Mexican restaurant chain Wahaca has recorded high adoption figures following a trial of a new enhanced version of mobile payment system Flypays technology, with 35 per cent of card transactions carried out through its app.

The pilot scheme, run at the chains Waterloo branch, enabled customers to pay via the brands app using just their table number as an identifier. Previous versions of Flypay have used QR codes on tables, which are still in place at other branches of Wahaca.

The use of the table number makes for a more seamless paying experience, with waitstaff writing the table number of the paper menus as part of their introduction. During the pilot, 18 per cent of total net spend in site was taken via the app, demonstrating the growing demand from customers to pay via mobile.

“As a business, we continually look at how we can make life simpler for operators, whilst also looking to greatly enhance the experience for their customers,” said Tom Weaver, CEO of Flypay. “The key is ensuring customers do not need to flag down their waiter to give them information; rather the customer already has what they need to retrieve the bill. QR codes were a great method of doing this, but the shift to table numbers has been even more successful.”

Wahacas partnership with Flypay has recently seen them win Best Use of Technology at the Retailers Retailer of the Year Awards, which recognises operators which have used technology to enhance their offering and engagement with customers.

“We have always wanted to push the boundaries at Wahaca and innovating is key to this,” said Mark Selby, co-founder of Wahaca. “Flypay has and continues to be an intrinsic part of our strategy to ensure we always deliver a very unique experience for our customers. The technology is by far the most impressive of all the mobile technologies we have seen, and were committed to continuing to innovate with them to further enhance the experience for our customers.”