PAX app launched to help operators maintain customer contact tracing

Set to launch this weekend, in line with when restaurants in England will begin to reopen their doors, the PAX app will allow restaurateurs to store the details of guests 'in a way that is safe and legal'.

Diners can pass on their details either by accessing a restaurant's unique PAX App URL, or by scanning a QR code presented to them. They will be asked to enter their first name, phone number, and how many people they are out with, with the details then stored for 21 days.

The launch of the app comes after Covid-secure Government guidance released last week​​ asked operators to keep a temporary record of all customers for 21 days in order to assist with the NHS Test and Trace scheme.

However, it is not compulsory for them to do so.

"I wanted to do this because he could see how much of an added stumbling block this would be for his friends in the industry," says Reid. 

"The last thing you need when you’re running an independent restaurant is to worry about managing this exhausting, but necessary, piece of protocol. 

"PAX is going to let them get on with the day job.”

Trendy Hackney restaurant Bright in London, which is set to tentatively reopen its doors this weekend, was amongst the first to sign up to the app.

“It’s a neat little idea, easy to use, saves me a hell of a lot of hassle and takes literally two minutes to do," says co-owner Phil Bracy. 

"I think our diners will respect our need to keep things formal as we come out of lockdown, and it’s taken a big weight off my shoulders.”