Revolutionizing Takeout: Pickpad’s Smart Solution for a Post-Pandemic World
Remember the days when a barista simply scribbled your name on a cup and called it out, hoping you’d recognize their attempt at ‘John’ or ‘Emily’? It was an imperfect system, but somehow, everyone got their coffee. Fast forward to today, and the landscape of takeout has dramatically shifted, thanks to delivery giants like Uber Eats and DoorDash. The challenge of ensuring that orders reach the right customer has become much more complex.
Enter Pickpad, a Chicago-based hardware startup with a mission to streamline this process. At CES 2025, they unveiled their innovative solution: a small, square device designed to make order pickups as seamless as possible. This “smart pad” system works by integrating directly with a restaurant’s Point of Sale (P.O.S.) system to display customer names, ensuring accuracy and efficiency.
- Direct integration with P.O.S. systems
- Automated customer name input
- Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS) pricing model
- Pilot program in Chicago-based café
“Our goal is to simplify the takeout process for both customers and businesses,” says Yaro Tsyhanenko, Founder and CEO of Pickpad.
{TechCrunch}
The company offers this technology as part of a comprehensive HaaS package, ranging from $9 to $19 per month per pad. This includes all the necessary support and software for easy implementation. The subscription cost varies based on the number of pads adopted and whether payments are made monthly or annually.
Currently, the production cost per pad is around $100, but Tsyhanenko anticipates this will decrease as manufacturing scales up. Looking ahead, Pickpad is also exploring the development of entire shelves that can integrate into existing furniture like Ikea bookcases, creating an automated cubbyhole system for even smoother order pickups.
This forward-thinking approach by Pickpad not only promises to reduce mix-ups but also enhances the overall takeout experience in our fast-paced world. With pilot programs already underway, it’s exciting to imagine what the future holds for this startup and its potential impact on the food service industry.
