Venture Catalysts backed peAR, a pioneer in contactless dine-in ordering has made its services free to restaurants to fight COVID-19

In view of the increasing cases of coronavirus in India, peAR Technologies, a Venture Catalysts portfolio company, is offering restaurants free access to its contactless dine-in ordering feature. The Mumbai-based deep-tech startup has also waived off the listing charges for new restaurants. As social distancing becomes the new norm, the initiative by PeAR will enable customers to place orders from their favourite restaurants without making any physical contact.

Through these features, customers can visit any of the company’s partnered restaurants, scan the QR code on the table, view the menu in 3D Augmented Reality, order multiple courses from their phone and pay the bill online at once, thereby eliminating key touchpoints like menu cards and bill books and reducing interaction with server staff as well. Equipped with a unique 3D menu feature, peAR will allow them to view 3D images of the dish before placing the order thus helping customers make a more informed decision. Customers can also avail up to 50% discount on their orders made via peAR’s app without having to subscribe to a membership like Zomato Gold or DineOut Gourmet Passport. Thus enabling the golden trio of contactless menu, contactless ordering and contactless payment, they are making dining out extremely safe.

Speaking on the development, Dharmin Vora, co-founder of peAR Technologies, commented, “We have always believed that it’s much more convenient and hygienic for customers to view the menu and order from their phones inside restaurants. However, it has now become a necessity for restaurants to remove high-touch, non-sanitized objects like menu cards and bill books amidst the COVID-19 crisis. We were already seeing a change in consumer habit wherein people preferred viewing images and 3D models of dishes while ordering at restaurants, and this pandemic will only accelerate this shift. We are currently in talks with the NRAI to mandate contactless ordering inside restaurants post lockdown to ensure the safety of customers and make them feel comfortable dining out once again.”

Adding to this, Dr Apoorv Ranjan Sharma, Founder, Venture Catalysts, said, “We are certain that the pandemic will bring a permanent shift in the way people have been ordering food inside restaurants. The peAR team has the ability to help restaurants cope with this change, while making it more convenient and safe for customers to dine out after the lockdown is lifted. As India continues its fight against COVID-19, peAR’s decision to offer its services for free is commendable. We are proud to be a part of their endeavours and we look forward to supporting their journey ahead.”

As part of its commitment to customer safety, peAR is also recommending its partner restaurants to use one-time cutlery and educating them about hygiene practices to be followed once the lockdown restrictions are lifted. Additionally, it has started providing hygiene ratings for each restaurant so customers can stay informed. Apart from that, the startup plans to launch a CSR campaign post lockdown to feed one underprivileged family for every 100 orders processed via its app.