It had to happen. It was only a matter of time before there was “an app for that”. Customers can now open, monitor and close their tab from their iphone with a clever new app called TabbedOut.

Invented in Austin, TX and so far only available to use in a handful of cities there, it seems to be (at first glance) a very useful app that meets the needs of a customer base increasingly used to doing business on their smartphone.

I downloaded the app today to check it out and while it doesn’t have much of a “bar” feel to it, it is functional and does what it says on the tin.

You enter your credit card information into the app and it’s encrypted and stored on the iPhone. When you close out the tab the encrypted CC information is sent to the bar’s point-of-sale system and then the bill is processed. The point-of-sale system has several buttons on its screen with “codes” that appear on the app and the bartender can tell who still has a tab open and who doesn’t.

Would you use it?