A new smartphone may revolutionize the way we behave at the bar, the Express reports, as customers who download Orderella may no longer need to hustle through the crowd to get a drink at the bar.
"The way you order drinks in a pub hasn't changed for a thousand years," Andy Crawford, operations director of the Pub People Company, which owns the Keyworth Tavern in Nottingham, UK, told the Express. "This is trying to get away from the Luddite mentality towards change in pubs. But customers will still be able to have friendly contact with pub staff. I think it's an extension of the relationship. Don't forget, the drink will be brought to the table by a member of staff."
The app allows customers to place a drink order and pay for it using their smartphone, where a waiter will then bring it over. Much like the popular food delivery app, Seamless, Orderella seeks to help customers avoid the ordinary hassles of ordering a beverage while allowing them to receive prompt service without lifting a finger. And like Seamless, Orderella lets customers know when their order is on its way.
"We were dubious, but we pulled it apart and couldn't find a fault with it. Every time we did come up with a problem, they'd already fixed it," Keyworth Tavern manager Adrian Clarke told the Express.
"People are always more comfortable when they're sat at their table than when they're stood at the bar. It'll make life for the staff a lot easier operationally. There'll be no quarrels about who was at the bar first."
As for whether or not the presence of Orderella has changed up the feel of the pub, Clarke insisted that the "banter's still there."
"It improves the atmosphere. The advantage to a village pub is when you walk in, there's that little buzz of conversation. When you have to go to the bar, you have to break that conversation mid-flow. With this, the conversation doesn't stop."
Jamal Hirani, Orderella's chief operating officer, said that the app is all about improving customer service while making life "a little easier" for both the customer and the barmen.
