[spc476]

At Chili's (an American chain restaurant) they have these payment devices on each table. I can't stand them. First, they take up space on the table that can get quite crowded with all the plates and glasses that tend to accumulate during the meal. Second, they play constant ads (great, now each table can have a TV! What a wonderful distraction). Third, I've experienced about a third of the time, the device isn't working properly, or breaks down partway through paying (my coworkers and I now treat the device as if it'll shatter if you so much as look at it wrong). And fourth, it seems to take longer to pay when the check is being split vs. the waitron [1] taking our cards and processing the payments given the verbose nature of the UI.

And finally, I don't know if a skimmer has been added to the device by previous customers. It is left on the table.

[1] General neutral term for waiter/waitress.

[dragonwriter]

> waitron [1]

Or, if you don't want to sound like you are describing a robot using a term Merriam-Webster describes as “vaguely disparaging” [0], you could use the gender neutral term almost universally used in the industry, “server”.

[0] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/waitron

[taejo]

Thanks. In South Africa "waitron" is standard, and I hate it, and most people from outside the country just have a "wut" reaction. "Server" is much better.

[spc476]

Thank you! I knew there was another term but I couldn't remember it.

[bpicolo]

In this case, they don't leave it on the table, they're wireless. They bring it to you at the end. It's not the Chilis experience.