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February 22, 2011 by Kate Laymon | 1 Comment

Did Apple see this coming? iPads are beginning to replace menus, just as e-readers have begun to replace hard copy books. Restaurant goers will have an opportunity to custom order their meals with just a touch of a finger. USAToday talked with the founders of Stacked: Food Well Built, a new restaurant chain that will put an iPad/menu) on [every table in its three new locations opening soon in Southern California:

The two co-founders — who founded the BJ’s Restaurant chain — plan to place 100 iPads in each restaurant. Diners will use them to look at meal options; design their own burgers, pizzas and salads; and, if they want, use the iPads to pay for the meals.
But, says co-founder Paul Motenko, “We’re not going to market it as an iPad restaurant.” When Stacked founders first considered a concept with guests creating their own meals and ordering them on tabletop devices, the iPad didn’t yet exist. IPads were the breakthrough, Motenko says.

Others have tried iPads. Restaurants by Delta Air Lines gates at New York’s John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airport installed iPads at tables that let guests custom-order meals. Bone’s Restaurant in Atlanta uses iPads for its wine list. Co-owner Richard Lewis says wine sales jumped 20% since the iPads were added six months ago. Someday, they’ll be at all restaurants, Lewis says. “It’s the future.”