Say Goodbye To Grumpy Waiters
Restaurants in Europe, the United States and Japan are testing a technology that would allow diners to order their food direct from a screen at their table instead of depending on a fellow human being to note their choice, reports Reuters. The idea may be only the latest gimmick in a trade which is driven by consumer appetites and where fads help. But at least for now, it appears to be boosting business.
Frame, a trendy sushi restaurant in Tel Aviv which has installed the system, said sales on tables with the e-Menu have increased by about 11 percent, with customers often calling ahead to reserve spots equipped with the screens.
From restaurants which use conveyor-belt dish delivery to one at the Dutch university of Wageningen which tracks diners with concealed cameras, technology is increasingly penetrating eateries, in a bid to boost sales. Technologies in the wings include the Microsoft Surface system, which transforms an entire table into one big touch-screen, and is due to go live in spring 2008 in some U.S. hotels and casinos.
How long before even delivering the dishes on the table is taken over by technology?
Filed under: Emerging Tech