I visited Chili's with some friends today. When we sat down, I noticed a touchscreen device standing on the table. I reached for it to see if it moved. It did. I played with the screen for a moment to see what it was capable of. With it, I could order food or drink. I could call the waiter. I could even play games. Now you don't have to give your phone to your kid at the restaurant!
I wanted to play with the device, but I didn't want to order anything. I've tried mobile ordering apps for Subway and Starbucks. Both times, I was disappointed. People don't use the apps often enough for workers to be in the habit of checking for orders. I used the device to call my server. And I waited. And waited. And waited.
The worst thing about this experience was that I really did want my waiter to come by. I had ordered coffee, but what he gave me was instant. I drink my coffee black. Instant isn't palatable. Even so, I didn't want to flag the waiter down. It was important to me to wait and see whether or not the device actually worked. It didn't.
Time elapsed and finally I decided to flag the server down with my hand. When he approached, I asked, "Does this thing work?" The waiter could see that it was blinking and gave a halfhearted answer. "It works, but not always." He hadn't been checking. On account of this, the device had caused customer frustration instead of improving service. The solution to this problem is easy - servers should wear bracelets that buzz when their tables call them. An LED light on the bracelet can flash the number of the table, and perhaps even what they're requesting. This would allow the server to attend to the table only when the customers want something, instead of bothering them otherwise.
The kiosk also has a credit card slot. We did pay for our food this way, which was nice because we didn't have to wait for the server to go back and forth with the bill and our cards. Even now, this probably means that an experienced server can handle an extra table during peak hours.
I wonder how long it will be before these automated services take off. My guess is that they'll creep along slowly at traditional restaurants until a new chain offers exclusively automated service. That chain will be able to offer significantly reduced prices and improved service. At that point, other chains will be forced to catch up. I expect that this will happen within the next 2-4 years.
When I've talked to my friends about the effects of this kind of automation on low-skill employees, they tend to shrug off its importance. "I don't wait tables, those jobs are for losers." Of course, many of them did wait tables through both high school and college, and I expect they'd want similar jobs to be there for their children. This fact seems to escape them.
They also forget that whatever they do, they provide some service for waiters. Do they make cars? Waiters drive cars. Are they doctors or nurses? Waitresses need medical care. Are they lawyers? Waitresses sue, get sued and get divorced too. Even government workers survive off the sales taxes servers pay.
Years ago, I was sitting in Germany talking to bartender at the bar. "Can I have a beer, I asked?" "We don't have American beer, you know," he said. "That's fine, what you do you have?" He served me a beer from down the street. It was good. "We serve German beer in Germany, most of the beer we drink is from our hometowns," he said. "Why's that?" I asked. "We always buy from our neighbors when we can. If my neighbor doesn't have a job, soon I won't have a job either." He was a thin man of Italian descent. He spoke flawless English.
This is something Americans often fail to understand. Whether or not your neighbor has a job affects whether or not you have a job. Whether or not he or she can pay mortgage affects your property values. Individualism isn't selfishness, it's nearsightedness. So as we move towards an automated society, we really need to be thinking about what to do with the people are are no longer fully employable in traditional occupations.
I wanted to play with the device, but I didn't want to order anything. I've tried mobile ordering apps for Subway and Starbucks. Both times, I was disappointed. People don't use the apps often enough for workers to be in the habit of checking for orders. I used the device to call my server. And I waited. And waited. And waited.
 |
| Automated Touchscreen Kiosk I saw at Chili's |
The worst thing about this experience was that I really did want my waiter to come by. I had ordered coffee, but what he gave me was instant. I drink my coffee black. Instant isn't palatable. Even so, I didn't want to flag the waiter down. It was important to me to wait and see whether or not the device actually worked. It didn't.
Time elapsed and finally I decided to flag the server down with my hand. When he approached, I asked, "Does this thing work?" The waiter could see that it was blinking and gave a halfhearted answer. "It works, but not always." He hadn't been checking. On account of this, the device had caused customer frustration instead of improving service. The solution to this problem is easy - servers should wear bracelets that buzz when their tables call them. An LED light on the bracelet can flash the number of the table, and perhaps even what they're requesting. This would allow the server to attend to the table only when the customers want something, instead of bothering them otherwise.
 |
| A photo of the soon to be unemployed |
I wonder how long it will be before these automated services take off. My guess is that they'll creep along slowly at traditional restaurants until a new chain offers exclusively automated service. That chain will be able to offer significantly reduced prices and improved service. At that point, other chains will be forced to catch up. I expect that this will happen within the next 2-4 years.
When I've talked to my friends about the effects of this kind of automation on low-skill employees, they tend to shrug off its importance. "I don't wait tables, those jobs are for losers." Of course, many of them did wait tables through both high school and college, and I expect they'd want similar jobs to be there for their children. This fact seems to escape them.
They also forget that whatever they do, they provide some service for waiters. Do they make cars? Waiters drive cars. Are they doctors or nurses? Waitresses need medical care. Are they lawyers? Waitresses sue, get sued and get divorced too. Even government workers survive off the sales taxes servers pay.
 |
| I'm a big fan of the Weisbier on the right |
Years ago, I was sitting in Germany talking to bartender at the bar. "Can I have a beer, I asked?" "We don't have American beer, you know," he said. "That's fine, what you do you have?" He served me a beer from down the street. It was good. "We serve German beer in Germany, most of the beer we drink is from our hometowns," he said. "Why's that?" I asked. "We always buy from our neighbors when we can. If my neighbor doesn't have a job, soon I won't have a job either." He was a thin man of Italian descent. He spoke flawless English.
This is something Americans often fail to understand. Whether or not your neighbor has a job affects whether or not you have a job. Whether or not he or she can pay mortgage affects your property values. Individualism isn't selfishness, it's nearsightedness. So as we move towards an automated society, we really need to be thinking about what to do with the people are are no longer fully employable in traditional occupations.
