How many times have you been out at a restaurant or bar–worried that your smartphone is running out of juice? For most smartphone owners that scenario occurs far more often than they’d like–especially if you’re trying to meet with friends and you’re waiting for a call or text. For me, as a parent, it’s crucial that my smartphone stay charged while I’m out–especially if my wife and I are out together on a date night–so that the kids can reach us in an emergency.
I’ve tested a variety of portable chargers and I do try to carry one with me most of the time. The challenge is keeping the portable charger charged. There’s nothing worse than running out of juice on your smartphone and plugging it into your portable charger to find out the portable charger is also dead.
ChefCharger has a possible solution for this dilemma. Restaurants and bars can put these stylish and innovative little gadgets out on the tables and counters for patrons to use. They’re aesthetically pleasing and also serve an actual purpose–whether as a coaster, salt and pepper shaker holder, or ambiance lighting.
Starbucks is supposedly blazing trails with wireless charging in its ubiquitous coffee shops, but I have yet to actually see wireless charging available in any Starbucks I’ve visited. This seems like a more practical solution that restaurants, bars, and coffee shops can embrace.
My wife and I frequently go to Bar Louie, Fieldings Local Kitchen + Bar, and Crush Wine Lounge. I’d love to see these devices at those establishments.
Check out this video and let the restaurants and bars you visit know that you’d like to have these devices available when you visit:
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View Comments (6)
I would love to see these gadgets in our area as well. Very practical solutions. Well done.
Almost *too* cool. Gonna need some kind of anti-theft mechanism.
The charging devices require a special charging base to be functional and they have GPS-tracking so you can find any that "accidentally" walk off.
Cool. I don't own a restaurant, but if I did the first question I'd ask would be "Is this a 1-time purchase or am I subscribing for regular shipments." ;-)
I see a couple of issues. First, the candle and shaker stand require a separate cable. That cable will be lost or stolen. (It looks like the charger end of the cable is proprietary, so that might avoid the latter issue.) Second, separate cables are needed for Apple, micro-USB, and USB C devices. That multiplies the issues as there will be more cables to lose and manage. The self-contained connector on the coaster (and GPS tracking) avoids some of the problems of the other chargers, but each can have only one kind of connector, so customers must request or find a suitable coaster for the device needing a charge.
In the end, the design leaves a bit to be desired. Their portability means they aren't fixed to a single location on the table, which is great, but it seems each should have all connectors permanently attached. The cord wrapping idea of the coaster should be applied to the candle and shaker, while the coaster need only be thicker to allow all three cords to be available.
The charging devices looks good,but I thought it will be better if the merchant can provided the same kinds of cables for charging , especially the cable with flash light, the cable showed in the photos seems not in good quality. maybe the silicone durable cable with shinnycolor would be better.