Restaurant Replaces Paper-Based Menus with iPads

[r3t4rd]

[citation][nom]wave84[/nom]Because you (and most of Tom's readers) still don't understand that tablets are NOT supposed to be PC/laptop replacements (at least not until speech recognition will be perfect). A tablet should not have a full blown OS and should not be intended to be used for most of the things you do on a full blown OS like Windows. A tablet doesn't need multitasking, tons of RAM, or the ability for you geeks to install Photoshop, AutoCad or SSH clients. Seriously, enough already.[/citation]
I beg to differ. For restaurants, I can see the use of the iPad but its exactly like I am saying. For the exact same price a better, more powerful, and dynamic tablet can be had and not just for a menu. Hospitals have specific software that intergrates with thier servers, systems, and hardware that they use daily - how the hell can something slow and no more powerful than a cell phone, going to process and work within the hospital's intranet/network? I just don't see it. Unless they write a completly new program that interfaces with the doctor's examination/outpatient/whatever program that works with the iPad. By doint so they just sold thier souls to Apple.

But then again, Steve Jobs will probably give them all iPads - one iPad to rule them all, one iPad to find them, one iPad to bring them all, and in the Apple darkness bind them.

 

[tokenz]

[citation][nom]wave84[/nom]Because you (and most of Tom's readers) still don't understand that tablets are NOT supposed to be PC/laptop replacements (at least not until speech recognition will be perfect). A tablet should not have a full blown OS and should not be intended to be used for most of the things you do on a full blown OS like Windows. A tablet doesn't need multitasking, tons of RAM, or the ability for you geeks to install Photoshop, AutoCad or SSH clients. Seriously, enough already. A tablet is all about interface and ease of use. Weight, screen quality, performance and looks come close after. Because a tablet's primary role is to display, to present information, to allow the easiest possible way for a potential viewer to read that information.Expect to see them a lot more in the following years, with all kinds of uses - from restaurants to hospitals, from schools to car services.And to finally answer your question, Apple is getting all the credit because they understood all of the above and they got it right.[/citation]

Apple didnt get it right. Here is what is going to happen some kid is going to break an ipad and then the restaurant is going to have to replace it. Also all the businesses that buy the ipad are dumb. In a year when all the batteries start dying on them they have to make the initial investment all over again. So the restaurant will either be without thier electronic menus, or buy another 40000 dollars worth. With paper its not a problem. Maybe they should have just made a pop up menu. Like the little kids books.

 

[eyemaster]

Epic Fail for that restaurant.

 

[vertigo_2000]

So, to sum everyone's posts up.

AGAINST THE TABLET MENU - menu is too expensive, Apple getting credit where it's not deserved, waste of money, could have had a better tablet for same money, tablets have been around for 10 yrs, why all the hype now that Apple has one? iPad theft to follow.

FOR THE TABLET - Apple does it right, Apple got it right. Great idea.

So, for those who are for it, my questions are these...

What does the iPad do that any other tablet on the market doesn't at the same price point?
Surely there must be businesses using non-Apple tablets in new and unique ways in their respective industries... why no media coverage on them?

 

[dark_lord69]

I'm surprised I haven't heard of a place that has a large touch screen table top with the menu built in. That was my first thought when M$ made one or something a while back.

 

[garyshome]

Boy what a cost saving IDEA.

 

[Guest]

Wow... three pages of comments and clearly nobody educated with a decent Marketing class.

For this restraunt, this solution probably caters well their clientelle (sophistication, image and panache), perhaps a frequently changing menu (daily specials, seafood market prices, etc.), etc. Their $40k investment may have resulted in better advertising (e.g. the mere fact that we're even discussing this particular restraunt at the moment even speaks to this) than a TV or radio campaign.

 

[r3t4rd]

[citation][nom]BSEE_MBA[/nom]Wow... three pages of comments and clearly nobody educated with a decent Marketing class.For this restraunt, this solution probably caters well their clientelle (sophistication, image and panache), perhaps a frequently changing menu (daily specials, seafood market prices, etc.), etc. Their $40k investment may have resulted in better advertising (e.g. the mere fact that we're even discussing this particular restraunt at the moment even speaks to this) than a TV or radio campaign.[/citation]
Apparently your moniker name entitles your indicative sermon?

I think most of us understand the marketing behind it. We are simply just stating for the price of a limited iPad, there are much better variety of other alternatives out there that has been around for years and can do much more. Did we mock and ridicule Apple's marketing potential? - no. If we did, it would be an understatement of Apple's prowess and marketing talent that has laid it afloat for its less than average products.

 

[sliem]

What are you smoking? "Will electronic media eventually eradicate paper products? The transition is eventual..."

No it will not happen, ever.

 

[vertigo_2000]

[citation][nom]BSEE_MBA[/nom]Wow... three pages of comments and clearly nobody educated with a decent Marketing class.For this restraunt, this solution probably caters well their clientelle (sophistication, image and panache), perhaps a frequently changing menu (daily specials, seafood market prices, etc.), etc. Their $40k investment may have resulted in better advertising (e.g. the mere fact that we're even discussing this particular restraunt at the moment even speaks to this) than a TV or radio campaign.[/citation]
What does the iPad do that any other tablet on the market doesn't at the same price point?
Surely there must be businesses using non-Apple tablets in new and unique ways in their respective industries... why no media coverage on them?

 

[scuba dave]

I think this is a waste of money honestly. It's not worth the electricity to power them for something like this, and lord knows the cost incurred if one is damaged/broken. Probably just a publicity stunt due to the iPad being very "news worthy" right now. Maybe they will be taking some sort of insurance out to protect this investment. So on that note, it could work out for them, but I hardly think this will get them new customers.. It might however, give their old ones something fun to do while ordering. Just my two cents I suppose.

[citation][nom]r3t4rd[/nom]What advancment are you talking about when Windows Based Tablet of the same size is way more advanced than the iPad and cost less? If I was the restuarant's owner I can think of a million other things that I can use the power of a true PC Tablet over the iPad. And like others have said, tablets and such technology has been around for over 10+ yrs now. iPad is just an oversize iPhone.[/citation]

So much better than the ipad, yet after ten years, its still not "successful" right? The ipad is already doing much better than anything has ever done in the tablet field since its inception. Whether you think thats a matter of fruit-based propaganda and marketing, elitism, or whatever crazy, way out there mindset you want to use.. That IS impressive. And even if you can think of a million things.. Thats irrelevant. He only wants to use them as digital menus. Not a million uses. Just one.
I am so tired of hearing this bullsh*t "the ipad is just an oversized iphone" crap. Seriously, it's clever, useful, or just about anything else for that matter except a waste of perfectly good oxygen. Yes, the ipad is in alot of ways, yes, a BIG iphone. Big deal. I used to have a 13 inch TV too. And you know what? My 52 inch TV is MUCH better. Sometimes, size can change EVERYTHING. And even if that wasn't enough, who the heck cares. You haven't bought it! LEAVE people the f*ck alone, and let them do whatever the h*ll they want without you jack arses messing with them, calling them names, insulting their choices, and everything else for that matter. Grow the f*ck up.

Peace out boyscouts. K thx bai.

 

[scuba dave]

it's not clever*

 

[r3t4rd]

[citation][nom]scuba dave[/nom]
So much better than the ipad, yet after ten years, its still not "successful" right? The ipad is already doing much better than anything has ever done in the tablet field since its inception. Whether you think thats a matter of fruit-based propaganda and marketing, elitism, or whatever crazy, way out there mindset you want to use.. That IS impressive. And even if you can think of a million things.. Thats irrelevant. He only wants to use them as digital menus. Not a million uses. Just one.I am so tired of hearing this bullsh*t "the ipad is just an oversized iphone" crap. Seriously, it's clever, useful, or just about anything else for that matter except a waste of perfectly good oxygen. Yes, the ipad is in alot of ways, yes, a BIG iphone. Big deal. I used to have a 13 inch TV too. And you know what? My 52 inch TV is MUCH better. Sometimes, size can change EVERYTHING. And even if that wasn't enough, who the heck cares. You haven't bought it! LEAVE people the f*ck alone, and let them do whatever the h*ll they want without you jack arses messing with them, calling them names, insulting their choices, and everything else for that matter. Grow the f*ck up. Peace out boyscouts. K thx bai.[/citation]
Much anger or anger management issues? I'm sorry but a civilized reply with less pent up anger and frustration isn't too much to ask? When you reply and make a comment like a normal person, I'll take you seriously. Also, if you read further in my comments, you would have read my statement where I applaud Apple for its marketing superiority. But Apparently, you are a boy amongst us men. Ironic isn't after calling us "boyscouts"?

Just a retard....replying.

 

[kingssman]

scifi geek here. I remember watching an episode of Cowboy Bebop (episode 4 "Gateway Shuffle") where Spike orders from a menu that is an LCD embedded inside the table.
here's a video of it Watch it at 1:30, perfect demonstration of how it can work. Great for mega restaurants or food complexes.

 

[Guest]

Tsk, 5 months and $40k? Sounds more like your two-week ~$1000 Flex job on rentacoder or elance. Oh wait, that's right -- NO FLASH. You, sir, are well and truly Jobs' bitch.

 

[martin0642]

People seem to be forgetting that the price of all this is dropping along with Moore's law. Someone has to be first, and every day the next version and the replacement gets cheaper. $500 might seem like a lot to you, but for a business, it's chicken scratch. In two years, the price will be half what it is now for even more capability.

 

[martin0642]

I can see a lot of people here have not used a proper tablet computing device and are focusing on the things it does not do without realizing that it should not do those things - they are out of it's scope.

Using an iPad or any thin/light tablet for a menu is an awesome idea - and I disagree that there is still a use for most waiters to take an order. The waiter is more likely to fall prone to human error or not understand someone or get confused.

The key here is that often when I go into an eatery, the menu has so many selections that I don't want to read them all to choose between them. By using meta-data assigned to each dish, I can quickly whittle the menu down to some specific choices that fit my mood.

Maybe I feel like chicken of some sort, and a butter or creme sauce. The menu could quickly show me what is available under my preferences. An electronic menu could also remove or grey out those items which are unavailable due to stock or ingredient shortages. I would like a pictorial Steak rareness guide so theres no confusion of what I mean when I say RARE.

Lots of people here on the Apple hate-mobile are looking at ideas people are having and saying "useless and irreverent" and "if I was a restaurant owner this would not occur to me" and all this does is underline the fact that your thinking is limited to the simplistic copying of the paper over to HTML and not considering in the possibilities available when the power of data is unleashed.

What about a "Peanut Allergy" button, or a "No Gluten" alarm so that the menu does not display those items and the chef is alerted not to reuse a spoon so he does not kill someone on accident?

I also say cut down on the wait-staff. Waiters will be make-work jobs when computing devices are available and properly utilized, we should free them up to do something more important. An assembly line plate movement and tracking system and robot delivered platters would further enhance efficiency. Most places can't even by bothered to install a button to call a waiter and people are left flailing their arms about to get someones attention.

The most efficient factories and online stores now use robots for shipping and receiving, not that it is difficult to get a box off a shelf, but because automation offers super-human efficiency. I want to select my choices, make whatever alterations I deem proper (shrimp seared or boiled?) review them, and send them to the kitchen. When my order is done, I can use the device to read some news or surf the web or play a game with the people at my table.

I use my pad with a VNC client to offload heavy computing tasks to my server. It would be nice to see more people recognize the potential of an innovation and ask how it could be improved or optimized instead of a curmudgeonly "get off my lawn" wannabe-pragmatist hating that seems to be popular in these comments.

Digital menus are an AWESOME development - when it is universal in 10 years and everyone uses them, I wonder if all the commenters here will still be whining about them to seem trendy or if they'll just sit down and enjoy them. I think the latter.

PS: Eventually I see wholly automated eateries. They will offer consistent results, and be programmed with the skills of the worlds master chefs - all while conforming to the highest standards of cleanliness, speed and regulation (and providing a massive cost savings). It would not surprise me if a Manager/Hostess and a stock person were the only ones on the premises. The options available (low salt, olive oil only, etc) can only be expertly applied consistently via automation.

Eventually people will just walk in with their own digital recipe library and people will compete with food just as they do with an App Store or Android Marketplace. Master Chefs may create and inspire much of the food, but robots will ultimately bring them to the masses en mass. Algorithms will eventually make flavor and texture pairings that we have only just begun to conceive.

 

[martin0642]

Robot waiters - already done.

http/singularityhub.com/2010/06/16/great-new-video-of-robot-waiters-in-thailand/

 

[scoop23]

LCRE is a company in Portland that has completed testing of a similar device using ipad and other mobil devices at NEPO42, a restaurant. The company is public and you can look up at what else its planning to do with this cloud computing capability at lecere.com. For you that see a potential in this you may give some thought at rolling the dice and becoming a share holder at startup levels. According to their website and blog they are looking at Dept.of Defense applications and are in communication with them. GLTU All.

 

[Guest]

It is a great Idea !!! I saw in UK a restaurant that uses IPads as desert menu and it was a great experience (I real understood the phrase- one picture is worth more then a thousand words... )

I check in te internet and found that many restarants use Ipad menus : http/www.emenu-international.com/iPadMenu

And ther are also other kind of touch screen menus all by a company named Conceptic : http/www.emenu-international.com it is all called eMenu like electronic menu...

Great Concept