Paying the bill in a restaurant comes near the top of the list of experiences that could benefit from mobile technology. The whole process could do with a little smoothing out – and while person-to-person money transfer apps like Barclays Pingit can help make splitting the bill a little easier, it can still be difficult to get out quickly once the plates have been cleared.

Enter MyCheck, a mobile payment app for Android and iOS which is hoping to do just that. The app generates a four-digit code which the customer shares with their waiter, which enables them to track their current tab, and pay with their credit card – via details stored in the apps mobile wallet functionality – once theyre ready to leave. There are also functions which enable users to split the bill with other friends using the app.

Restaurants which have signed up to the service can integrate MyCheck directly into their POS systems. As well as offering them the opportunity to set up loyalty programs and other promotions, it also has the fringe benefit of guaranteeing no one will be running out on the bill, as it automatically charges customers after a certain time if they fail to hit pay.

Its a great idea, and something which has apparently got good traction in Israel, where its used by 600 restaurants and 50,000 customers. However, using it in the UK, the app is currently more of a proof of concept, with signed-up restaurants rather thin on the ground. Searching for local restaurants offering MyCheck payments here in London shows that the Busaba Eathai chain of Thai restaurants have signed up – not a bad name to have on board… but thats about it. 

Theres a vicious circle where theres no motivation for customers to download the app because no restaurants offer it, who in turn have no motivation to adopt the service because none of its customers use the app, and MyCheck could get stuck at this stage. But, for the sake of everyone desperately checking their watch as the waiter saunters over to the next table along, lets hope this doesnt happen, and MyCheck gets a fair shake of the stick.