QikServe food app in InnSuites US hotels deal

A TECHNOLOGY firm that has helped to deliver food to Butlins holidaymakers and Heart of Midlothian football fans has sealed its first deal in the United States.

Ronnie Forbes wants QikServe to be 'the dominant player in the UK, Canada and the US'. Picture: Greg Macvean

QikServe’s mobile phone app allows customers to order and pay for food and drinks on their smartphones without having to wait for staff to take their request.

Customers can scan a “quick response code” on a restaurant table, which makes the menu pop up on their phone’s screen, allowing them to order and pay for their meal.

Saltire Hospitality has rolled out the app for home fans at Hearts’ Tynecastle Stadium in Edinburgh, while the system is also used in airport restaurants and by Bourne Leisure, which owns Butlins and Warner Leisure.

Now Midlothian-based QikServe, which employs seven staff, has won a contract from InnSuites, a hotel group that will use the technology in Arizona and California.

Ronnie Forbes, chief executive at QikServe, said: “In the next few years, we aim to become the dominant player in the UK, Canada and the US.”

Stuart McCallum, head of food and drink for Clydesdale Bank, which has been advising the firm, said: “QikServe is a brilliant new app that could revolutionise the casual dining experience for both customers and businesses.”

Clydesdale Bank recently signed a deal with trade body Scotland Food & Drink to help grow the sector. Other venues in Edinburgh using the app include two Best Western hotels and the City Cafe.