is much more likely to just leave without asking for the bill than to actually try to double spend Bitcoins.

Joe

 

Of course you need confirmations, recently we have seen demonstrated over and over how easy it is to doublespend.

[odolvlobo]

A basic problem with zero confirmations is that there is always a risk that the transaction may never be confirmed. It can happen when the payer does not include a transaction fee, though it is rare.

[DannyHamilton]

A basic problem with zero confirmations is that there is always a risk that the transaction may never be confirmed. It can happen when the payer does not include a transaction fee, though it is rare.

Of course in the case of a restaurant, anyone that wants to skip out on the bill will simply walk out rather than go to all the effort to attempt to reverse a zero confirmation transaction.

If the patron has gone to the effort to actually send a transaction for a restaurant bill, it should be safe enough to accept it with 0 confirmations.

[Dogtanian]

If I owned a restaurant,

The customer would pay when they order. It will get a confirmation by the time food is ready.

Then they can leave a tip at the end of the meal.

I don't think double spends are a big a problem as people think they are. If a payment processor is used they'd be covered anyway.

[hilariousandco]

If I owned a restaurant, I'd add a QR code on the bill. It would be an optional feature.

[/quote]

That would be kinda cool. It'd be great to tip the waiters in Bitcoins as well.

[bananas]

You can automate everything if you want, once an address/qr code is created it is associated with the table number, time and expected to receive a specific amount of BTC. If it is paid by the customer the system instantly detects and mark it as paid, and it is removed from the system when that table is paid with another payment method.