Wagamama launches ordering by iPhone: GET IN!
Now and again I find myself doing real consultancy in the City of London. Most of the time I work with mobile companies that need constant perspective, but not on a *daily* basis. That is, they don’t need me physically located in their office 5-days a week. But when I’m called upon to work ‘full time’ from 9-5pm (or, more likely, 9am-10pm), I do lunch with Wagamama.
Not all the time, but often. Wagamama is a ‘pan-asian’ restaurant chain that I’ve been thoroughly enjoying for a long time. I particularly like the fact that you can order online and then pick-up from the restaurant. It’s a painless process, especially when you pay by credit card online.
When I’m working crazy hours, it’s useful to be able to rely on the likes of Wagamama for sustenance across the day. They’ve got restaurants across the Square Mile and beyond.
Of course, there’s a problem with online ordering. If you’re using a corporate computer — as I am sometimes doing — then it’s not necessarily that professional to be seen arsing around on the Wagamama website, even if it is just for 2 minutes. Even if it’s your own laptop, it doesn’t look that good if you’re spending your consulting time ordering food. I know it’s literally 2 minutes to place an order, but all the same, I want to ensure I deliver a decent service level — and that can be undermined if your client walks in whilst you’re ordering a Chicken Katsu Curry with extra sauce.
Wagamama have addressed this issue — and the issue of ultra-immediate-convenience by launching their iPhone application:
It’s nicely designed, it’s entirely functional — the only issue I have is that I need to type in my credit card details each time. I’d like to see a user-login system for the next version that retains my card details.
One final point: Whilst I am absolutely delighted that restaurants such as Wagamama are delivering these kinds of service, I’m thoroughly disappointed that it’s *only* for the iPhone. There are millions of Nokia, Samsung, BlackBerry, Sony Ericsson and Motorola users in the UK. I recognise that it’s unrealistic to develop an app for every handset — but what about the leading smartphone platforms? Definitely BlackBerry, definitely Nokia, definitely Android too.
More please, Wagamama, more!
