A study released this month reveals that younger diners are enjoying the new concept of ordering their meals with tablets when they go out to eat. Of the 6,000 consumers who were surveyed, nearly 40% were very favorable towards this new piece of the dining experience. Many casual-dining restaurants are excited about this new trend and establishments like Applebee’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chili’s, and Olive Garden are beginning to test this technology as well.
The younger population seemed to be much more comfortable with this change and some businesses hope to adopt this practice because it supposedly streamlines the ordering process and delivers faster service. As time goes on, peoples’ lives are prone to becoming fast-paced and hectic and this may be a way to make dining out a little bit easier. However, as the age of the diners increased, the study found that the percentage of people who favored the use of tablets to order food had decreased. Older diners would rather interact face to face with a person. Now businesses are presented with the challenge of deciding on which part of these opposing extremes they wish to please, or how to please both.
Of course, there is a lot of controversy with tabletop ordering. It makes a person's job a computer's job, and that cuts costs. Each console goes for $100 per month, which, in the end, comes out much cheaper than what it costs to employ a waiter. Also, no manager needs to train it, replace it if it quits, or offer it sick