This is the teething stage where the design of the process is lagging behind the technology. In the ideal restaurant scenario you would have ordered your meal using your phone before you even sat down. With a text field for details like "no pickles". If you compare mobile website interfaces now to ten years ago, for example, ordering plane tickets was technologically not that different, but the design sensibilities are what's really changed between then and now. The bar example sounds quite pleasant, because I'm used to getting up to go the bar anyway and digitising the process with quantitative payment seems appealing.
Your ideal and my ideal are very different. My ideal restaurant scenario has me walking in and being recognized by the maitre'd/greeter who says "hey, kleinbl00! Welcome back!" at which point they guide me to my usual table where I'm recognized by one of the two or three wait staff I encounter regularly who ask me how I've been. They tell me what the specials are, but only the ones they actually like because honestly, the salmon cakes haven't been getting rave reviews. They keep my drink topped up and they bring me extra ketchup because it's easier for both of us and then they bring my check early because they know I like to get it out of the way before my guest really knows what's up and then linger over the table." This is pretty much the situation I have at several restaurants. It's been suggested by industry players in a couple different places - get to know the good restaurants, get them to know you, and tip well to ensure that you are always treated well and always given preferential treatment. It's the exact point Isherwood makes - if I'm going out to not prepare food and drinks myself, I prefer my food and drinks to be prepared with care by people who are good at it. I'm not interested in dining at a restaurant where "no substitutions" means "no substitutions" not because they're busy, but because they're hamstrung by their technology. Assistance-free eating has been around for over 100 years and it ebbs and flows in popularity, but it never crests to the point of people preferring it. The argument that the technology is in the "teething stage" holds no water when you consider that pushbutton menus were the rage at Sonic Drive-Ins back in the '50s. The bar example is terrible. Speaking as someone who spent college mixing in bars something like 50-60hrs a week, the whole point of going to a bar is to go to a bar often enough that you get free alcohol. If you're meting it out a tenth of an ounce at a time there's zero point in me paying double to triple what it would cost me at the grocery store.
This whole thing screams of horrible all around. It sounds like some faceless manager trying to squeeze blood from a stone.The bar example is terrible. Speaking as someone who spent college mixing in bars something like 50-60hrs a week, the whole point of going to a bar is to go to a bar often enough that you get free alcohol. If you're meting it out a tenth of an ounce at a time there's zero point in me paying double to triple what it would cost me at the grocery store.
How-the-fuck-come does it seem like randoms on the damn internet can get this simple fact of how an eatery works, but not people running the damn place? I've changed restaurants because the waitstaff left for a new establishment. Building a rapport with the people who serve you is a great way to try new things and expand your pallet. If I saw ipads on the tables I would assume that they want to treat me as a commodity and not a customer. Or, I was at an Applebees.Your ideal and my ideal are very different. My ideal restaurant scenario has me walking in and being recognized by the maitre'd/greeter who says "hey, kleinbl00! Welcome back!" at which point they guide me to my usual table where I'm recognized by one of the two or three wait staff I encounter regularly who ask me how I've been. They tell me what the specials are, but only the ones they actually like because honestly, the salmon cakes haven't been getting rave reviews. They keep my drink topped up and they bring me extra ketchup because it's easier for both of us and then they bring my check early because they know I like to get it out of the way before my guest really knows what's up and then linger over the table."
The bar was interesting but trouble came up when multiple people wanted drinks. Normally I could put in orders for many, but with all the tabs I had to carry four bracelets and just had trouble. I'm sure it's all ui issues, but I did end up feeling slighted.
You're right the whole thing doesn't work well for rounds. There's no doubt that this isn't going after anything approaching high-end. Today's novelty will be tomorrow's convenience. Also if eateries want customers to be engaged then there needs to be some sort of demonstrated value added like a loyalty scheme.