DineEquity Inc. announced on Tuesday a plan to put 100,000 tablets in its Applebee’s restaurants by 2014. The Glendale company, which operates both the Applebee’s and IHOP chains, is partnering with Silicon Valley-based E la Carte Inc., which makes Presto tablets that are specific to the restaurant and hospitality industries. The tablets will be used at the more than 1,800 Applebee’s locations in the United States. The tablets will be placed on tables and at the bar. It will allow customer to pay their tabs, as well as access games, video and social media. DineEquity tested out a preliminary tablet program at a variety of its restaurants during the past two years. ?Applebee’s President Mike Archer said the tablets will allow restaurant patrons to have a variety of experiences while dining. “The Presto tablet will deliver our guests a robust slate of offerings for not only transactions, but entertainment, social interaction and more, moving forward,” he said, in a statement. Shares of DineEquity closed up 84 cents, or 1 percent, to $84.55 in trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
