When Coeur d'Alene, Idaho-based HubWorks developed software enabling diners to place orders and pay bills via a table-mounted iPad, the company turned to Seattle-based Synapse to develop the HubWorks iPad Case, solving crucial payment and durability concerns.

Rob Berger, CEO and co-founder of HubWorks, said the new approach to table service required an interface that would be user friendly and engaging. "By handing over the design of the case to Synapse, HubWorks was able to focus on our core competence, which was ensuring that we developed a breakthrough solution for efficient table service that restaurant patrons enjoyed using," Berger said.

The HubWorks digital payment device is the first to fully integrate Apple products with restaurant POS systems, facilitating an ordering process that is both intuitive and secure, the company said.   

Merchants have to date been reluctant to upgrade costly POS systems for near field communication technology because so few consumers have e-wallets. In a classic Catch-22, consumers have little incentive to upgrade to e-wallets when so few places accept them as payment.

HubWorks offers a solution that addresses the concerns of both parties. Since the time of its launch, restaurants using HubWorks have seen up to 20 percent increases in daily average check sizes, the company said.

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