Case Study: Wasabi achieves sub-second contactless payments and shorter queues with Verifone

Wasabi - Customer Case Study

Wasabi, a Japanese restaurant chain serving thousands of customers across London’s business and tourist districts, faced long queues and an outdated cash-only system that clashed with its modern brand. Wasabi partnered with Verifone to introduce contactless payments, aiming to enable small-ticket transactions to be processed in under half a second using Verifone’s contactless reader and Secura PIN pad.

Verifone implemented its contactless reader (offering “wave-and-pay” for transactions £20 and under) alongside the Secura PIN pad for traditional card payments, speeding checkouts, reducing queues, freeing staff to focus on service, and meeting current security standards. The pilot drove measurable change: almost 25% of transactions were card-based in the first four weeks, boosting convenience and helping increase footfall — a clear win for Verifone and Wasabi.

Wasabi