Sauced In New York Sometimes the food is in the sauce, sometimes we are
I went out to eat a restaurant the other night where all ordering was done through an iPad. Now, I’m not a food writer or a restaurant critic, so I’m not going to write about what we ate or drank. Rather, the point of this post is the use of technology in restaurants. And as prior to this dining experience the limit of my experience in regards to this subjects was the touchscreen ordering done at Wawa (if you must know: shortie turkey sub, swiss cheese, LTO, grated parm, sweet peppers, cucumbers, little mayo, salt and pepper), I am not claiming to be an expert on the matter. But, ha! This is a blog. I don’t have to be an expert. I can just have an opinion.
And here is mine: I want a server. I want a little human interaction. This isn’t because I have a fear of the machines rising. Well, maybe a small one. The truth is part of dining out is about the conversations that occur over food. And while the largest percentage of that conversation should occur between the occupants of the table, I do enjoy being able to discuss what I’ll be imbibing and eating with the (hopefully) knowledgable individual who will be bringing us our aforementioned libations and dinner.
Click here for some great videos of how our future food order might possibly look.
Not only the human interaction (food automats didn’t really take, either), but the loss of servers in the last bastion of local (underpaid) employment seems a less than attractive prospect. For the same reason I never, and I mean literally never, use the automated cashiers in supermarkets and box stores. Let me pay a little more (and leave a generous tip in a restaurant!) rather than be, well, cheap!
I agree – I’d rather pay a little more (and tip generously for a job well done) than have no human interaction. I never thought about the automated cashiers in supermarkets. I’ll keep that in mind next time I’m out shopping!