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Deep Thoughts on the Food Tech Revolution by Captain Obvious McClure

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Re: Deep Thoughts on the Food Tech Revolution by Captain Obvious McClure

#4

Post by pixl97 »

kstenerud wrote: post #3

Actually, I like menus with lots of choices. It would be nice to have more pictures, though.

I find it pretty common given a list of foods that I like, the one with a good picture is the one I'll most likely order. Having more pictures may or may not benefit the restaurant though...

Use of a few pictures now could lead customers to buy a higher profit item, or an item that is much easier to keep in stock in large amounts.

Use of pictures for all items means that the customer will likely expect the food to the table looks like the item in the picture. This could cause some issues with different cooks or item substitutions.

Re: Deep Thoughts on the Food Tech Revolution by Captain Obvious McClure

#5

Post by klaut »

Problem#3 is not really I problem for me at least. When i go eat in a restaurant I am usually in company, so I do not want to hurry with order, eat, pay and go. I want to enjoy conversation, food and take an easy time. I also think that many choices on the menus are fine.

But i would definitely NOT want the restaurant to have a profile of me.

Re: Deep Thoughts on the Food Tech Revolution by Captain Obvious McClure

#6

Post by harryf »

All fine except for one thing. Your typical restaurant owner would rather run their business rather than create high quality online content. They typical lack marketing resources.

Menus today are simple / easy / quick to produce. If you want restaurants to move this online plus manage a CRM with their loyal customers preferences, it has to be just as simple, easy and quick as "old school" menus.

Re: Deep Thoughts on the Food Tech Revolution by Captain Obvious McClure

#7

Post by prostoalex »

kstenerud wrote: post #3

Actually, I like menus with lots of choices. It would be nice to have more pictures, though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen_Confidential talks about refrigerator space and other constraints common to modern restaurants. Whenever you order that chicken that's on the menu together with shrimp, lobster, steak, ground beef, pork chop, pork loin, tuna, turkey, salmon, tilapia, etc., you risk ordering something that's been re-frozen multiple times, stuck in the back of the fridge (the more exotic it is, the higher the chances are that it's been there for a while, alligator kebabs and ostrich burger patties least likely to be fresh), and handled multiple times by line cook's hands while he reaches into the fridge to retrieve stuff for other customers.

Re: Deep Thoughts on the Food Tech Revolution by Captain Obvious McClure

#8

Post by mattmaroon »

I suppose this depends on the type of restaurant. You're never going to see a picture on the menu of a high end restaurant. In the same way that people equate a screw top with bad wine (even though it's about 10 times better of a technology than a cork) people will always equate pictures on a menu with Olive Garden type restaurants.

Also the really good restaurants base their menu on what's fresh that day, so pictures wouldn't be practical.

And I think that people who are intimidated by the lack of pictures on a menu tend to mostly dine at the places that have them.

Re: Deep Thoughts on the Food Tech Revolution by Captain Obvious McClure

#10

Post by kolektiv »

God I'd hate this. Restaurants are places of relaxation, company, discovery, beautiful foods. I want to order something which sounds good and then see whether it is - I want it to come to me as a surprise - "Oh Tuscan Rabbit? I wonder how the chef will do it confit... Oh! Wow, let's try this then!"

It's not about efficiency, it's about atmosphere. I don't want a glowing screen anywhere near my dining table. I don't want anything which helps me order "what I had last time". I don't want them to ask me about the last time I was here 3 years ago either.

Can we invent and work on technology which adds to the beauty and experience of life next please? Either that or get the brain in a jar thing working.

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