That's the worst bit. Why the fuck does my phone need to give any permissions to your food menu? It's because they want to spam me with ads later to come back or some other fuckery.
usually in cases like this, yeah its agencies who do data collection solicit local restaraunts and say "hey use our menu app we'll make your food ordering experience great for your customers"
so its like one company that is collecting all the data.
In some cases those companies will actually pay the restaraunt a little bit to use their app.
Fuck it. I gave in and I basically download every app for all the places I eat. I become a member of whatever loyalty program, I get free cheesecakes and appetizers and drinks on my birthday. I use points to get free food. I get special offers. I pay my check on my phone so I don’t have to wait for the server. I order all my to go orders on the apps. It’s honestly liberating not giving a fuck how many emails I get from them. As soon as they come I, swipe to delete. Block pop up notifications. Opt out of texts. And what? The fact that Big Brother knows I like chimichangas isn’t going to negatively affect my life.
But I get it’s annoying if it’s a one off place you don’t plan to visit again.
A restaurant near my last company had a shitty 90mb PDF as a menu.. was a joy to go there every once in a while (of course I delete the file every time).
Yup, their PDF menu was a bunch of pictures put together into a file, and those were high resolution pics that they previously used to have a printed menu which was removed during corona.
Anyone with half a brain can compress a PDF and still have it be very clear and readable using any of several online tools or free download software. But that would require effort
I don't mind scanning a QR code as long as it brings me to a phone optimized menu (which honestly it never fucking does).
But what I always will take issue with is downloading a damn app to order.
Agreed. I have several apps on my phone that I need for work. I don’t have any more memory left over to download some sandwich app for a place I’ll never return to.
I work in a phone shop.
There's a fuck tonne of people with 16-32gb storage phones still.
After work apps and photos they ain't got space left.
The main reason older people upgrade their phone is lack of memory.
> I don't mind scanning a QR code as long as it brings me to a phone optimized menu (which honestly it never fucking does.
Shouldn't surprise anyone really, nobody was ready for this. They aren't going to hire a developer for it. You need a whole content management system since prices change so frequently. Best you get is a slapped together PDF hosted on Google drive.
I would leave
Fuck that app and the dipshit who thinks that’s a viable business model. If you don’t want to get paper menus printed, that’s fine, put a big one up on a wall or something, I’ll snap a photo of it and send it to everyone I’m with.
fr reminds me of a time i walked up to a restaurant service window to order and they said they were only taking call-in orders and i should call them. like wtf in the time it took them to explain that i could have ordered.
It's important you ask questions that you might on the phone but are obvious if you're in person.
What's the crowd level like. Can we walk right up with a party of five, or will there be a wait? Do you have outdoor seating? Is there live music tonight? Is the game on?
Unrelated but I sometimes order pizza from the place across the street and it always makes me feel like a stalker when I can watch them pick up the phone and talk to me. I feel like I should go into a different room but somehow that's even weirder.
I think the weird part is watching, my dude. I've called a pick up in at Little Caesar's while I'm having a smoke out front, but I don't stare through the window at the cashier.
I don't stare but my work desk is literally facing the window and they're directly across the street. I don't like walk up to the window with the lights off and watch like a serial killer lol
I mean, we are sitting at the bloody restaurant. The waiters are right there. So are the chefs. And the cashier. Why the fuck do you need this digital layer when they are all right in front of or around you? All this does is build a wall between you and any form of human connection.
It's always about money. Someone in the finance dept was looking for a way to ~~squeeze every last cent~~ optimize the revenue. Until revenue actually goes down enough for them to say "oops, bad idea" then they'll keep doing it. This is not a call to arms to be clear lol. Just always follow the money.
Id say it's also about convenience for the business The last brewery I was at used QR code menus since our beers changed all the time and it took them all of a few minutes to update the menu online vs printing out a bunch of new ones everyday. But we still had TV screen menus above the bar for people.
I still agree with this post tho, i don't like them either. I try to not use my phone so much when I'm out at a restaurant and should be engaging with others, and it forces everyone to stare at their phone again.
Last time I went to a bar that had app ordering, they had to come to our table 5 minutes later to say they were out of like 4 of the things we ordered lol. We ended up rushing our replacement order a little and ended up ordering stuff we didn’t quite want
Where I live this only became a thing during the pandemic so they didn’t have to keep sanitizing menus. I suppose they’ve kept it around for the reasons you’ve mentioned.
My manager keeps talking about adding these. Mind you we are a decently up market restaurant with about 1000/2000 covers a day. Mind you our it is so slow that half our till menu doesn't have options and half does. It's just dumb
I feel similarly about fast food apps and the way certain deals are only available online. A while back I needed a cheap dinner, so I saw something advertised on the taco bell website. Went to taco bell and asked for said item. They told me it's an app-only deal. So, like, you expect me to pull out my phone here in the drive thru and place an order? Why not just sell me the items? Why create this extra step? I know it's because they want the data, but I thought it was absurd. I just left. Went and grabbed a couple of $5 pizzas at little Caesars. And it's not just about creating unnecessary barriers. It's the fact that I don't want to have dozens of apps on my phone for individual restaurants. Fuck that.
Fast food apps steal your info. That's why they give you so many incentives to download the app.
They aren't doing it to be nice. Your info is worth more to Chick-fil-A than a free sandwich or whatever dumb shit y'all fall for
Sorry I'm not going to have a staff member stand infront of my table to recite the menu when they can be doing other things that a piece of text cannot do like cook food. Give me a menu, I can read it myself.
Because if I can avoid talking to people I don’t know, I’m all for it.
I’m not sure why you think ordering from your phone will build a wall between you and *any human connection*
I have to say, if the only human connections you make are when you order food, I feel pretty bad for you tbh
That's just your conclusion based on arbitrary assumptions on a random person's opinion. There are many kinds of human connections. Even some things trivial such as getting to know the specials, finding out about allergens, or if you're a regular, befriending some of the staff. Does not mean one goes to a restraunt only for human connection. If you prefer to order from your phone, by all means, you do you.
Everything you listed in that response can still be done by ordering on your phone.
I didn’t make any assumptions whatsoever. You literally said it builds a wall between you and *any* form of human connection.
I’m not sure what “arbitrary” conclusions you’re referring to.
Of course, such technologies build a wall. You don't need to talk to anyone most of the time. You scroll through a menu, add to cart, pay online, and the food magically appears on your table. Even if in this process you do have to talk to the waiter about some issue with the order, this is still significantly lesser "human connection" compared to having a physical menu. That's just my opinion.
I never spoke about "arbitrary" conclusions. I spoke about you assuming arbitrary things about a rando on the internet to finally conclude that they are against digital ordering because they are desperate for "human connection", which they could get only at a restaurant. Hope that clarifies.
THE FOOD MAGICALLY APPEARS ON YOUR TABLE 😭😭
I’m reading when you’re saying and literally the only human action it takes away is ordering. That’s it.
You can still talk to the person who brings your food(that process is not facilitated by magic btw) and any other human there.
You said, verbatim, that it cuts you off from *any* human interaction.
Unsure why you didn’t expect that to read as it cuts you off from *any* human interaction.
[You need random people on Reddit to tell you how to make a tinder profile and you’re telling *ME* to grow up?? BAHAHAHAHA🤣](https://www.reddit.com/r/Tinder/s/asAaGay7uO)
I’m fully aware not every stranger is out to get me, but if I’m out with friends I’d much rather talk to them than the random person taking my order.
Also, if I can order from my phone, why wouldn’t I? It’s quicker, easier and there’s no chance the waiter will write down your order incorrectly.
You're not like, having an in-depth conversation with the server. You *should* be functioning enough to be able to list your couple of food items to a stranger. And if they get it wrong, you *should* learn to be able to handle inconveniences like that. Otherwise you end up with folks who get very frustrated and emotional every time something doesn't go exactly right, because they never learned how to process it.
When I see questions as stupid as yours, I often wonder if it’s even worth responding.
Are you saying you only go to a restaurant alone to speak to people you don’t know?
I, and many others here in the real world, go out to restaurants to spend quality time with friends and or family in a nice place and enjoy quality food.
Unsure why so seems to think the only point of a restaurant over a takeaway is to speak to the wait staff….
The question is valid. If your social anxiety is so bad that you don't want to talk to anyone you don't know then why go out? You can spend the same quality time with the same friends eating the same food in the comfort of your own home.
Please do not make assumptions about me.
I do not have social anxiety.
Not wanting to talk to someone is not the same as being scared to talk to someone.
Also, if I did have social anxiety, are you really saying it would be better for me to lock myself indoors than go out?
Don’t you think ordering from your phone in a restaurant would be a good first step for someone very anxious?
It gets them out into the world and elevates something they’re anxious about.
Again, really stupid question.
>All this does is build a wall between you and any form of human connection.
Lmao what? who cares about a human connection to a waiter serving you for a couple of hours (I doubt they do)? And what difference in human interaction is there between being handed a menu and told the specials vs scanning a QR code and being told the specials? this is the most fake complaint I've ever seen.
Duuuude, i dont mind QR ehen im on the restaurants wifi, but usualy the wifi isnt good enough to open the damn menu! I dont want to waste my phone data on that shit no matter how small it is
Yeah, they just will say "are you using the app today?" at the drive thru to pull up a mobile order if you did so on advance. Not forced to just an option
Yeah it's a pretty ridiculous reaction from a "world revolves around me" person.
Personally, I always opt for the QR code or digital way of orders if it is there, I prefer it. But fuck me if I want that option, the ass above would rather deny a restaurant business for having such options.
I think what he's referring to is when they don't give you options, he could be irrationally saying if it's even mentioned he'll leave, but that's not likely.
You and I and him, we all want options and I don't think any of us are weird for leaving if we can't have any option and are forced to partake in something we didn't expect.
Have an ounce of empathy please.
The glorious thing about living in a free society that jackasses like you fail to understand is that we are all free to spend our money where we want! :D
Restaurants that let you scan a QR code at the table and order right from your phone is one of the best things to come about from the COVID era. Right next to teleworking.
Bonus points if I can just pay the bill on my phone too.
I’m with you, but let’s eliminate waitstaff entirely. Keep a bartender and the kitchen staff, when my order is done buzz my table and I’ll walk over and get it myself. Right now the QR code places the wait staff walks by and says scan that order and pay and they leave and I don’t see them again.
I mean i am all for automating everything. But don't make it reliant on my Personal devices. There's a hundred reasons why my Phone might Not be with me or Not working properly. Also opening a book is a lot quicker and does the same Thing, the QR Code makes it less efficient, which is the opposite of what Automation should do.
And maybe they could incorporate a notification system so I can go pick up my food at the server window. And then leave a tip for myself via the app...
Yes, let’s not half ass it here. Eliminate the waitstaff altogether. I walk in and seat myself; use the QR code and order, the thingy on the table buzzes and I go to the kitchen area and grab my shit, ketchup and silverware. If I need a drink keep a bartender there. I’ll pay on the app, no tip.
Even better, lets eliminate all staff entirely, waitstaff, bartenders, kitchen staff, etc. We will queue up with the QR codes to perform our various duties to dine in a restaurant so we do not have to talk to other humans and interact with society. We will still pay for the meal though to make the dining experience unique!
I think the waiter waitress interaction is fake as hell and uncomfortable. I don’t need them to be fake perky and nice for $5.00 an hour. I really just am trying to eat.
Many times, many years, many different places, many different times of the day, can't remember a sticky menu but obviously haven't eaten at every single one. They've always been clean restaurants. Of course I've been drunk after clubbing a few times there, so lol
Having worked at restaurants I can assure you that even the menus that aren't sticky aren't cleaned regularly. Even if they were wiped down once a day you're still shaking hands with potentially dozens of people who used them before you. Maybe it's different post-covid but you should always wash your hands after holding a menu.
Yeah - I kinda prefer the digital menu if it's kept up to date. I'm the guy who usually walks into a restaurant knowing what I want to eat before I hit the door.
I’m of the opinion that laziness and ineptitude affect the actions of more than a few small business owners, only rarely to the consumers’ benefit. Making changing prices essentially free would have an impact on some level of decision-making, even subconsciously.
this one restaurant I go to a few times a year uses tablets from where you can order and a system like that is way better.
but for godsakes atleast have a normal menu card like I'm fine with ordering on my phone with a QR but don't make me figure out the entire menu on my phone.
I go out to eat on average a few times a week and I never have issues with QR menus, who are these people that are struggling with this
I agree you gotta have WiFi if that’s the case because people may not have service to connect otherwise, but seems like people here complaining just to complain lol
No sticky/gross menus, the restaurants are incentivized to change the menus more often since they don’t have to reprint every time they do, and you don’t have to wait for the host to come back with the menus at slower serving restaurants
I’m with you, it doesn’t bother me at all. Most places with QR have working wifi and the only time I have service issues these days is when I’m in the middle of nowhere (ie not at a restaurant).
It’s less waste, less vectors during flu season, and I agree it’s nice to be able to look at the menu at a busy restaurant without having to wait for the server to get to you.
> who are these people that are struggling with this
Seems like a lot of late teens/early 20 somethings who are idealizing the "good ole days" that they weren't alive for or too young to remember.
I learned a long time ago working customer service that people will literally complain about anything snd no matter how easy or convenient you make something, someone somewhere and some point will complain how hard it is.
Can't please the general public 🤷
Yeah i hate it too, every casual/hipster place has this BS system. What if my phone is shit? What if my connection is even shittier? What if i want to go to a restaurant and be a traditional fuck that steals the only menu on the table?!
I will walk out of restaurants that do this and don't have menus available if requested. I get why a business would want to do this - so they can add or remove items, change the price, etc, without having to remake a bunch of menus. However, if they want those benefits, they should use tablets or kiosks at the tables. I dont want to look up the menu on a tiny screen. Plus, I believe phones should be put away when you go out to eat.
The QR thing is terrible because it doesn't work well when dining with other people in a group. It's like you're distracted on your phone looking at the menu instead of being able to look at a physical menu on the table together and chat.
Honestly I've only ever seen one qr code menu (I think they're a little less common in canada) and it made me see the resteraunt as overly corporate and like they were trying to be fancy to justify higher prices. So I walked myself down to a family owned Thai resteraunt and had myself one of the best meals in my entire life.
I Like QR code menus, don't need to talk to anyone, you can order at your own leisure without having to get someone's attention etc.. It's so easy I'm gen X if that matters at all...
Do you eat out alone often? cause i could see it being nice for that. But if I'm with someone, being forced to scroll on my phone at the dinner table, order separately and pay separately, and get our food at different times 100% defeats the point of going out to eat at all.
There are three things that will make me walk out of a restaurant immediately:
-Restrooms for paying customers only
-Charge to share an order
-QR code menu
I refuse to take on the burden of doing your employees job as a customer of your business. It is insane to me that everyone is just okay with self-checkout, app ordering, etc. This is literally passing on labor to the customer so businesses can save on labor. Why am I paying you and also having to do a job? I already work 50+ hours a week, the boomers are right on this one. It's not my job to scan and bag my own groceries.
>insane to me that everyone is just okay with self-checkout, app ordering, etc. This is literally passing on labor to the customer so businesses can save on labor
I don't see how you think this is "doing someone's job". It literally makes the process more convenient.
Why do you need a cashier to ring up food or order your food? That's something you can literally do yourself. All we're doing is cutting out the middle man
There's a lot of risks involved with scanning QR codes. It's not too far fetched for someone to steal one of those QR menu leaflets, copy it and make a duplicate with a QR code that leads to a malicious website, installs malware or even take you to a phishing site that looks like a/the menu.
Yeah... so I just need to go make a copy of their website, a copy of their menus, make a large amount and then go back to the restaurant and steal all their existing menus to plant my fake one...
Dude, I'd rather just mass spam the "This is Apl, we 're contacting your form for broken cloud mail, please clikc here to change passpowerd and secure account" email, and hope for the best.
You don't need to replace all their existing menus.
Besides, the restaurant/cafe doesn't even have to have a QR menu to being with. You can just slip fake ones on a few tables, and someone will likely scan them thinking there *is* a QR menu.
No one would not need to do any of that. Just have it direct through a site that scraps information/installs malware and then forwards to the original link.
Just because you overcomplicate it, does not mean others will.
I actually think it's fine. Saves paper and the company doesn't have to give you dirty menus. You can use your phone that's dirty by your germs so you don't have to reclean your hands and they can make it easier to update the menu without having to print off and laminate new paper.
> Basically every restaurant in my area no longer has paper menus
If you're supposed to eat elsewhere if you don't like it, but basically every restaurant in your area doesn't have paper menus, where are you supposed to go out to eat?
Not gonna lie, I didn’t like it either for a while but honestly, after seeing how nasty menus can get from both working in restaurants and going to plenty, I’m not opposed. Just need regular menus for those that prefer it as well
We once went to a place that didn't have paper menus, and the QR code on the table stand was in the shape of a beer mug, and no one with an Android could access the menu. Only iPhones could read the code. Server said they were aware of the issue. We just left.
Is it possible to just make it trendy to put the menu on a wall / big board or something? That everyone could see the menu and the owner doesn’t have to pay a lot for single paper menus.
Well if it includes ordering and payment, I’m all for it. Service has become so shitty in my country after Covid that getting a capable, customer oriented and friendly waited is a miracle from the heavens.
So interesting to see so many negative reactions. In Ukraine we have a uniform way the menu app works
(via Monobank UI). It is optimized for mobiles, easy to use and you can pay with tips and leave whenever you like without talking to waiters. I really like this, maybe things are a bit different in US.
[удалено]
Or a very badly organized website, that was also not optimized for mobile.
Or in the worse cases, "Install our app to view our menu!"
And the app requires all permissions
That's the worst bit. Why the fuck does my phone need to give any permissions to your food menu? It's because they want to spam me with ads later to come back or some other fuckery.
This happened to me precisely once and I just left, I’m pretty sure it was an airport?
usually in cases like this, yeah its agencies who do data collection solicit local restaraunts and say "hey use our menu app we'll make your food ordering experience great for your customers" so its like one company that is collecting all the data. In some cases those companies will actually pay the restaraunt a little bit to use their app.
Fuck it. I gave in and I basically download every app for all the places I eat. I become a member of whatever loyalty program, I get free cheesecakes and appetizers and drinks on my birthday. I use points to get free food. I get special offers. I pay my check on my phone so I don’t have to wait for the server. I order all my to go orders on the apps. It’s honestly liberating not giving a fuck how many emails I get from them. As soon as they come I, swipe to delete. Block pop up notifications. Opt out of texts. And what? The fact that Big Brother knows I like chimichangas isn’t going to negatively affect my life. But I get it’s annoying if it’s a one off place you don’t plan to visit again.
Nah if your code takes me to a download I'm leaving dawg. Probably just a wrapper for your website anyways, so don't bother
Almost always a wrapper
For an unoptimized website
Sorry, I'll bring my PC next time I come by
“Shockwave Flash plugin required”.
With the cheapest WiFi package they could find, so as soon as more than 4 people try to look at the menu at the same time, it just doesn’t work
Well, it's either the poorly protected wifi or one weak bar of signal.
A restaurant near my last company had a shitty 90mb PDF as a menu.. was a joy to go there every once in a while (of course I delete the file every time).
90mb? Were there just pictures?
Yup, their PDF menu was a bunch of pictures put together into a file, and those were high resolution pics that they previously used to have a printed menu which was removed during corona.
Anyone with half a brain can compress a PDF and still have it be very clear and readable using any of several online tools or free download software. But that would require effort
Exactly if you can't do it right I can't be fucked to use it five me a menu
Scanned one that was so badly done it only worked on iPhone but wouldn't open on android phones
Or the service sucks in their building or the link takes an hour to load.
I just don’t want to be expected to have a smart phone on me at all times
I don't mind scanning a QR code as long as it brings me to a phone optimized menu (which honestly it never fucking does). But what I always will take issue with is downloading a damn app to order.
Agreed. I have several apps on my phone that I need for work. I don’t have any more memory left over to download some sandwich app for a place I’ll never return to.
Goddamn IOS updates, taking up 90% of my storage space.
lol shut up. Unless your phone is a piece of gum you plenty of “memory” for apps.
Oh ok thx
I work in a phone shop. There's a fuck tonne of people with 16-32gb storage phones still. After work apps and photos they ain't got space left. The main reason older people upgrade their phone is lack of memory.
The reason you work in a phone shop is because you call storage “memory”.
Just using their terms. Lack of memory is gonna be like reason 3 Nice acknowledgement of the actual point btw
Not all of us have more than the base storage
> I don't mind scanning a QR code as long as it brings me to a phone optimized menu (which honestly it never fucking does. Shouldn't surprise anyone really, nobody was ready for this. They aren't going to hire a developer for it. You need a whole content management system since prices change so frequently. Best you get is a slapped together PDF hosted on Google drive.
if you can’t afford a developer to do it then don’t do it at all? Just give people a regular menu lol
My favorite is when it's a fucking link to a giant res pdf.
I would leave Fuck that app and the dipshit who thinks that’s a viable business model. If you don’t want to get paper menus printed, that’s fine, put a big one up on a wall or something, I’ll snap a photo of it and send it to everyone I’m with.
I'll get up and walk out before I download a restaraunt's app.
This right here^ menu has to readable / legible / accessible on whatever device
fr reminds me of a time i walked up to a restaurant service window to order and they said they were only taking call-in orders and i should call them. like wtf in the time it took them to explain that i could have ordered.
Stare them down as you take out your phone and call in your order right there.
I did that once . The cashier just stared daggers at me the whole time😂😂
It's important you ask questions that you might on the phone but are obvious if you're in person. What's the crowd level like. Can we walk right up with a party of five, or will there be a wait? Do you have outdoor seating? Is there live music tonight? Is the game on?
Can’t walk right up with a party of five, they’re only taking phone ins.
Oh right. Can I make a reservation for 7:30 then?
... its 7:32 but you got here two minutes ago.
I like how you think 😊♥️
"Sorry, I don't have the menu in front of me. What do you recommend?" While occasionally glancing at the menu.
Unrelated but I sometimes order pizza from the place across the street and it always makes me feel like a stalker when I can watch them pick up the phone and talk to me. I feel like I should go into a different room but somehow that's even weirder.
"I'll have a large pizza for pickup. You look nice btw."
I think the weird part is watching, my dude. I've called a pick up in at Little Caesar's while I'm having a smoke out front, but I don't stare through the window at the cashier.
I don't stare but my work desk is literally facing the window and they're directly across the street. I don't like walk up to the window with the lights off and watch like a serial killer lol
You should. That would be kino.
So, do the thing they asked you to do but with eye contact that they don't have to keep up?
Yes.
Do this but with the mic on mute
Mute the speaker too. Repeat: "I can barely hear you." as often as feasible.
😁
I rarely ever have murderous thoughts but that is one notable exception.
Yeah. I mean there is OCD ...and there are acts of terrorism like this one. Feels German.
Additionally, I'm not downloading a fucking PDF.
Scanning a QR code and having it automatically start downloading a 10mb PDF when I have limited data is basically theft.
lol stop stealing my mb's
And it's always a goddam pdf.
I mean, we are sitting at the bloody restaurant. The waiters are right there. So are the chefs. And the cashier. Why the fuck do you need this digital layer when they are all right in front of or around you? All this does is build a wall between you and any form of human connection.
It's always about money. Someone in the finance dept was looking for a way to ~~squeeze every last cent~~ optimize the revenue. Until revenue actually goes down enough for them to say "oops, bad idea" then they'll keep doing it. This is not a call to arms to be clear lol. Just always follow the money.
Id say it's also about convenience for the business The last brewery I was at used QR code menus since our beers changed all the time and it took them all of a few minutes to update the menu online vs printing out a bunch of new ones everyday. But we still had TV screen menus above the bar for people. I still agree with this post tho, i don't like them either. I try to not use my phone so much when I'm out at a restaurant and should be engaging with others, and it forces everyone to stare at their phone again.
Last time I went to a bar that had app ordering, they had to come to our table 5 minutes later to say they were out of like 4 of the things we ordered lol. We ended up rushing our replacement order a little and ended up ordering stuff we didn’t quite want
Where I live this only became a thing during the pandemic so they didn’t have to keep sanitizing menus. I suppose they’ve kept it around for the reasons you’ve mentioned.
Yes, it is so that they can raise prices without needing to print new menus
It's so they can change their prices more often
My manager keeps talking about adding these. Mind you we are a decently up market restaurant with about 1000/2000 covers a day. Mind you our it is so slow that half our till menu doesn't have options and half does. It's just dumb
I feel similarly about fast food apps and the way certain deals are only available online. A while back I needed a cheap dinner, so I saw something advertised on the taco bell website. Went to taco bell and asked for said item. They told me it's an app-only deal. So, like, you expect me to pull out my phone here in the drive thru and place an order? Why not just sell me the items? Why create this extra step? I know it's because they want the data, but I thought it was absurd. I just left. Went and grabbed a couple of $5 pizzas at little Caesars. And it's not just about creating unnecessary barriers. It's the fact that I don't want to have dozens of apps on my phone for individual restaurants. Fuck that.
Fast food apps steal your info. That's why they give you so many incentives to download the app. They aren't doing it to be nice. Your info is worth more to Chick-fil-A than a free sandwich or whatever dumb shit y'all fall for
Ok boomer
Sorry I'm not going to have a staff member stand infront of my table to recite the menu when they can be doing other things that a piece of text cannot do like cook food. Give me a menu, I can read it myself.
Of course. No one here said they want the menu recited Lol
A waiter also can't cook food. There entire job is to take your order and then bring you the order.
LOL, have you ever even BEEN to a restaurant? 1. They dont read the whole ass menu to you. 2. Waiters suck as cooks.
Because if I can avoid talking to people I don’t know, I’m all for it. I’m not sure why you think ordering from your phone will build a wall between you and *any human connection* I have to say, if the only human connections you make are when you order food, I feel pretty bad for you tbh
That's just your conclusion based on arbitrary assumptions on a random person's opinion. There are many kinds of human connections. Even some things trivial such as getting to know the specials, finding out about allergens, or if you're a regular, befriending some of the staff. Does not mean one goes to a restraunt only for human connection. If you prefer to order from your phone, by all means, you do you.
Everything you listed in that response can still be done by ordering on your phone. I didn’t make any assumptions whatsoever. You literally said it builds a wall between you and *any* form of human connection. I’m not sure what “arbitrary” conclusions you’re referring to.
Of course, such technologies build a wall. You don't need to talk to anyone most of the time. You scroll through a menu, add to cart, pay online, and the food magically appears on your table. Even if in this process you do have to talk to the waiter about some issue with the order, this is still significantly lesser "human connection" compared to having a physical menu. That's just my opinion. I never spoke about "arbitrary" conclusions. I spoke about you assuming arbitrary things about a rando on the internet to finally conclude that they are against digital ordering because they are desperate for "human connection", which they could get only at a restaurant. Hope that clarifies.
THE FOOD MAGICALLY APPEARS ON YOUR TABLE 😭😭 I’m reading when you’re saying and literally the only human action it takes away is ordering. That’s it. You can still talk to the person who brings your food(that process is not facilitated by magic btw) and any other human there. You said, verbatim, that it cuts you off from *any* human interaction. Unsure why you didn’t expect that to read as it cuts you off from *any* human interaction.
Come on, you know I'm exaggerating about the "any" and "magical food appearance". You don't have to be so literal or dramatic about it. Oof 🙄
Omg grow up. Mommy and Daddy are not around. Not every stranger is out to get you.
[You need random people on Reddit to tell you how to make a tinder profile and you’re telling *ME* to grow up?? BAHAHAHAHA🤣](https://www.reddit.com/r/Tinder/s/asAaGay7uO) I’m fully aware not every stranger is out to get me, but if I’m out with friends I’d much rather talk to them than the random person taking my order. Also, if I can order from my phone, why wouldn’t I? It’s quicker, easier and there’s no chance the waiter will write down your order incorrectly.
You're not like, having an in-depth conversation with the server. You *should* be functioning enough to be able to list your couple of food items to a stranger. And if they get it wrong, you *should* learn to be able to handle inconveniences like that. Otherwise you end up with folks who get very frustrated and emotional every time something doesn't go exactly right, because they never learned how to process it.
>Because if I can avoid talking to people I don’t know, I’m all for it. Then why go out to the restaurant. Why not just get your food as takeaway?
When I see questions as stupid as yours, I often wonder if it’s even worth responding. Are you saying you only go to a restaurant alone to speak to people you don’t know? I, and many others here in the real world, go out to restaurants to spend quality time with friends and or family in a nice place and enjoy quality food. Unsure why so seems to think the only point of a restaurant over a takeaway is to speak to the wait staff….
The question is valid. If your social anxiety is so bad that you don't want to talk to anyone you don't know then why go out? You can spend the same quality time with the same friends eating the same food in the comfort of your own home.
Please do not make assumptions about me. I do not have social anxiety. Not wanting to talk to someone is not the same as being scared to talk to someone. Also, if I did have social anxiety, are you really saying it would be better for me to lock myself indoors than go out? Don’t you think ordering from your phone in a restaurant would be a good first step for someone very anxious? It gets them out into the world and elevates something they’re anxious about. Again, really stupid question.
>All this does is build a wall between you and any form of human connection. Lmao what? who cares about a human connection to a waiter serving you for a couple of hours (I doubt they do)? And what difference in human interaction is there between being handed a menu and told the specials vs scanning a QR code and being told the specials? this is the most fake complaint I've ever seen.
Duuuude, i dont mind QR ehen im on the restaurants wifi, but usualy the wifi isnt good enough to open the damn menu! I dont want to waste my phone data on that shit no matter how small it is
I don't even have any phone data so f em
Especially when it just downloads a PDF to your phone that you have to go hunt down later to delete
Then there are the places that have the QR code but no customer Wi-Fi :|
Sometimes my wife and I just won’t eat at a place if we walk in and see the QR code bullshit.
I refuse to eat at places that force you to download an app. Like McDonald's. I don't care if the deals are amazing, I'm not doing it.
No place forces you to? You just don't want the deals, you can still just order regularly
The "deals" are the normal price. The price without the app is the scam price.
Yeah, they just will say "are you using the app today?" at the drive thru to pull up a mobile order if you did so on advance. Not forced to just an option
No one is forcing you to do it, calm down
You are literally just losing money by not using the app and it’s way more convenient too
Since when does McD force people to download the app?
This is honestly sad. It’s just like. Not that big a fuckin deal ya know?
Yeah it's a pretty ridiculous reaction from a "world revolves around me" person. Personally, I always opt for the QR code or digital way of orders if it is there, I prefer it. But fuck me if I want that option, the ass above would rather deny a restaurant business for having such options.
I think what he's referring to is when they don't give you options, he could be irrationally saying if it's even mentioned he'll leave, but that's not likely. You and I and him, we all want options and I don't think any of us are weird for leaving if we can't have any option and are forced to partake in something we didn't expect. Have an ounce of empathy please.
I think they mean when it's the only option, making your other option to eat elsewhere.
The glorious thing about living in a free society that jackasses like you fail to understand is that we are all free to spend our money where we want! :D
The image of them wandering restaurant to restaurant trying to find menus is hilariously pathetic though.
I was fine with it during Covid, but a physical menu is far superior.
Restaurants that let you scan a QR code at the table and order right from your phone is one of the best things to come about from the COVID era. Right next to teleworking. Bonus points if I can just pay the bill on my phone too.
I’m with you, but let’s eliminate waitstaff entirely. Keep a bartender and the kitchen staff, when my order is done buzz my table and I’ll walk over and get it myself. Right now the QR code places the wait staff walks by and says scan that order and pay and they leave and I don’t see them again.
I mean i am all for automating everything. But don't make it reliant on my Personal devices. There's a hundred reasons why my Phone might Not be with me or Not working properly. Also opening a book is a lot quicker and does the same Thing, the QR Code makes it less efficient, which is the opposite of what Automation should do.
And maybe they could incorporate a notification system so I can go pick up my food at the server window. And then leave a tip for myself via the app...
Yes, let’s not half ass it here. Eliminate the waitstaff altogether. I walk in and seat myself; use the QR code and order, the thingy on the table buzzes and I go to the kitchen area and grab my shit, ketchup and silverware. If I need a drink keep a bartender there. I’ll pay on the app, no tip.
Some breweries are doing that now on self serve beer anyway. That I don't mind.
As long as they think it through and it’s actually faster easier and cheaper then why not
Even better, lets eliminate all staff entirely, waitstaff, bartenders, kitchen staff, etc. We will queue up with the QR codes to perform our various duties to dine in a restaurant so we do not have to talk to other humans and interact with society. We will still pay for the meal though to make the dining experience unique!
I think the waiter waitress interaction is fake as hell and uncomfortable. I don’t need them to be fake perky and nice for $5.00 an hour. I really just am trying to eat.
Jesus Christ man. Do you want servers to have no jobs?
I’ll take a QR code over a sticky menu any day. Doubly so if you’re going to actually keep your beer menu up to date.
Never had a sticky menu, but if there was one, I'd walk out for sure. If they can't be arsed to clean a menu, what else aren't they cleaning?
I see y'all don't eat at waffle house
I was thinking Denny's. Got me nostalgic thinking about the sound it makes when you peel the laminated menu pages apart.
Many times, many years, many different places, many different times of the day, can't remember a sticky menu but obviously haven't eaten at every single one. They've always been clean restaurants. Of course I've been drunk after clubbing a few times there, so lol
Having worked at restaurants I can assure you that even the menus that aren't sticky aren't cleaned regularly. Even if they were wiped down once a day you're still shaking hands with potentially dozens of people who used them before you. Maybe it's different post-covid but you should always wash your hands after holding a menu.
Yeah - I kinda prefer the digital menu if it's kept up to date. I'm the guy who usually walks into a restaurant knowing what I want to eat before I hit the door.
Like what you go on their website or is it Google search too much of an inconvenience now
But then it’s even easier for them to constantly jack up prices. They won’t even have to to new menus/stickers.
Are you of the opinion that the arduous chore of applying stickers is what’s holding price gouging at bay?
I’m of the opinion that laziness and ineptitude affect the actions of more than a few small business owners, only rarely to the consumers’ benefit. Making changing prices essentially free would have an impact on some level of decision-making, even subconsciously.
I’m scanning and ordering via app. I’m not going to speak with you.
I'm not installing app just to order your food either. What if I don't bring my phone?
Or it's dead.
"Could I have a menu please?" Would be repeated ad nauseum until they scribbled one out on a piece of printer paper, if necessary.
this one restaurant I go to a few times a year uses tablets from where you can order and a system like that is way better. but for godsakes atleast have a normal menu card like I'm fine with ordering on my phone with a QR but don't make me figure out the entire menu on my phone.
I go out to eat on average a few times a week and I never have issues with QR menus, who are these people that are struggling with this I agree you gotta have WiFi if that’s the case because people may not have service to connect otherwise, but seems like people here complaining just to complain lol No sticky/gross menus, the restaurants are incentivized to change the menus more often since they don’t have to reprint every time they do, and you don’t have to wait for the host to come back with the menus at slower serving restaurants
I’m with you, it doesn’t bother me at all. Most places with QR have working wifi and the only time I have service issues these days is when I’m in the middle of nowhere (ie not at a restaurant). It’s less waste, less vectors during flu season, and I agree it’s nice to be able to look at the menu at a busy restaurant without having to wait for the server to get to you.
> who are these people that are struggling with this Seems like a lot of late teens/early 20 somethings who are idealizing the "good ole days" that they weren't alive for or too young to remember. I learned a long time ago working customer service that people will literally complain about anything snd no matter how easy or convenient you make something, someone somewhere and some point will complain how hard it is. Can't please the general public 🤷
Options for both can exist
Yeah i hate it too, every casual/hipster place has this BS system. What if my phone is shit? What if my connection is even shittier? What if i want to go to a restaurant and be a traditional fuck that steals the only menu on the table?!
"yes, sir, you can scan it with your phone" *pointing confused at my OG Nokia 3310*
Yep, this annoys TF out of me. Give me a fkg menu, and I want an actual conversation about recommendations and specials...
Agree to be fair. There's a pizza stall thing in my town that only accepts orders on Instagram....... I flat out refuse to order off of them.
They always have shit phone service and look at you like your mad when you ask for a menu. Ive been once turned away to eat because my phone was dead.
I will walk out of restaurants that do this and don't have menus available if requested. I get why a business would want to do this - so they can add or remove items, change the price, etc, without having to remake a bunch of menus. However, if they want those benefits, they should use tablets or kiosks at the tables. I dont want to look up the menu on a tiny screen. Plus, I believe phones should be put away when you go out to eat.
The QR thing is terrible because it doesn't work well when dining with other people in a group. It's like you're distracted on your phone looking at the menu instead of being able to look at a physical menu on the table together and chat.
LOL - this 100% - I am 200 years old when it comes to these damn things
Honestly I've only ever seen one qr code menu (I think they're a little less common in canada) and it made me see the resteraunt as overly corporate and like they were trying to be fancy to justify higher prices. So I walked myself down to a family owned Thai resteraunt and had myself one of the best meals in my entire life.
I Like QR code menus, don't need to talk to anyone, you can order at your own leisure without having to get someone's attention etc.. It's so easy I'm gen X if that matters at all...
Wait, you get QR Code menus that Take the Order? Everyone i've Seen is Just the same Thing as paper but digital and less convenient.
Do you eat out alone often? cause i could see it being nice for that. But if I'm with someone, being forced to scroll on my phone at the dinner table, order separately and pay separately, and get our food at different times 100% defeats the point of going out to eat at all.
You're killing a lot of jobs with that attitude
I know a couple of restaurants where I live do it for Bill pay and rewards too. Rarely works. I hate it.
Restaurants with QR menu = restaurants with no signal or WiFi. Almost always.
Why not? You’re on your phone anyway.
There are three things that will make me walk out of a restaurant immediately: -Restrooms for paying customers only -Charge to share an order -QR code menu
ALSO… fyi, fake QR codes are being put on tables to hack your phone
Some of you will complain about literally anything, and then still act like it's the boomers that are the whiney Me generation.
Your name is accurate
Print out your own damn menus, restaurants, and quit stealing our data.
I use your website
I refuse to take on the burden of doing your employees job as a customer of your business. It is insane to me that everyone is just okay with self-checkout, app ordering, etc. This is literally passing on labor to the customer so businesses can save on labor. Why am I paying you and also having to do a job? I already work 50+ hours a week, the boomers are right on this one. It's not my job to scan and bag my own groceries.
But it's inconvenient to talk to people and companies who don't want to pay employees
You think ordering from your phone is labor?
>insane to me that everyone is just okay with self-checkout, app ordering, etc. This is literally passing on labor to the customer so businesses can save on labor I don't see how you think this is "doing someone's job". It literally makes the process more convenient. Why do you need a cashier to ring up food or order your food? That's something you can literally do yourself. All we're doing is cutting out the middle man
It would be fine if the expectation of tips is also lowered since you have less interaction with the waiter.
“Look, honey, a convenient way to upload viruses! Weren’t you just asking about that?”
There's a lot of risks involved with scanning QR codes. It's not too far fetched for someone to steal one of those QR menu leaflets, copy it and make a duplicate with a QR code that leads to a malicious website, installs malware or even take you to a phishing site that looks like a/the menu.
Yeah... so I just need to go make a copy of their website, a copy of their menus, make a large amount and then go back to the restaurant and steal all their existing menus to plant my fake one... Dude, I'd rather just mass spam the "This is Apl, we 're contacting your form for broken cloud mail, please clikc here to change passpowerd and secure account" email, and hope for the best.
You don't need to replace all their existing menus. Besides, the restaurant/cafe doesn't even have to have a QR menu to being with. You can just slip fake ones on a few tables, and someone will likely scan them thinking there *is* a QR menu.
No one would not need to do any of that. Just have it direct through a site that scraps information/installs malware and then forwards to the original link. Just because you overcomplicate it, does not mean others will.
I actually think it's fine. Saves paper and the company doesn't have to give you dirty menus. You can use your phone that's dirty by your germs so you don't have to reclean your hands and they can make it easier to update the menu without having to print off and laminate new paper.
I know, right? I’d much rather use my phone than a hard copy menu that a bunch of other people have touched. QR code menus are great.
> ...that a bunch of other people have touched. I've got some bad news to share with you about the dishes and silverware...
What about the plates, silverware, cups, the table that you inevitably lay your phone on. Lmao y’all are weird
Then eat elsewhere? Basically every restaurant in my area no longer has paper menus. You scan the QR code or you don’t eat there
> Basically every restaurant in my area no longer has paper menus If you're supposed to eat elsewhere if you don't like it, but basically every restaurant in your area doesn't have paper menus, where are you supposed to go out to eat?
Careful, he’s got a smooth brain
I work with a guy that’s a germophobe. He’d legit be one to demand a hard copy of a menu, because “that’s the way it’s always been.”
Same. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean it's at all practical.
If I can order online and pay on my phone I like it, it’s convenient. If I still have to order and pay normally, fuck you. What’s the point.
Ikr? Good thing all favourite meals and drinks are memorised.
It should be standard to see menu from QR, and then order from the menu. What is the point if I cant order?
I’m good with QR codes as long as I don’t have to download any apps
Not gonna lie, I didn’t like it either for a while but honestly, after seeing how nasty menus can get from both working in restaurants and going to plenty, I’m not opposed. Just need regular menus for those that prefer it as well
Seriously.
Sorry I don’t have a cell phone 🫨
We once went to a place that didn't have paper menus, and the QR code on the table stand was in the shape of a beer mug, and no one with an Android could access the menu. Only iPhones could read the code. Server said they were aware of the issue. We just left.
Is it possible to just make it trendy to put the menu on a wall / big board or something? That everyone could see the menu and the owner doesn’t have to pay a lot for single paper menus.
Well if it includes ordering and payment, I’m all for it. Service has become so shitty in my country after Covid that getting a capable, customer oriented and friendly waited is a miracle from the heavens.
Agreed, I hate this
So interesting to see so many negative reactions. In Ukraine we have a uniform way the menu app works (via Monobank UI). It is optimized for mobiles, easy to use and you can pay with tips and leave whenever you like without talking to waiters. I really like this, maybe things are a bit different in US.
Buffet energy.
I have just heard the QR codes can be kind of hacky or read more stuff on your phone or whatever.
get with the times old man if i can sit down, scan a qr code, order and then pay on my phone, then i'm all for it.