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A local restaurant just got rid of their paper menus because it was too expensive to reprint every time they wanted to raise prices …

enraged_camel 5y ago
Yeah, I haven't seen a paper menu in months. Everyone does QR code menus now. I hate them.
- unglaublich 5y ago
  No sane person WANTS to look at a display when they try to relax in a restaurant or cafe.
  - maerF0x0 5y ago
    until you're willing to pay a higher price for the experience anything YOU want will be stripped away.
  - eswat 5y ago
    I remember a sushi restaurant near my had purchased stacks of tablets, hoping them + digital menu would replace their paper menus. This was long before the pandemic. I’m not sure of the specific reason, but they ditched those tablets a few months later.
- sdfasfdasdfasdf 5y ago
  I have been to restaurants where you see the menu using a QR code and also place an order and pay over the website. I do not like this because, first it seems like its more self serve and there's no service really except bringing the food from the kitchen and I am still expected to pay the same 10-20% tip and second, I am afraid we are perhaps headed towards restaurant analytics, impressions/views for menu items etc, and perhaps the online retailer behavior of not being able to pay without adding a card on file and all the dark UX patterns that come with it.
  - bern4444 5y ago
    > headed towards restaurant analytics, impressions/views for menu items etc Isn't all this already captured today? Restaurants can very easily keep track of what most people are ordering, what dishes are being sent back, etc. I understand it would become easier to collect this data, but I'd be surprised if most (decent) restaurants don't already track popular dishes, table turnaround, etc.
    - sdfasfdasdfasdf 5y ago
      Well, do a lot more than just see if a dish sells well or gets sent back more. I meant head deeper down that rabbit hole. To quickly think of a few things, building customer profiles, personalized menus, personalized menu item combo pricing, variable and surge pricing perhaps so busy hours cost more etc etc.
      - bern4444 5y ago
        Hmm, I see. Yes I've been thinking more and more recently about how personalization means fewer shared experiences. It becomes much harder to remain a cohesive group when everyone is getting their personalized version of a thing. I don't think there's much value in this for something as small as a restaurant where menus are always limited enough that personalization wouldn't impact what is on the menu (maybe just how its presented to you). Personalized pricing (combo or otherwise), surge pricing etc for restaurants seems just unlikely IMO. But I can see why some might think otherwise.
  - tnel77 5y ago
    I am super grateful for QR codes to see a menu and pay my bill, but I will not dine at any establishment that makes having an special app/account a requirement.
rootbear 5y ago
I saw paper menus disappearing before inflation started going up. I took it as a Covid measure - no physical menus that needed to be disinfected after each customer used them.

enraged_camel 5y ago

Yeah, I haven't seen a paper menu in months. Everyone does QR code menus now. I hate them.

unglaublich 5y ago
No sane person WANTS to look at a display when they try to relax in a restaurant or cafe.
- maerF0x0 5y ago
  until you're willing to pay a higher price for the experience anything YOU want will be stripped away.
- eswat 5y ago
  I remember a sushi restaurant near my had purchased stacks of tablets, hoping them + digital menu would replace their paper menus. This was long before the pandemic. I’m not sure of the specific reason, but they ditched those tablets a few months later.
sdfasfdasdfasdf 5y ago
I have been to restaurants where you see the menu using a QR code and also place an order and pay over the website. I do not like this because, first it seems like its more self serve and there's no service really except bringing the food from the kitchen and I am still expected to pay the same 10-20% tip and second, I am afraid we are perhaps headed towards restaurant analytics, impressions/views for menu items etc, and perhaps the online retailer behavior of not being able to pay without adding a card on file and all the dark UX patterns that come with it.
- bern4444 5y ago
  > headed towards restaurant analytics, impressions/views for menu items etc Isn't all this already captured today? Restaurants can very easily keep track of what most people are ordering, what dishes are being sent back, etc. I understand it would become easier to collect this data, but I'd be surprised if most (decent) restaurants don't already track popular dishes, table turnaround, etc.
  - sdfasfdasdfasdf 5y ago
    Well, do a lot more than just see if a dish sells well or gets sent back more. I meant head deeper down that rabbit hole. To quickly think of a few things, building customer profiles, personalized menus, personalized menu item combo pricing, variable and surge pricing perhaps so busy hours cost more etc etc.
    - bern4444 5y ago
      Hmm, I see. Yes I've been thinking more and more recently about how personalization means fewer shared experiences. It becomes much harder to remain a cohesive group when everyone is getting their personalized version of a thing. I don't think there's much value in this for something as small as a restaurant where menus are always limited enough that personalization wouldn't impact what is on the menu (maybe just how its presented to you). Personalized pricing (combo or otherwise), surge pricing etc for restaurants seems just unlikely IMO. But I can see why some might think otherwise.
- tnel77 5y ago
  I am super grateful for QR codes to see a menu and pay my bill, but I will not dine at any establishment that makes having an special app/account a requirement.

rootbear 5y ago

I saw paper menus disappearing before inflation started going up. I took it as a Covid measure - no physical menus that needed to be disinfected after each customer used them.