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The small menu is so appealing and the place itself so charming that you almost forget, as a diner, that you have to do much of the work of dining out yourself.

The small menu is so appealing and the place itself so charming that you almost forget, as a diner, that you have to do much of the work of dining out yourself. You scout your own table. You fetch and fill your own water glass. And if you’d like another glass of wine, you go back to the counter. A lot of low-range restaurants work in Australia and New Zealand. Is this really that rare in America?

lightedman 8y ago
Yea, in America, most restaurants, hell even Mcdonalds, are full service. You still walk in a line through McD's, but you sit down and they bring your order and drink to you, etc.
swinnipeg 8y ago
This is common in the USA at fast food (McDonalds..etc) and fast casual (Chipotle...etc) restaurants. It is rare for a place that sells their cheapest 250ml glass of wine for $13USD to operate this way. But likely this was just chosen as a restaurant to fit the discussion of certain types of labour being priced out of SF.
- seanmcdirmid 8y ago
  Switzerland has a lot of high end cafeterias, I’m sure 13USD wine would be considered cheap.
p1necone 8y ago
I'm from New Zealand and can also confirm that there are plenty of small cafes and restaurants where you have to order at the counter. It's not a new thing here either.
- philliphaydon 8y ago
  Wait there’s cafe where you don’t go to the counter? I’m from NZ and living in Singapore and traveled all around Asia, never been in a cafe where I didn’t have to go to the counter...
  - keiferski 8y ago
    At most cafes in France and Spain, you are expected to sit down and have the waiter come to you.
    - philliphaydon 8y ago
      Oh the Wife wants to go back to France. She’s been, I haven’t. Hah I look forward to this trip now.
glangdale 8y ago
Yes, confirmed that this is very standard here. You take a number or a buzzer and so on. You've usually paid up front. Very standard in pubs. Sometimes they will run your food out to you but quite you get a buzzer goes off and you're the runner as well. That means that aside from taking orders, only the lowest skill, lowest interaction front-of-the-house job remains (bussing tables), and if they foot-drag a bit on that, the customers wind up doing it for them...
perl4ever 8y ago
Sure, there are plenty of places where you get your food and take it to your table yourself. I also know of a place near me where you order at the counter, and someone brings you your food when it's ready, but they don't "wait on you" beyond that. Panera (sandwich & soup chain) used to have you order at a counter and collect your food when it was done, but they have been trying to get people to use touchscreens for ordering, and take a radio homing device* to your table so you can be brought food by the people who used to take your order. *where the low tech solution that would work just as well is to simply ask your name when ordering.
- seanmcdirmid 8y ago
  The homing devices are common at Korean waffle places in Beijing, at least they were 5 years ago. Chic filet uses number placards.
enra 8y ago
I think its been somewhat common in US before as well in cafes, pizza places, bars, food courts etc. I think the difference the article is trying to make is the places like Souvla (fast-casual), that have nice decor, good/high-end food and wine options and potentially restaurant like prices, are targeting the normal mid-high end customers but using low-cost the self serve model. Souvla does get old quite fast, but nowadays I'm definitely drawn to fast-casual places if I'm just interested to eat and not spend the whole day/night in the restaurant. You know what you get, the quality is good, its at least perceivably healthier (you don't feel sick like you would after McDonalds) it's fast (even with lines, you know you are in and out in 15-30mins) and there usually no table seating rules (you can order and sit down even if one of your friends is 15mins late).

lightedman 8y ago

Yea, in America, most restaurants, hell even Mcdonalds, are full service. You still walk in a line through McD's, but you sit down and they bring your order and drink to you, etc.

swinnipeg 8y ago

This is common in the USA at fast food (McDonalds..etc) and fast casual (Chipotle...etc) restaurants. It is rare for a place that sells their cheapest 250ml glass of wine for $13USD to operate this way. But likely this was just chosen as a restaurant to fit the discussion of certain types of labour being priced out of SF.

seanmcdirmid 8y ago
Switzerland has a lot of high end cafeterias, I’m sure 13USD wine would be considered cheap.

p1necone 8y ago

I'm from New Zealand and can also confirm that there are plenty of small cafes and restaurants where you have to order at the counter. It's not a new thing here either.

philliphaydon 8y ago
Wait there’s cafe where you don’t go to the counter? I’m from NZ and living in Singapore and traveled all around Asia, never been in a cafe where I didn’t have to go to the counter...
- keiferski 8y ago
  At most cafes in France and Spain, you are expected to sit down and have the waiter come to you.
  - philliphaydon 8y ago
    Oh the Wife wants to go back to France. She’s been, I haven’t. Hah I look forward to this trip now.

glangdale 8y ago

Yes, confirmed that this is very standard here. You take a number or a buzzer and so on. You've usually paid up front. Very standard in pubs. Sometimes they will run your food out to you but quite you get a buzzer goes off and you're the runner as well. That means that aside from taking orders, only the lowest skill, lowest interaction front-of-the-house job remains (bussing tables), and if they foot-drag a bit on that, the customers wind up doing it for them...

perl4ever 8y ago

Sure, there are plenty of places where you get your food and take it to your table yourself. I also know of a place near me where you order at the counter, and someone brings you your food when it's ready, but they don't "wait on you" beyond that. Panera (sandwich & soup chain) used to have you order at a counter and collect your food when it was done, but they have been trying to get people to use touchscreens for ordering, and take a radio homing device* to your table so you can be brought food by the people who used to take your order. *where the low tech solution that would work just as well is to simply ask your name when ordering.

seanmcdirmid 8y ago
The homing devices are common at Korean waffle places in Beijing, at least they were 5 years ago. Chic filet uses number placards.

enra 8y ago

I think its been somewhat common in US before as well in cafes, pizza places, bars, food courts etc. I think the difference the article is trying to make is the places like Souvla (fast-casual), that have nice decor, good/high-end food and wine options and potentially restaurant like prices, are targeting the normal mid-high end customers but using low-cost the self serve model. Souvla does get old quite fast, but nowadays I'm definitely drawn to fast-casual places if I'm just interested to eat and not spend the whole day/night in the restaurant. You know what you get, the quality is good, its at least perceivably healthier (you don't feel sick like you would after McDonalds) it's fast (even with lines, you know you are in and out in 15-30mins) and there usually no table seating rules (you can order and sit down even if one of your friends is 15mins late).