Kowloon Restaurant in Saugus, Massachusetts has been a regional staple for decades. Founded as a Chinese restaurant in the 1950s, the family-owned eatery has added cuisines and themes over the years to keep up with changing trends, from Thai, to sushi, to an outdoor tiki bar.

So it’s no surprise that now, in the midst of a global pandemic, Kowloon is shapeshifting again. On Thursday, the restaurant will host the grand opening of its car hop and “drive-in” movie theater, located on-premise in the business’ massive parking lot.

Bob Wong, who owns and operates the restaurant with his siblings – the third generation of the family to do so – said that when he hatched the idea, he knew he needed a smart solution for taking orders.

“Just looking at the site, I was like, there’s no way I can put POS computers out there,” he said. He decided to put the ordering power directly in the guests’ hands. “I thought, why reinvent the wheel?”

What Wong envisioned was an early version of the new Paytronix Contactless Dining platform: a digital menu that would enable guests to place orders from their outdoor table and sync those orders seamlessly with the POS system. Wong was already using Paytronix Online Ordering to keep the business running during the shutdown, so he simply adapted the system to the new drive-in setup. […]

While plenty of restaurants pivoted to digital ordering and delivery during COVID-19 as a means of staying afloat, a few did more, harnessing an opportunity to expand their reach and customer base. Even fewer did it as well as Ninja City Kitchen and Bar in Cleveland.

“I almost feel guilty saying that we’ve done well during the pandemic,” said co-owner and executive chef Bac Nguyen. “In a nutshell, we’ve done quite well, and [Paytronix] is a big part of that.”

Ninja City was quite successful before the pandemic, regularly packing its dining room full on weekends and some weeknights. But its Asian fusion pub grub was in such high demand during the height of the shutdown in April that the restaurant was making an additional 20% in revenue weekly – and with shortened hours to boot. […]

Of all of the changes COVID-19 will usher into society, one of the most lasting and most prominent will is likely to be an aversion to touching shared surfaces, from door handles to pin pads. That aversion has only been part of the national zeitgeist for a few months, but has already accelerated the trend toward touchless payments.  

About 47% of American consumers are expected to use mobile wallets in 2020. Even two years ago, half of the United States’ stores – approximately 5 million locations – accepted Apple Pay, and 4 million accepted Google Pay.  

Before the pandemic, contactless payments’ biggest hurdle to overcome was security concerns, despite being more secure than traditional payment methods; but as public health concerns become society’s primary focus, lesser fears over security are likely to fall by the wayside.  

The most common form of contactless payment, via the mobile wallet, has big upsides for businesses even beyond public health and consumer comfort. Digital loyalty cards can be seamlessly linked to the mobile wallet, positively impacting penetration rates. Digital payments will enable pay-at-table features and make on-the-go transactions more convenient. And stored-value mobile cards, like the ones Starbucks popularized, will become more mainstream, providing businesses with small, interest-free loans.  

For more information on the benefits of touchless payments, check out this webinar: Is Touchless Payment the New Normal?    

Last week, Fast Casual announced the winners of its annual Top 100 Movers and Shakers award. The list recognizes 75 fast casual restaurants and 25 executives that have cemented themselves as leaders in the industry, and who “aren’t afraid to take risks in order to grow their businesses as well as to propel the fast casual industry.

Thirteen Paytronix customers were recognized this year for their ingenuity, authenticity and embrace of technology. Five of those restaurants were also recognized for their executives, who are leading their brands to great success.

Congratulations to the winners!

Panera Bread – # 8

For the launch of its new coffee subscription service

And Karen Kelly, senior vice president, chief restaurant operations manager

BurgerFi – #9

For its selection by the U.S. Air Force as part of a global initiative to enhance food quality

And Charles Guzzetta, chief brand development officer

Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh – #14

For expanding its “clean” food policy to its beverage menu

And James Park, CEO […]