Incentient, LLC announced the recent installation of SmartCellarSM, a revolutionary new technology that allows fine diners to make wine and other selections from an Apple® iPad®, in 27 fine dining establishments across North America, Europe and Asia.

Rather than a traditional printed list, SmartCellar allows customers to browse a restaurant’s wine selection using the iPad’s easy-to-understand touch-pad links, searching for wines by name, region, varietal and price. The device can also include premium liquors, beers, specialty cocktails, food pairings, menu items, or just about any other element of an establishment’s food and beverage lineup.

SmartCellar developer Incentient says it has become the worldwide leader in “at-the-table technology,” and, as such, is dramatically changing the wine experience for customers, sommeliers/wine directors and restaurateurs in fine dining establishments in 10 countries.

In the recent months, Incentient has added the following establishments to its list of clients:

Vetro in West Hollywood, CA
Bottles in Providence, RI
Rib Room Jumeirah in London, UK
Food Direction AS in Oslo, Norway
MGM Macau in Macau
Capriz Italian Feast in Myrtle Beach, SC
Palisade Restaurant in Seattle, WA
Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood, CA
Turnberry in Ayrshire, Scotland
Prime Steak House in Mexico City
Martis Camp Club in Truckee, CA
Soby’s Restaurant in Greenville, SC
Acre Restaurant in Memphis, TN
Andres Restaurant at the Monte Carlo in Las Vegas
Alize at the Top of the Palms in Las Vegas
Australasia, a Living Ventures Concept in Manchester, UK
Daniel Brenan Brickhouse on Prince Edward Island
Longhi’s Maui and Lahaina Hawaii on the island of Maui
The Brant Point Grill at the White Elephant on Nantucket Island
Toppers Restaurant at the Wauwinet on Nantucket Island
Hyatt Korea Restaurant 8 in Seoul
The Fairmont in San Jose, CA
Hyatt Regency in Chicago
Valbella in New York City and Valbella in Greenwich, CT
The Coeur d’Alene Resort in Coeur d’Alene, ID
Four Seasons in San Francisco
TOAST Enoteca & Cucina and Acqua Al 2 in San Diego, CA
The company was recognized by Fast Company as 29th on a list of 101 Apple-affiliated Achievers for its work using Apple-based technologies that are “changing our lives, our work and our world.”

A key to SmartCellar’s success has been its unique ability to enhance the dining experience for restaurant-goers. According to Coni Thornburg, general manager of Calistoga Ranch in Napa Valley, SmartCellar sets the stage for sommeliers to engage in a higher quality, tableside discussion with their customers.

Everyone has embraced this new tool. People are thrilled to see the broad range of information on SmartCellar,” Thornburg said. “It really makes the experience great fun, whether you know wine well or not.”

Many of the world’s leading restaurateurs are already using SmartCellar. It can be found in well-known restaurants both in North America and overseas, including Wolfgang Puck’s Cut in Las Vegas; The Four Seasons Hotel in New York; José Andrés’ Jaleo at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas; Tony May’s SD26 in New York; Gordon Ramsay’s Claridge’s in London; Maze and Maze Grill in London; Southgate at Jumeirah Essex House in New York; Calistoga Ranch and Auberge Resort in the Upper Napa Valley; Gotham Steak at The Fontainebleau in Miami; Barbacco in San Francisco; and The Moorings in Newport, RI.

In addition to the technology’s appeal to customers, SmartCellar offers restaurant owners efficiency, security and ease-of-use. SmartCellar operates wirelessly on a secure intranet installed through an onsite server. The dynamic technology allows for custom menuing, events, and a variety of feature sets selected by the client. It can also operate in any size restaurant or bar (both indoors and out), and is customized to each individual establishment – including logo, colors, style and imagery – reinforcing the restaurant’s uniqueness among users. The best part: SmartCellar requires no upfront capital investment. Incentient owns, installs, services and warranties all equipment and leases the touchscreen units to individual restaurants.

“We created this ‘at-the-table technology,’ in part, to further immerse the guest in the brand experience. Part of our worldwide success has been the ability to allow the restaurant’s image to come through in each and every design while at the same time optimizing the presentation of restaurateurs’ work to help define themselves in a competitive marketplace,” said Incentient Senior Vice President Jennifer Martucci. “It’s also fast becoming a marketing tool because it can reflect graphics and messages that are important to building a strong brand. We’ve even had customers ask us to place links to their Facebook pages and Twitter accounts right on the device itself.”

Because SmartCellar updates are made in real-time, a restaurant’s list is always accurate. It also helps owners make their restaurants more sustainable by eliminating paper and other materials traditionally needed for printed lists.

The technology also offers back-end advantages to restaurant owners. The dedicated, onsite server is password protected and can only be updated or changed by restaurant administrators. It has reporting functions that provide detailed data to manage and monitor what is selling and the wines that guests are ordering most. It also easily offers translation into 150 languages.

“I believe that SmartCellar is just a glimpse of the future of our industry,” said renowned restaurateur Tony May from his office at New York’s SD26, a tri-level restaurant on Madison Square Park North showcasing contemporary Italian cuisine and the next generation in fine dining. “It began with a wine list, but more and more information can be featured on this unique device, and it can be connected to the establishment’s POS system. The uses are limited only by our imaginations.”

Source: HospitalityUpgrade.com

Nevena Veleva