A midsize restaurant company, The Melt, owned by Jonathan Kaplan, successfully melds grilled cheese sandwiches and mobile payment technology.

A midsize restaurant company, The Melt, owned by Jonathan Kaplan, successfully melds grilled cheese sandwiches and mobile payment technology. And it may well be the technology-driven model for future fast-casual dining businesses or possibly for selling other kinds of goods or services as well. According to an article in USA Today, customers may pre-order and pay online or with a smart phone, and receive a quick-response (QR) code that they scan at a kiosk once they arrive at any of the restaurant's locations. Only after the QR code is scanned at the restaurant is the order prepared.The concept is different from, say, ordering chain restaurant pizza online, where the customer must specify the restaurant location where he plans to pick up his order.

Kaplan's company has fully 20% of its 100 employees working on the technology side of the business.