6 ms·

An increasing number of restaurants don't have physical menus anymore. "Just scan the QR code" the waiter says, as blithely as you say "Just stick to physical

by saulpw 4y ago

An increasing number of restaurants don't have physical menus anymore. "Just scan the QR code" the waiter says, as blithely as you say "Just stick to physical menus". Just nothing. These are societal-level changes, same as not accepting cash or requiring an app to pay for parking. It's easier for the business and 90% of consumers will go along with it. Too bad for everyone who gets hacked or doesn't have a smartphone or can't get a credit card.

andirk 4y ago
Requiring hardware to order a meal at a restaurant is classist period. We all think everyone has a QR code readable device and a credit card so it's no sweat. I have those things but not always on me and it is laughable when I can't order something because of it. Paper menus, cash, and paper ballot counting. If someone in certain situations can't accept cash, I understand that. And I had this man-in-the-middle idea first time I saw QR menus, but, instead, the bad actor DOES make the dish nextdoor so the customer is fine!
- asdff 4y ago
  Its also such a worse user experience. Reading a menu off a smartphone screen is like having the menu printed out for you on post it notes. The big thing is great. I can see everything of the entire category at once in one skim. The mental load is minimal, which makes for easier conversation than when its mobile menus, and everyone sits there in silence with a craned neck.
jacquesm 4y ago
I've had this happen. Then I told them I don't have a smartphone. In some cases the restaurant will then provide a tablet and in others suddenly paper menus are available. It hasn't happened yet that a restaurant decided to forego a bunch of income on account of my not having a smartphone, so maybe just say you don't have one and see what happens next?
- lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 4y ago
  This is also a perfect case for "voting with your feet". If it doesn't work to claim you have no way of viewing the QR code menu, turn around and walk out the door. (Obviously, this is more difficult to do with large groups but it's something which could be decided on beforehand, especially with smaller groups.)
  - iamdamian 4y ago
    I wish more people would do this. I do. That said, it only works if enough people do it and if the feedback actually gets back to the restaurant owners. I would love to see “had QR menu” as a label on Apple and Google Maps so that I’d know not to bother with the restaurant in the first place.
    - DANmode 4y ago
      They'd never do this, because of their incentives to get people onto the Internet for everything. What % of pages would you guess load from a QR code without Google Analytics?
      - iamdamian 4y ago
        I agree that on balance, they'd like the data. However, if people demand this, and one of the two (my vote would be Apple) responded to that, then I would think competitive edge would matter more than the marginal benefit of having menu browsing data. (After all, the restaurants and credit card companies already have your purchase data.)
        DANmode 4y ago
        Is uh...Apple Maps usable these days? Not trying to start a bar fight, but I stopped paying attention early on when they were sending (easily misled?) people ways that didn't exist at their peril, and that sort of thing — I'm assuming that's all straightened out?
zbrozek 4y ago
Lots of restaurants now have no menus, no register, and you can only order via phone. It's awful, but also so ubiquitous that walking out is pointless.
- autoexec 4y ago
  I haven't ever seen that myself, but if it is so ubiquitous where you are, I'd argue that walking out is anything but pointless, and that in fact it has become necessary. Companies will abuse us to whatever extent we allow them to. Stop enabling them and their behavior. As long as you are capable of finding food somewhere else, you should do exactly that. If you don't exercise that option now, you may lose it entirely.

by saulpw 4y ago

andirk 4y ago

Requiring hardware to order a meal at a restaurant is classist period. We all think everyone has a QR code readable device and a credit card so it's no sweat. I have those things but not always on me and it is laughable when I can't order something because of it. Paper menus, cash, and paper ballot counting. If someone in certain situations can't accept cash, I understand that. And I had this man-in-the-middle idea first time I saw QR menus, but, instead, the bad actor DOES make the dish nextdoor so the customer is fine!

asdff 4y ago
Its also such a worse user experience. Reading a menu off a smartphone screen is like having the menu printed out for you on post it notes. The big thing is great. I can see everything of the entire category at once in one skim. The mental load is minimal, which makes for easier conversation than when its mobile menus, and everyone sits there in silence with a craned neck.

jacquesm 4y ago

I've had this happen. Then I told them I don't have a smartphone. In some cases the restaurant will then provide a tablet and in others suddenly paper menus are available. It hasn't happened yet that a restaurant decided to forego a bunch of income on account of my not having a smartphone, so maybe just say you don't have one and see what happens next?

lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 4y ago
This is also a perfect case for "voting with your feet". If it doesn't work to claim you have no way of viewing the QR code menu, turn around and walk out the door. (Obviously, this is more difficult to do with large groups but it's something which could be decided on beforehand, especially with smaller groups.)
- iamdamian 4y ago
  I wish more people would do this. I do. That said, it only works if enough people do it and if the feedback actually gets back to the restaurant owners. I would love to see “had QR menu” as a label on Apple and Google Maps so that I’d know not to bother with the restaurant in the first place.
  - DANmode 4y ago
    They'd never do this, because of their incentives to get people onto the Internet for everything. What % of pages would you guess load from a QR code without Google Analytics?
    - iamdamian 4y ago
      I agree that on balance, they'd like the data. However, if people demand this, and one of the two (my vote would be Apple) responded to that, then I would think competitive edge would matter more than the marginal benefit of having menu browsing data. (After all, the restaurants and credit card companies already have your purchase data.)
      - DANmode 4y ago
        Is uh...Apple Maps usable these days? Not trying to start a bar fight, but I stopped paying attention early on when they were sending (easily misled?) people ways that didn't exist at their peril, and that sort of thing — I'm assuming that's all straightened out?

zbrozek 4y ago

Lots of restaurants now have no menus, no register, and you can only order via phone. It's awful, but also so ubiquitous that walking out is pointless.

autoexec 4y ago
I haven't ever seen that myself, but if it is so ubiquitous where you are, I'd argue that walking out is anything but pointless, and that in fact it has become necessary. Companies will abuse us to whatever extent we allow them to. Stop enabling them and their behavior. As long as you are capable of finding food somewhere else, you should do exactly that. If you don't exercise that option now, you may lose it entirely.