Stony Brook resident helps restaurants stay safe with no-touch menus

Stony Brook resident helps restaurants stay safe with no-touch menus

Bagel Express in Setauket is among the restaurants using the no-touch menus created by Chris Zenaty. Photo by Kimberly Brown

By Kimberly Brown

Restaurants are finding new ways to keep their patrons safe.

While many provide traditional plastic menus, which could potentially harbor unwanted bacteria, some customers find it one more reason to deter them from eating out.

However, Chris Zenaty, CEO of No Touch Orders, has found a solution to the problem — a no-touch menu to be viewed on one’s mobile device.

A resident of Stony Brook, Zenaty’s local business is based on ordering through QR codes, which have aided restaurants in promoting a safe dining experience. 

The affordable, cloud-based POS system comes with everything an owner may need. All that’s required for setting up is one-to-two spare hours, a Wi-Fi printer and a kiosk. 

“The technology that they’re using here hasn’t been changed in 10 years, so it’s up to small innovative companies, like ourselves, to come up with new ideas and technologies,” Zenaty said.

Customers need only to scan the unique QR code on the table with their cellphone camera, pull up the menu, order and even pay through the system. Zenaty’s ingenuity has given customers and businesses the option of a completely touch-free experience while dining.  

“I thought maybe not everyone wants to touch the menus, and everyone uses smartphones for everything, so why not just look at the menu while you’re waiting there?” he said.  

With the help of Jeremy Herrmann, a computer science major at Stony Brook University, and Bob Pearson, a physics teacher at Patchogue-Medford High School, Zenaty was able to bring his unique coding system to life in just two years. He plans to expand his company in the near future. 

No Touch Orders QR readers can be found around New York City, and closer to home on the North Shore. Zenaty said that Bagel Express in Setauket and Pentimento Restaurant in Stony Brook Village have been utilizing his service.

 “We started locally because we have a lot of support out here, but I’d like to bring this to different states,” he said.