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by davemc500hats 4914 days ago
>> "Efficiency is not what I want from a restaurant."

umm, pretty sure that there IS a very large market of people who DO want efficiency as one of the attributes of restaurant customer service, even at the absolute high-end.

in fact, some might say high-end restaurants excel at efficiency and customer service, and technology to bring this to the masses (whether at McD's or at French Laundry) would be welcomed by all.

efficiency != low quality experience; in fact quite the contrary.
1 comments
rdl 4913 days ago
If you want an example of an efficient upper-middle range restaurant: Cheesecake Factory. So efficient that someone used it as an example of how to fix the healthcare industry.

They use a lot of science/tech, although not all computers. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/08/13/120813fa_fact_...

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davemc500hats 4913 days ago
yes, and they are probably the best example i'm aware of so far, however i'm not a big fan of their menus... or at least the way they're laid out. like a big selection of movies to choose from, i get hungry/anxious just trying to make a decision. too many good options!

would be great if i could have a few highly-recommended favorites (either theirs, my previous, or friends), and then i can always go "off-road" and dive into the long tail of options if none of those are what i want that evening.

but yes, +1 for CheeseCake Factory.

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rdl 4913 days ago
Yes, their menus are the weakest part. But it would be an excellent restaurant to try something electronic, since it's "fun".

The other thing I like (at some high-end steak or seafood places) is when they roll a cart out with the meats of the day. Or, Chinese Dim Sum carts. If there were a way for tech to replicate that, I'd be quite happy.

Also for delivery or takeout, there's huge potential to show off daily specials and such.

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