For me wait staff are indispensible consultants and a pivotal part of the dining experience. Many become friends. So I don’t see them being replaced as much as augmented by a cool, new device heralded in the news a week ago.
Don’t get me wrong. I like technology so I will use the device to place some orders and pay. But I like the fact that wait staff who are familiar with me know what beverages I like 
I also like it when they introduce me to something new as a mini-appetizer.
I don’t think the new technology will replace wait staff but it will free them from the mundane tasks like ferrying the check and give them more time to do what they do best.
The technology will also make it easier to immediately register comments and suggestions without interrupting them and before I forget.
More importantly it will give me an easy way to acknowledge great service or favorite dishes or concerns when it seemed the HVAC wasn’t working evenly.
No, I don’t think the technology will replace wait staff. As it always has when it comes to staffing, technology will augment wait staff, make things faster and more efficient and productive…but it won’t replace them.
For me, they are as important as the chef.
1 comment:
I agree, and certainly hope that the interaction-free experience doesn't become the only choice (as it is sometimes with self-checkout in grocery stores).
Post a Comment