There was a time when baristas had to write a customer's name on a cup and take it out. They don't always have the right name, but they often do. It goes to the right person.
But in this post-pandemic era dominated by Uber Eats and DoorDashes, the outlook for grocery shopping has gotten significantly worse. A Chicago-based hardware startup Pick up It aims to solve the problem with a small square machine of the same name.
product Shown at CES 2025.A small platform where cafes and restaurants place food and drinks when they are ready to order. The modular “smart pad” system connects directly to the restaurant's POS system and automatically enters customer names on a base. The startup is testing the technology with a Chicago-based coffee shop.
Founder and CEO Yaro Tsyhanenko told TechCrunch that the system will be offered as part of a hardware-as-a-service (HaaS) package priced at $9 to $19 per month per package. It includes support, Software and a restaurant are required to initialize the system. The exact price depends on how many pads a location accepts and whether they choose to pay annually or monthly.
Currently, the pads are still expensive to produce, at around $100 each, Tsyhanenko said. Once Pickpad expands its production efforts, this should drop slightly. The company is also focusing on creating full shelves that can be easily slotted into Ikea bookcases, and is developing an automated cubbyhole system to order.
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