Embedded restaurant table menus could solve quite a bit of problems in restaurants. Already, several establishments plan to test them if they haven’t already. One place customers find them is in Baggers Restaurant in Germany as early as 2008. Nowadays, companies continue to promote the idea.
This technology could spread throughout the world. The main objective is efficiency. However, the embedded table menu could affect the economy—either for the good or for the bad. It depends upon the perspective.
Advantages Of The Embedded Touchscreen Table Order Menu
It gives customers greater privacy if they don’t want to be bothered every two seconds to find out if they ‘need anything else.’ The speed of service drastically improves, and this causes an establishment to serve more people successfully within a short amount of time. This system also promotes greater ability to see what customers order before they actually receive the meal.
Not only that, but the touchscreen menus provide extra patron perks. For example, a young child might play a game on one of these wi-fi connected table screens. This screen could entertain an entire family while they sit and eat-watching videos, checking their Facebook, and more.
Of course, these touchscreen menus also benefit the restaurant. They have to pay less for hired staff, and it keeps the ones working even better organized. Not only that, but this technology could cause customers to order more because doing so becomes far more convenient. This of course also means the restaurant makes a greater profit.
It might even help bring order to a bar scene. People would possibly wait less time for new drink orders if they could just pass on the request electronically. This system works way beyond just using touch screens at the point of sale register. It gets the people who are ordering a greater chance to become more involved in the decision-making when requesting food or drinks.
Disadvantages Of This Quicker Menu Ordering System
This could cause restaurant visiting to become far more impersonal. Some people would prefer the human waiter or waitress and may not want to return to a place that offers this menu screen.
Users also have to realize that many people have touched these screens before them. Sanitary measures are probably not much different than before this embedded ordering technology was installed. However, it concerns many people that smudged-in germs could reside unless the restaurant cleans up after recent customers after every single order.
This kind of ordering system might also hurt the livelihood potential of waiters and waitresses. It could force more people out of work, simply because the establishment no longer needs them.
For The Sake Of Argument
One additional reason for these electronic touchscreen ordering devices installed in tables is dependability. Restaurants and bars may justify using them mainly because it could down the cost of having to recruit and train new people.
Besides, not everyone wants to work in this profession for the rest of their lives—maybe not unless they work at one of the finest restaurants in the world. Still, people sometimes come to a place not only to eat but to interact with staff. If that little bit of human contact is taken from them, what do they have left?
Guest Author: Peter Dunbar is a technology junky and the owner of Boost Software. He enjoys blogging about topics in technology and occasionally guest posts on popular blogs about some of the most recent tech gadgets, screen freezes, and other slow computer issues.
