Using Tabbedout at Nellie's from now on

Hey there,

So I wanted to blog about an app I had previously mentioned in a post, Eating and drinking and apps, oh my!! I discussed three apps that were related to dining out and drinking. Two of them were LevelUp  and Belly. The third was Tabbedout, and is the focus of this post.

As I also mentioned in the other post, I had actually almost forgotten about this app, but fortunately Nellie's Sports Bar (or as I like to clarify, a sports-themed gay bar) in DC has a reminder in one of its doors.

And in keeping with my New Year's resolution to take advantage of mobile apps like this, I made sure to do so when I went last Sunday. And, oh my gosh, was it super simple!!

I showed the app to a couple of friends I was with and they were amazed, so I thought I'd break down just how easy it is to use.

First, when you open it, the default tab gives you a list of nearby locations which use it:

Select the establishment you are patronizing, and you will see a button to Open Tab. Also note that next to it is an option to Join Existing Tab.

Personally, I think the ability to join an existing tab is genius, particularly if you're at a restaurant!! You don't have to worry about having to break down the check with your server. Your entire party (well, at least those that have the app) can do it form the comfort of their own mobile screens, which they've probably been using a handful of times over the course of the meal or drinks, anyway.

But I digress. Once you've opened the tab, you get a five letter code for you bill for the night, which the app asks you to show to your server.

That's it. If you go back to the same guy, more likely than not he'll remember you. And you can check your tab at any time back on your phone.

And the BEST part? Because you never gave your card to the bar, you can not just view, but pay for your tab on your mobile device, avoiding the often unnecessary trip of going back to your original bartender, just to close your tab. This also means there's no chance of you ever forgetting your credit card there.

It's even got a handy dandy tip calculator, to appropriately express your gratitude monetarily.

And when all is said and done, there's the obligatory Thank You screen.

As well as an option to email yourself a receipt.

Which shows up almost instantaneously in your inbox, attached in PDF form.

You might be wondering about fees, particularly if you didn't notice any. Well there aren't. Outside of a very minuscule initial transaction they do to verify payment, an amount less than a dollar which they refund, it doesn't cost you, as the customer, any more financially to use this free app.

Personally sounds like a win-win, and a reason I might just start going to Nellie's a little more than I do.

At least until other bars and clubs start picking up the service, too,

JR