These two haven't worked in years. They're available. ;)
Posted on 01/09/2008 6:13:20 AM PST by shove_it
CBS 2 HD has learned a new trend will be found at your favorite restaurants, allowing customers to place their own orders without the need of servers.
Ever find yourself unable to get the attention of a waiter? It can be frustrating. But soon that may be a problem of the past thanks to new tableside touch screens.
"It's cooler placing your own order on the computer than having a waitress come up and do it," restaurant customer Amanda Rosengarten told CBS 2 HD.
That's because the order goes directly from your fingertips to the kitchen or bar, eliminating the possibility of human error during the transaction process. The new technology is being used at uWink, the latest offering from the founder of Chuck E. Cheese. The company said the new system is providing faster service, fewer mistakes and fewer interruptions.
"Whenever you want ... that extra glass of wine or a dessert … bingo, it happens right away," said Nolan Bushnell of uWink.
"It seems a lot more immediate. If I happen to change my mind or need an additional dish, I can order it right away even if the server is busy doing something else," patron Julie Lightner said.
The National Restaurant Association has labeled self-service technology as one of the industry's top trends to watch, including fast-food restaurants to gourmet.
"Forty-six percent of all adults in America today indicate a likelihood of using these systems at a restaurant," said Hudson Riehle of the National Restaurant Association.
Critics fear the trend will lead to less attentive waiters, but Riehle believes the opposite to be true.
"Many of these systems actually have controls in them which can summon the wait staff upon demand," Riehle said.
Riehle also told CBS 2 HD some customers will always prefer a full service experience. However, most diners who've used the touch screens are reporting positive feedback, especially, he said, when they're allowed to close their own bills, or play games while they wait.
"We've had people from all age groups, even seniors, which we didn't expect at all, come back over and over again, having a great time," Bushnell said.
Many national fast-food chains are currently testing these self-service kiosks in some of their own restaurants and drive-thrus.
More outsourcing! I blame Bush!
Who’s gonna hump the chow from the kitchen to the tables? Just wonderin’.
Smart idea for both customers and restaurants, in my opinion. In busy places, the cost of the system would quickly be made up in increased customer turnover, since patrons wouldn’t have to wait for a server to show up to request a takeout box and the check.
Won’t replace the Hooter babes.
W.h.a.t..d.o..y.o.u..r.e.c.c.o.m.e.n.d.?.
Processing.......
Chef selections recommended this evening:
...Grouper Almondine
...Mahi Mahi with Mango Chutney Sauce
...Shrimp Fra Diavalo
O.K..I.’.l.l..t.a.k.e..t.h.e..M.a.h.i.
C.o.u.l.d..I..g.e.t..a..n.e.w..s.p.o.o.n.?.
How much do you tip the computer?
I never worked at a place where the credit card machine didn't fail at least once a month and we had to drag out the ol' slider and fill in the info by hand.
Wait until the Food Service Workers Union finds out.
Nothing will ever, ever replace them. Most secure (from off-shoring/out-sourcing) job in America.
Two bits should be sufficient. :=)
These two haven't worked in years. They're available. ;)
I like this idea.
I did this in the ‘60s at an A & W Drive-in from my car...
Riiiiight. Anyone who has ever worked Tech Support knows that human error is next to impossible with computer use.
A & W was pretty cool. Are they still around?
Dang it - beat me by about five minutes!
Great way to spread germs in a restaurant!
Add to my comments in #15, “Especially when dealing with dopers and seniors.”
The kind of place that would use this system is exactly the kind of place that isn’t worth eating at.
Who’s gonna hump the chow from the kitchen to the tables? Just wonderin’.
No, but Sonic has a store here. The wait staff has ditched the roller skates, tho...
Even if the percentage tip is adjusted down, waitstaff will do better with this system because they can handle more tables and turnover will be higher.
Productivity improvements eventually reach all jobs.
Most of them wear in-line skates at the Sonic I frequent.
But a good excuse now if you press the wrong buttons.
Pardon, I though I was pressing the touchscreen.
He'll love it. She'll hate it. How do you tell a touchscreen you want the dressing on the side?
Until the kids play with the computer and drive the “serve staff” insane.
My thought as well. I'm a bit of a germophobe anyway. Order and then go wash my hands I guess.
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Some hamburger joints like “Around the Corner” were doing this with table telephones decades ago. Just a new twist on an old idea.
And they still had servers to bring the food.
We don’t have Sonics in our neck of the woods, but we do get their commercials. Now, whenever we travel, my daughter insists we do a web-search for Sonics where we’re going, so we can stop in.
Conveyor belts?
Anyway the most fun at a restaurant (oh ok it was a bed and breakfast) was on our honeymoon, we stopped the first night in Bayfield WI and went to the rittenhouse. The proprietor was the Maitre-D and gave the most mouthwatering verbal menu I’ve ever heard... of course his wife was the cook! So the thought of him out there talking up her cooking with such relish was very sweet. AND the food was to die for. One of the greatest unknown getaways there is.
Great. Just what I want to touch after someone who ate the “finger licking” rib dinner touched to order some dessert...
Sonic looks great. I wish we had one nearby.
I’d like to be able to place my order FROM HOME before even leaving for the restaurant. I could get a code and maybe even a seating time estimate. Once I’m seated, I could enter a simple code and my order would be processed to the kitchen.
From the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for 2007:
1,054,000 net new jobs added, 304,200 were watress/bartender. That’s 30 % of all new net jobs added for the year.
374,000 net loss on the manufacturing side, so Im thinking the swap-out from $30/hr factory work for $3/hr (plus tips!) chicken wing serving jobs means they’re going to need some automated customers with automated money, too.
Tech geeks and robotics afficianado’s, get crackin’.
There are a few. I know there was one in Superior WI still recently, and Baraga, MI.
He’ll love it. She’ll hate it. How do you tell a touchscreen you want the dressing on the side?
and I think Copper Harbor, MI. But my guess is that one would be seasonal.
"....."
"Hello? I'd like the double bacon cheeseburger, large fries, and a coke, please."
"I'm afraid I can't do that, sir....
"What! Why not?"
"I heard about your plans not to tip me, sir....
What button do I push if my steak comes to me too well done?
I remember a sit-down restaurant with a little juke box at each table. I always thought a combination of music and automatic food would be a winner.
Someone's still gotta read it, make it and transport it.
And it may be cool now, but wait until you're bombarded with on screen advertising.
Hmmmm...until a thick-fingered customer accidentally hits the Dom Perignon button five times and the kitchen cracks open five bottles and brings them to his table. No waiter to blame, so the customer is stuck with the bill. ;)
New Tech support positions in resteraunts? Are people too stupid to use touch screens?
Compaq is considering changing the command “Press Any Key” to “Press Enter Key” because of the flood of calls asking where the Any Key is.
A&W is making a comeback in Canada- here in Southern Ontario over the past few years they’ve opened a lot of new outlets and renovated the old ones.
I’ll have the blue screen of death, followed by a reboot, please.
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