Contacless payments for sushi

Payments within less than half a second are now possible for the visitors of Japanese restaurant chain Wasabi which is the first restaurant chain in the UK to pilot a fully integrated contactless payment system. Previously the firm operated on a cash-only basis.

With the new technology Wasabi customers are provided with a fast and convenient ‘wave and pay’ method of payment on all transactions of £10 and under.

The figures show that an average number of customers visiting Wasabi on Oxford Street amounts 7,500 people spending on average £8.00. Thus the restaurant is “ideally positioned to benefit from the technology”. The technology principle is very simple: customers need to touch their card against the reader instead of entering a PIN or signing.

At the moment a total of 16 terminals are being piloted for four weeks in two of Wasabi’s busiest locations, Canary Wharf and Oxford Street.

Experts forecast 70% of debit cards and 45% of credit cards to be contactless-enabled in the UK by the end of 2011.