Depew Man’s invention brings innovation to the table

About 15 years ago, Steve Landahl was selling advertising for Verizon Yellow Pages when he saw the reflection of a television screen on a metal napkin holder and had an idea.

Why not put digital advertising on restaurant tabletop devices?

Today, it’s achieving this with Digital Table Advertising, which integrates digital devices into Bevnap dispensers, napkin holders and condiment holders to display constant digital advertising.

It provides the devices to restaurants free of charge and shares a share of the advertising revenue with them.

“The only thing the restaurant has to do is change the batteries,” Landahl said.

The devices use the restaurant’s Wi-Fi for about a minute each morning when that day’s ad updates. Advertisers pay for 30-second blocks of advertising, which repeat every hour.

“Basically, they’re right in front of customers when they’re waiting for their food and drink,” he said.

Restaurants can add three minutes of their own advertising per hour, which can include a QR code for a menu. The company also donates two minutes per hour to charity. In June, this will include an ad for Friends of Night People.

The devices do not process payments or issue invoices.

“We don’t want it to take away from people’s dining experiences,” Landahl said. “I have friends who work in the restaurant industry and they like people to check with the servers themselves.”

For similar reasons, Landahl didn’t want the ads to contain video or sound.

“I just wanted them to be essentially static billboards where if you see something you want to take action on, you can scan a QR code and take immediate action – sign up to have an appointment or a test drive on site,” he said. said.

The company debuted this month with more than 400 units installed at 21 restaurants, including Anchor Bar on Maple Road in Amherst, Wingnutz in Amherst and the Grill at the Dome in the town of Tonawanda.

Digital Table’s five employees assemble the units in a warehouse in West Seneca, and Landahl sells the associated advertising full time. Units cost around $300 to produce.

Landahl hopes the money restaurants can bring in from these devices will help offset financial woes triggered first by Covid-19, then by rising labor costs and now by inflation.

“A lot of things have happened in the restaurant industry that cause a lot more money to go out the window instead of coming in,” he said.

Half-Baked Cookies, a popular bakery known for its thick, gooey cookies, plans to open a third location in Elmwood Village.

The store will be located on the ground floor of Pardee, Ellicott Development’s five-story building at 451 Elmwood Ave., in the former Billionaire Creamery. In addition to its six-ounce cookies, offered in a changing mix of specialty and classic flavors, the store will sell Perry’s ice cream.

Owner Angela Snediker started the business in her Gasport home, then at Scripts Cafe in Lockport. In 2021, she opened Half Baked Cafe on Day Road in Lockport, then Half-Baked Cookies on Sheridan Drive in Williamsville in August.

Second Chic, a consignment store with locations in Williamsville and Elmwood Village, has opened an outlet store at 1871 Elmwood Ave., near Hertel Avenue.

The store sells clothing and accessories for between $5 and $25. Its inventory consists of items that have not been sold at the company’s other two locations.

Anything that doesn’t sell at the point of sale goes to Clara’s Closet, a charity that helps refugees and low-income people.

Brandon Bova, owner of Buffalo Cycleboats, will launch two new pedal party boats this summer.

The custom-built Buffalo Wave Wagon is inspired by Bills Mafia tailgating and is wrapped in a red, white and blue Zubaz print. It carries up to 25 people on a two-hour tour through the Buffalo River, Buffalo Harbor and Lake Erie.

The Tipsy Tiki Boat is a six-person floating tiki cabin-style boat that goes on 75-minute cruises. All trips depart from the docks at 301 Ohio St.

A group of East Aurora businesses has launched a marketing campaign to attract more customers to the village on summer Sundays.

The Sundays in EA campaign invites consumers to “shop, sip and stroll” in the village on Sundays, when businesses are open and the Classic Corner market hosts more than 25 artisan vendors. The first Sundays of the month, Arts in the Alley hosts more than 20 vendors behind 42 North Brewing Co.

“We need to keep East Aurora on the radar of people looking for a place to go on Sunday,” said John Cimperman, founder of 42 North. “(Sunday) tends to be a quieter day in the village. We hope to change that.”

Labatt United States is abandon your offices in the cobbled neighborhood.

South Buffalo cannabis facility gets a new operator.

ACV Auctions CEO touts the value of a support system for startups.

A new look arrives at the Anciennes Editions bookstore.

Two local community colleges have new presidents.

A Brookings report predicts High increase for Buffalo Niagara manufacturers.

Senior Vice President of Marketing Strategy and Public Relations Leaves Her Position at 43 North.

Rainbow Air advances in Niagara Falls helicopter tourism facility.

West Seneca urges Pyramid to sell Seneca Shopping Center site.

Buffalo remains essential to HSBC’s day-to-day operations, said HSBC president and CEO HSBC North America Investments.

National Grid research a big increase in residential electricity rates.

The Hauptman-Woodward Research Institute is merger with UB.

HSBC declares itself to be Buffalo Niagara grouping of offices is complete.

Shake Shack is I come to Amherst.

Schumer worried about Canadian immigration policy heavy traffic on the bridge.

Five reads from Buffalo Next:

1. 43Winner North Bounce Imaging has a chance to work more with the Ministry of Defense.

2. Where is all the steel for the new Buffalo Bills stadium? derived from?

3. ‘It’s terrible’: Family Dollar closings will wipe out six East Side stores.

4. Do personal seat licenses retain their value? Here’s what happened in other NFL markets.

5. How does a SUNY school stands for his efforts to encourage students who had dropped out of college to return to the classroom.

The Buffalo Next team gives you insight into the region’s economic revitalization. Email tips to [email protected] or contact Buffalo Next editor David Robinson at 716-849-4435.