Go Skins Posted November 14, 2013 Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2013/11/14/splendid-tablet-ordering-and-paying-for-food-goes-high-tech/ No servers will take your order and no check will arrive when you eat at Bolt Burgers, opening near the convention center at the end of the month. Instead, if you’re dining in, a greeter will bring you to a table and hand you an iPad-like tablet. Scroll through, select a burger, fries, grilled cheese, or salad, and swipe your credit card along the screen. The greeter will then bring you a ticket and take the tablet (while checking ID if you purchased beer or wine). The food will arrive shortly. And if fumbling with a tablet seems like it will take too much time, there’s an even faster way: Before you reach the restaurant, order online and get a personal identification number. When you arrive, a greeter will enter the PIN to start the order. All you have to do is sit down and wait for your food to be placed in front of you. Just doing carryout? Head to one of the three touch-screen kiosks to order. No human contact necessary. “It fits today’s lifestyle,” says co-owner Joe Spinelli of Restaurant Consultants Inc. “It’s where everybody’s going to be at some point.” As novel as Bolt Burgers’ system seems now, technology like that is becoming increasingly commonplace in restaurants. Tablets are making their way into a number of casual chains, and new mobile apps make it possible to pay for your coffee, salad, or bar tab from your phone. For diners, it means getting food faster, no longer having to flag down a server for a check, and not worrying about handing a credit card over to a stranger. And for restaurants, new apps and gadgets have the potential to turn tables faster, while targeting customers and collecting feedback in a way they weren’t able to before. Besides Bolt Burgers, casual chains across the country have been rolling out tablets that allow diners to order and pay without a server. Red Robin, Uno Chicago Grill, and Applebee’s are all starting to use tablets from a Texas-based company called Ziosk (though not yet at any of their D.C.-area locations). Within the first half of next year, Ziosk tablets will also be at every Chili’s in the country. They’re currently available at more than 30 Chili’s locations in the D.C. area (all in the suburbs), plus the On The Border locations in Tysons Corner and Bowie. I checked out the Chili’s in Crystal City, where every table has the tablets, which sit upright on built-in stands. While some eateries offer their full menus through Ziosk, Chili’s only allows diners to order appetizers, desserts, kid’s menu items, and drink refills from the screen. The technology initially caused some confusion for our table when it wouldn’t let us order beers. It turns out you have to order your first alcoholic beverage from your server, so he or she can check your ID. And while we could order beer refills from our screens, we couldn’t change our second-round drinks to margaritas. The ordering system worked better on dessert. Our Ziosk let us select whether we wanted a hard chocolate shell on the ice cream atop our molten chocolate lava cake and how many spoons we needed. While we waited, we played Cupcake Frenzy—one of more than 20 games on the device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steggyD Posted November 14, 2013 Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 In Tampa, where the company I work for is headquartered out of, there is a Carmel Cafe, where the orders are placed by iPad. Imagine a company outing with about 30 to 40 employees ordering off of iPads. The bill skyrockets. Drinks, appetizers, meals, just keep it coming. It's a great idea for the restaurant, bad for people making money off tips. I don't know if any one person gets tipped because we had numerous people bringing our food and drinks. Then I played Connect Four on the iPad afterwards and kicked a lot of ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go Skins Posted November 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 The TGI Friday apps allows for payment on a smart phone as well, but I can't say I have tried it. I don't think you can order from it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Actium Posted November 16, 2013 Report Share Posted November 16, 2013 I am off two minds on this. First, it is more convenient. Second, it continues the trend of de-personalization of everday life. We are becoming more connected, but less social. And I wonder how that will affect things in the future. Purely anecdotally, I see many references to the "forever alone" among the younger generation, who ironically find kindred spirits in their loneliness on the 'net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongo Posted November 16, 2013 Report Share Posted November 16, 2013 Sounds like the Automat, reimagined for the post PC world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-GoBengals- Posted November 16, 2013 Report Share Posted November 16, 2013 i think a system at the table would be great, however a dedicated waitress would be a necessity, trigger them for refills, double check order, etc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumble In the Jungle Posted November 16, 2013 Report Share Posted November 16, 2013 Hmmmm, labor cost...more profits....more money's....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Bunghole| Posted November 17, 2013 Report Share Posted November 17, 2013 I am off two minds on this. First, it is more convenient. Second, it continues the trend of de-personalization of everday life. We are becoming more connected, but less social. And I wonder how that will affect things in the future. Purely anecdotally, I see many references to the "forever alone" among the younger generation, who ironically find kindred spirits in their loneliness on the 'net. I couldn't agree more. This shit started with text messaging. I have personally witnessed teenagers sitting right next to one another and not speaking face to face, but texting to each other and whomever else while they silently sit side by side, pretending to watch a movie together. And they were dating! And now you have people who think it's okay to call in sick, break up with a significant other or even get fired via text messaging! It's ludicrous. Furthermore, people are becoming more and more distracted by technology, and it isn't just while driving. Ever try to seriously talk to someone that's avidly engaged texting or otherwise using a wireless device? People overestimate their ability to multi-task, by and large, especially stupid people, and there are a LOT of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enon Bengal Posted November 17, 2013 Report Share Posted November 17, 2013 I couldn't agree more. This shit started with text messaging. I have personally witnessed teenagers sitting right next to one another and not speaking face to face, but texting to each other and whomever else while they silently sit side by side, pretending to watch a movie together. And they were dating! And now you have people who think it's okay to call in sick, break up with a significant other or even get fired via text messaging! It's ludicrous. Furthermore, people are becoming more and more distracted by technology, and it isn't just while driving. Ever try to seriously talk to someone that's avidly engaged texting or otherwise using a wireless device? People overestimate their ability to multi-task, by and large, especially stupid people, and there are a LOT of them. Yep - my kids are 20 and 17 and I don't think either one of them have had more than a two minute conversation with a member of the opposite sex... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-GoBengals- Posted November 20, 2013 Report Share Posted November 20, 2013 i think someone forgot to use the term whippersnappers so far... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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