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Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

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Re: Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

#161

No kidding! I got in the habit of not taking my phone with me everywhere I go, and suddenly QR codes and beer-tap menus are all online? Great.

What happens when you tell the staff you don’t have your phone? Do they not bring you a menu at that point?

Re: Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

#162
post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’ve built a beautiful straw man that I’ve never seen in real life, rarely if ever have I encountered a menu with tiny font that is unreadable, I’ve never been to place that seated me and didn’t bring the menus at the same time. I’ve not experienced the bathroom thing either even in large parties, but it doesn’t sound awkward… if someone says they have to go to the bathroom they go, just tell the waiter this person…

Why do you assume he's built a straw man and not just had a different experience from you? Service levels vary across the planet. I used to live in Europe and restaurant service was always dreadfully slow, it could take ages to get the menu and order and pay, having a digital system in many of those restaurants would be fantastic

This isn't necessarily the case. If restaurant service in a region is slow as a rule, it's probably a matter of different priorities. There may well be less pressure for such a system to speed up the process of ordering, because a more relaxed system is seen as a good thing, and the system that gets implemented in practice might be worse (e.g. perhaps the staff don't like/trust the online order system and they will not even check it, or when they do check it they still confirm with you).

It is almost certainly better to address the actual problem (in this case: a disagreement about priorities and service speed) than to implement a technical measure that one party thinks will fix a problem that the other party considers a feature. By failing to actually address the problem, it could cause some people to feel threatened and result in other problems.

Re: Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

#164
post #129

When they work well, they're really good, but when they work badly, they're _really_ bad. The other week, I went for dinner at a place that had a online ordering system. My experience was as follows... Arrive at the table, scan the QR code No phone signal in the restaurant, so I need to connect to the wifi. Connect to the wifi, get a captive portal Need to put my phone number in to connect to the wifi; there is no si…

Where do they work well? I still have to pull out my phone and switch to the camera app, open a browser to whatever link is in the qr code. This process is already too many points of failure.

Re: Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

#165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unlocking your phone, opening an app, possibly unlocking that one, tapping to scan, and then accept is NOT more convenient than NFC in your card. Unless your talking about costs. For private free money transfer, the US and many other places have similar if not better methods.

Or NFC in your phone. I can't imagine it being more convenient than that.

How is NFC on a phone more convenient than tapping a card?

Re: Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

#166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Assuming there was another restaurant nearby, I'd have simplified the process to "go outside". If a restaurant is too cheap to print a menu, why should I consider it good enough for me?

With covid, many restaurants removed paper menus to avoid transmission. I hate QR codes so that was a move I was not in favour of.....

Laminated menus that you can spray and wipe off would make a lot more sense.

Re: Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

#167

> Before the pandemic, I’d shudder at the sight of a restaurant table full of people all staring at their phones. I was always happy not to be them or be sitting with them. I always kept the lively conversation flowing at my table. I always thought this perspective was funny because it always assumed what the people on their phones were doing. The assumption is that they are disengaged with each other when it's just…

> it's just as likely that they are talking with each other in a group chat alongside a few other non-present participants in the same group chat

To me, that's just as bad. Spend time with the people you're with while you're with them. Text the others later. But different strokes!

Re: Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

#168
post #129

When they work well, they're really good, but when they work badly, they're _really_ bad. The other week, I went for dinner at a place that had a online ordering system. My experience was as follows... Arrive at the table, scan the QR code No phone signal in the restaurant, so I need to connect to the wifi. Connect to the wifi, get a captive portal Need to put my phone number in to connect to the wifi; there is no si…

> Connect to the wifi, get a captive portal

> Need to put my phone number in to connect to the wifi; there is no signal, so I need to go outside, to receieve the confirmation code.

Somewhere around these steps is where I would leave. It’s the equivalent of sitting at a table for 15 minutes waiting for the waiter to give my group menus[1] - they don’t want me as their guest.

[1] It happened, both the waiting and the leaving before ever getting menus. That restaurant taught me that if the service is bad before even ordering the food one shouldn’t be afraid to leave.

Re: Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

#169

First: I am from germany, so, my perspective may differ from other parts of the world... and due to the pandemic, my last meal eaten in an restaurant was in the early beginnig of 2020. But i really never, never encountered a menu via QR Code... why would anyone want this?! If you are going to eat out, then it is (at least with the people i know) considered ab-so-lu-tely rude to even get your phone out (unless you are…

I can tell you there are plenty of those in NRW now, but they usually bring a paper version if you ask them.
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