Is Inamo’s Table-Top Ordering System the First Volley in the War Against Wait Staff?
As shown in this CBS Early Show report, London's Inamo is among the first restaurants to install a table-top ordering system, which would appear to make waiters and waitresses obsolete (or at least turn their skill set into something resembling an IT person's). I personally loathe the idea. I crave real human interaction at the dining room table. I get enough face time with the stupid computer at work.
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3:44 pm
Well, let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Maybe some kind of hybrid approach? Let's say you have the touch screen menu (where you could also show high quality pictures of the finished product) on the table and the OPTION of using it. By default, a waiter comes to your table to take the order, but you still have the option of high-tech DIY ordering if you don't need the waitperson's input and are familiar with the menu? I'm sure the business model isn't there...yet...but eventually, perhaps.
3:55 pm
Appalling as that is, we'll be okay if, in the future, an adorable robot visits from a ravaged, dystopian Earth and reminds us that beauty is in humanity and the world all around us.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQlY6QvoYx0
3:56 pm
Sorry, link fail.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQlY6QvoYx0
5:13 am
I've actually been to Inamo and it's really not as horrendous as you think... There are waiters all over the restaurant, there's even a 'call a waiter' button on the table, and a waiter will always lead you to your table, introduce the ordering system, and happily explain any queries regarding either the technology or the menu. There's also a chef cam that also allows you to look into the kitchen via a live feed and watch the chefs prepare your food. Far more personal than your average restaurant if you ask me. Inamo's not trying to make some futuristic statement about how technology is set to replace humans, it's just a really unique and innovative take on the dining experience. You can play battleships against the person sitting opposite you etc. so there's always a really congenial atmosphere in there.