News-on-Paper Initiative Demonstrates" Power of Paper"
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"The news updates have made it onto our menus, they've become part of our DNA," said David Moran, managing director of the two restaurants. "At first, we thought their initial acceptance might just be the novelty of having the top headlines printed right out of the receipt system, but we can see that diners find the updates compelling," Moran said.
"The 'news receipts' have worked despite diners' access to their smart phones, a demonstration of the power, speed, and convenience of paper," said Kathy Wholley, Domtar's director of communications and strategy. "This news-on-paper initiative goes to the heart of what we're trying to convey in our 'PAPERbecause' advertising campaign."
The software that weaves the AP headlines into the restaurant work stations was written by MICROS Systems of Columbia, Md., which supplies software to more than 300,000 restaurants worldwide. When a waiter punches up a meal receipt, a separate news ticket comes out. The system looks for an update every two minutes.
Washington journalist Frank Mankiewicz, one of the people behind the initiative, said that "many experts told us to get a life and go digital. But our argument is based on the same reasons newspapers keep publishing ink-on-paper: There is a wonderful human connectivity to paper that works."
The news receipts update the top dozen AP news stories from around the world, including the weather and stocks. Each receipt flags Domtar's award-winning ad campaign and delivers one of its signature messages, "Paper is Good. Pass it On."
