Restaurant Payment is an Awful Experience

http://nickcammarata.com/paying-at-restaurants-is-an-awful-experience?2

by nicklovescode • 13 years ago

13 20 13 years ago

socrates1998• 13 years ago

I agree with the article.

Why can't we just pay at the register and be done with it?

Adding on to the Japanese restaurants. They have a call-button system which is much more efficient than having to flag down a waiter.

And, payment is more common at the register.

This allows Japanese restaurant to have fewer waiters and waitresses working.

You miss out on the interaction with the wait staff, but that's not really why I was there.

Japan is far from perfect when it comes to business practices, but their dining experience is second to none for the most part.

codex• 13 years ago

I suspect that paying at the register cuts down on the amount of tips, which makes it hard for a single restaurant to buck the trend. That restaurant would have to raise menu prices to pay for the lost tips, which makes the restaurant less competitive.

masterleep• 13 years ago

I like the South Korean system. Stand up when you're ready to leave and walk out. They will intercept you by the door for payment. No high tech necessary, sorry YC folk.

Aco-• 13 years ago

what if they fail to intercept you? free lunch?

wmkn• 13 years ago

You pay the cashier at a counter near the exit - there is always a person there, so they will always 'intercept' you.

martinshen• 13 years ago

There are a few startups tackling this end of the business. Integration here with restaurants is challenging and usually only applicable to people who use restaurants as a utility (not a luxury).

Spoke to someone yesterday about http://www.tabbedout.com/ which markets it's "Pay when you're ready" thing.

handsomecam• 13 years ago

[Disclosure: I work for TabbedOut]

Thanks martin for the mention!

We’ve spent a lot of time working on this problem space. Ultimately, there are a few different takes on solutions and different ones make more sense in certain situations. The IRL vending machine scenario outlined in the original article may make sense in some counter service places, but far less in a white tablecloth restaurant situation.

While on the surface it may seem like it is not a hard technical problem, it can be. Two approaches to solving the problem include writing middleware integrations for incumbent point of sale software (eg. TabbedOut) or write the point of sale software yourself (eg. Square). Both can have hurdles to overcome on the technical side as well as the human side.

So some of the obstacles in place are: is there an existing point of sale? Would the restaurant require something more powerful than an old school cash register? Who should be processing the credit cards? How quick does fund settlement take place? How much disruption of the normal business process is acceptable (fix things, but don’t make a server’s life more difficult)?

On another note, from the end of the article where Nick mentions that he would be happy paying an extra 10% tip, that seems like a nice gesture, but in practice that isn’t a common mindset from the consumer. When TabbedOut launched, there was a $0.99 service charge for tabs opened with the app. Overall, the concept of making the consumer pay for the service was not very well received.

We’re constantly working on improving our solution and would welcome any feedback. Oh, we’re also hiring engineers if this sounds like a problem anyone would like to help solve [careers@tabbedout.com].

tjansen• 12 years ago

Yes, last year I was at a Red Robin (in Hershey PA) that had a Ziosk terminal on each table. Our orders were immediately visible on the screen. When we were ready to leave, we only had to swipe a credit card, enter the tip amount, and we were good to go. There was a green light on the terminal signaling the waitress that we paid.

http://photos.pennlive.com/patriot-news/2013/08/ziosk_termin...

mikestew2• 13 years ago

I simply won't be held hostage at a restaurant when I'm the one with something they want (payment). After a reasonable amount of time, I'll get up and head to the door, bill in hand. If the waitstaff does not come dashing toward me, I'll stop by the register if there is one, or tell the hostess that I want to pay my bill. I rarely need to do this, but the fact that I ever have to do it at all annoys me. I'm not annoyed because my oh-so-precious time is being wasted, but because it's such a broken system for both patron and restaurant staff. Business owners have incentive to fix it if only for themselves (and some do, with payment at the register up front).

dfxm122• 13 years ago

Do you find yourself only patronizing places with a register up front?

mikestew2• 13 years ago

Nope, as I said I rarely need to do what I described. Now if it's a habit of a particular restaurant, yeah, I'll just quit going there. But sticking to "register up front" means a lot of eating at Denny's. :-)

DanielStraight• 13 years ago

There is always the option of asking for the check when your food arrives, explaining that you will need to leave as soon as you are done eating. I've seen this done many times without ever seeing someone refuse.

And, as others have pointed out, attitudes on this vary considerably around the world. To some, the idea of being brought the bill and expected to pay and leave as soon as you are finished eating is strange.

nicklovescode2• 13 years ago

That is one good way to handle it. I unfortunately usually forget to do so.

One other thing I've tried is tried to do is give them my card in the beginning and charge me when I'm done. This works well, because at the very end I just get a paper to sign them I'm done. The issue is this seems arrogant, so I don't do it.

I'm writing this from an American point of view, and I imagine it's handled differently in different places.

NateDad• 13 years ago

Leave cash on the table, that's the fastest way to do it.

This is also a great use for bitcoin. Just have the waitress drop a QR code (specific to your party) on the table when you sit down, and you can pay without ever having to flag anyone down, and no need to have an ipad per table or anything expensive and fancy like that, and unlike cash above, no one can swipe the money off the table. That's trivial to do even with current bitcoin technology.

nicklovescode2• 13 years ago

How do you calculate tax and such properly? Also, I like having it attached to a digital system so I can review my expenditures later.

dfxm122• 13 years ago

Communication is key. If you are in a hurry, tell the wait staff. They should be more than happy to oblige.

I really think you're in the minority of expecting to be in and out of a restaurant quickly, save for diners.

imartin2k• 13 years ago

I love the Japanese system: They put the bill next to you as soon as your first order comes, and then they keep it updated every time you order something more. Once you are done, you take your bill to the cashier at the exit, pay, and leave.

I really wish restaurants around the world would adopt that system (I guess the dependency on tips is one aspect that prevents this approach from being implemented in other countries. In Japan, there is no tipping).

But tipping is another annoyance in today's restaurant culture anyway.

mpayments• 13 years ago

This is an idea that startups often try and quickly abandon (see Toast in Boston). The clear winner in Manhattan is Cover - I think this is exactly what you're looking for.

TabbedOut and MyCheck have really struggled to get any real traction here in New York. I saw recently that Cover does more volume in Manhattan than all the competition combined. Not sure if there are any good options in SF.

Paul_S• 13 years ago

The reason behind the deliberately obtuse system of paying is tipping. Unless you change your culture you're not going to solve the problem.

ehnto• 12 years ago

In Australia, often times you pay first. I understand that some people find this offensive, as the implication they feel is being made is that they'll walk out without paying. But it makes way more sense to do it this way, and an intelligent person can deduce why a company might want to structure the process this way. It's nothing personal, and it's not a sign of a cheaper restaurant.

You walk in, sit down with a menu, then order and pay at the counter and sit back down. Not terribly difficult, and it solves all the problems in the article.

The only time I'm waiting is when in line to order (if there is a line), and when waiting for food. At no point is the status of my time there in question either. Are they finished? Are they waiting? Have they paid? Where's their bill? All questions never needing an answer, as if you have food, you've payed for it. If you're done, you can leave.

You also don't have to hand your card to somebody you've never met and hope for the best.

Smoother, safer, more concise and more efficient.

Restaurant Payment is an Awful Experience

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