U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, will have the largest number and variety of point-of-sale (POS) units permanently installed in one venue to date, a total of nearly 600 units provided exclusively by Appetize. A four-year-old start up, the company is out to shake up the POS industry in sports and entertainment, replacing legacy systems that have been around for 20 years. But Kevin Anderson, co-founder and VP of business development at Appetize, understands it’s more than software and hardware, it’s marketing.
“It’s a record-setting deal for modern POS in general,” Anderson said. His client is Minnesota Sports Authority, which owns the billion-dollar stadium, but Appetize also receives input from Aramark, their concessionaire, and SMG, the management firm, in the operation.
The new roll-out will include:
• 490 Android-based, fixed POS solutions for concessions stands, bars and anywhere there is a permanent-install POS unit. They are tablets, which can be hardwired and/or operate with WiFi.
• 45 Android-based terminals, which are all-in-one, smaller devices that include the cash drawer, printer and barcode scanner for portable carts. This device is specifically for portable bars as a space-saver solution with connectivity flexibility.
• 30 self-serve kiosks. Appetize is championing this cashier-less option for certain concessions stands, Anderson said. “I can walk up to the kiosk, place my order, get a receipt and wait like everyone else to hear my number called,” Anderson explained. The iPad Troves strictly run on WiFi and will be roaming. U.S. Bank Stadium managers will be able to look at live analytics to deploy more self-serve kiosks to break up long lines if needed.
• 30 hand-held POS devices for wait staff to submit orders to the kitchen from a tablet. These handhelds will also be used for line-busting, similar to fast food chains and even big box stores that ring up customers before reaching the cashier.
The self-serve kiosk will be set up predominantly for credit cards, but Apple Pay or Google Wallet is an option on all Appetize POS units. “Apple Pay still needs some handholding and there is no cashier,” Anderson said. They will be deployed as needed and can be set up in seconds via account name and password.
Appetize has deployed self-serve kiosks at Pepsi Center in Denver to solve awkward positioning issues for stands. With the self-serve kiosk, patrons make a purchase and walk down to another stand to pick up the order. The self-serve kiosks are also working well in a half dozen university cafeterias, Anderson said. They’ve been out for a year now and are starting to hit critical mass, he added.
The handheld devices for line-busting are an even newer offering for sports and entertainment venues, and Anderson said that Appetize is in the pilot phase of this concept, which will be available from the get-go at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Most Appetize clients are a combination of the new tablet-based POS systems and existing legacy systems. Anderson said that U.S. Bank Stadium is a wall-to-wall client for Appetize’s robust and modern POS with Android and iOS-based components.
Some clients have been able to engage sponsors for POS software, notably the Seattle Seahawks and American Express. On the Seahawks app, using Appetize software, fans purchasing food with American Express skip the delivery fee. Vikings stadium has partnered with VenueNext to allow fans to order from their seats using their phones.
In-seat ordering by apps is entering its fourth year at the New York Knicks and New York Rangers games at Madison Square Garden. The Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins and Seahawks football games have the same offering, Anderson of his client programs. “Live Nation is turning it on this year for a dozen of its venues powered by Appetize. You put functionality in the app and it shows up in our point of sale system.
“The honest answer about mobile ordering is that if nobody knows about it, nobody is going to order,” Anderson said. “It’s done best at the Seahawks stadium and Madison Square Garden, where the folks in the marketing department e-mail folks who will be there that night to download the app and get 10 percent off your beer if you order within the app.”
The approach requires e-mail blasts, announcements on the P.A. system and even app coaches. “At the Garden, they have app coaches walking around teaching you how to order from your seat,” Anderson said.
The average order via mobile is 32 percent more compared to permanent stand sales, he said. Self-serve kiosks and line-busting can increase revenues 10 percent as well, according to early case studies.
The security of a cloud-based system is also paramount. Appetize partnered with FreedomPay two months ago, which is a PCI-validated solution with point-to-point encryption.”
But with technology changing so much, how long will Appetize’s approach last? Anderson said U.S. Bank Stadium is equipped with hardware that is prepared for whatever happens in software technology over the next 10 years.
Appetize works to educate the public on how to use credit cards or Apple Pay for a quicker, easier transaction. “Oftentimes, we partner with a bank and put signage on the back of our tablets and let people know they can use their credit card or Apple Pay. Oftentimes we will mount the cash drawer underneath the concessions stand and even hide the printer so people will walk up and think they have to give us their credit card,” Anderson said.
He sees a trend emerging to establish credit card and Near Field Communication- or Apple Pay-only lines.
It is still early, Anderson admitted. For self-serve kiosks, line busting and mobile, in-seat ordering to work well, it has to be executed and marketed well.
Interviewed for this story: Kevin Anderson, (310) 367-8793