They probably do reduce the staff workload by some amount (although there doesn't seem to be any obvious difference in staffing levels between Japanese restaura

They probably do reduce the staff workload by some amount (although there doesn't seem to be any obvious difference in staffing levels between Japanese restaurants that use "shokken" and those that don't). I've also sort of assumed that one of the reasons they use them is because they make it a little easier to avoid "trouble": typically you pay first when you use a shokken, and you pay after your meal when you don't...