AT&T has recently released its numbers for usage at its public WiFi Hotspots for the first quarter 2010. There were over 53 million sessions which is up significantly from the 10.7 million sessions this time last year. These Hotspots are at airports, medical facilities, Starbucks, McDonalds, and several other heavy hitting brands. With the proliferation of WiFi enabled smart phones, netbooks and now the iPad a surge of people are using and expecting WiFi service while they are out and about. And they are getting their way.

Sometimes it is easiest to face facts when you just admit them. So here goes: Restaurants are not just for eating!! They are a place to go, to see and be seen, to meet and to get some work done. Be it a meet up with a colleague, catching up with a friend, an informal business meeting or a full out presentation or just to get away from the office/house the favorite restaurant is the place to be. So what are restaurants doing to add value to their locations and attract guests for these not so special occasions?