[latchkey]

Correct, I rarely eat out now. I've seen the QR code menu's before, but the place still had regular menus as backup. This most recent place did not.

This should be illegal as it really discriminates against elderly. My 75 year old dad has an old shitty phone that he can barely use... what is he supposed to do? I could barely read the menu on my iphone 13 pro max...

[datavirtue]

Same here. Ordering is a hack, usually with some silicon valley schmuck trying to insert themselves between me and the business, the prices are outlandish, and the service and quality is usually abysmal (the Mexican restaurants here in Ohio are great..probably due to the workers all being from the same culture).

Every time I go out to eat now I have buyers remorse. Except the Mexican restaurants...they feel pre-pandemic still.

I recently ate at a Brix. Before the pandemic it was solid, great quality and reasonable prices (wood fired everything, craft beers). If I didn't feel so bad for the old decrepit workers I would have cussed them all and ran out. Cost a fortune. Never going back.

[latchkey]

Funny enough, this was a Mexican restaurant that I used to go to as a kid that was amazing. I had such good memories of going there. It was eventually sold to another company that remodeled the whole place and changed the name.

In addition to the dumb menu thing, the food was terrible... to the point that the rice tasted like plastic. The prices were off the charts, but I'm used to that at this point. To add insult to the whole experience, tips were auto calculated on top of tax on the receipt (which was even noted on the receipt), just to boost it up higher.

So yea... lesson learned. I wonder if there are any statistics around post-covid return rates for restaurants. I bet it is terrible.

[ghaff]

>I wonder if there are any statistics around post-covid return rates for restaurants. I bet it is terrible.

There's probably more takeout and you have to take into account the effect of inflation on dining as well. But the number of people dining out in the US is broadly back to pre-pandemic levels although people are eating out somewhat less frequently.

[latchkey]

I'm more referring to the concept of buying food at a restaurant multiple times. Takeout and/or in-dining, not about the frequency of doing such things.

Interestingly, the place I went to last, was packed full in the late afternoon (~3pm), on a monday. The large bar seating was full.

My experience so far is that the quality of nearly every dish I've eaten has gone down significantly to the point that I keep trying new places and almost never repeating.

It could be that now that I cook more at home, I'm just not used to the amount of butter/salt that is being (ab)used in restaurants, as well as the quality of the ingredients (I mostly buy/eat "organic", whatever that is worth...).

[ghaff]

I can't say I've noticed a real change in food but it's a small sample size as I don't eat out on a very regular basis.

In terms of the percentage people who dine in or get out at least sometimes numbers seem to be pretty much back to pre-pandemic levels.

[zeroonetwothree]

Not everything you dislike should be illegal.

[latchkey]

Very true!

That said, we do have laws in the US around accessibility for handicapped and disabled people and this could easily be added as an extension to that.

Had this been a place where there were no servers and you could only order and pay by phone (which also exists), then that brings up the question of exclusion of people who don't embrace technology or can't afford a phone. I've seen this one come up a lot on HN in the past too.

[brianwawok]

Not being able to afford a phone is not a protected class in the US. It’s legal to discriminate there.

For old people you would need a plan though, like printed menus.