quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
A surcharge for what?

Many places here are charging 4% of the bill as a processing fee when you pay by credit card. They are passing the credit card fees onto the customer.

Some restaurants were using virtual menus, but they have mostly gone back to actual menus. None did remote payment systems here in Houston.

The correct response is "Sorry, I do not have a phone." If they want to offer some electronic menu, say "I am semiliterate and frightened of batteries."

The electronic menu thing is a reasonable idea. Prevents the restaurant from having to constantly resanitize laminated menus, and reprint and relaminate a slew of new menus as things change. But they need to understand that not everyone has a smartphone, so they'd need a backup plan. I've seen this at a couple places, but it's always just one option, not your only option.

The "order by phone and enter your CC info" part is unreasonable, especially at a sit-down restaurant. I have yet to see that.

quote:

Originally posted by low8option:
Many places here are charging 4% of the bill as a processing fee when you pay by credit card. They are passing the credit card fees onto the customer.

That's been commonplace at small business/mom-n-pop stores and restaurants for a while. They just don't have the cushion to be able to absorb a further 4ish percent hit on every sale.

You also see it online too. Especially common at online gun retailers, where most places will offer a 3%/4% "cash discount" if you pay by check/echeck/money order instead of by card.

Every inch we give on this is an inch we shall never regain. If you want electronic menus from now on, go ahead and submit to this shit.

Furthermore, I am not paying a surcharge, no matter how they frame its purpose.

We don't need restaurants, but they can't survive without us.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by NK402:

they have no menus, we must use a code reader . . . Instead of perusing the menu and telling the waitress our choices, we find we have to make our selections on our cellphones. The kicker was that after making our selections, we were to input our credit card information.

I have to wonder what would happen if a customer said "I don't have a cell phone."

The camera on my phone is broken, and as such is very difficult to get to open a QR code menu, the camera image is really distorted from an impact, have to really work to get it into a clear spot where it can try to read the QR.

Have not had any issue getting a physical menu in the places we've dined.

QR menus I get, it saves money, allows instant changes, taking out items that they can't fill orders for, changing prices, adding new items without having to spend the money on print.

Printing services are going the way of the dodo for many things, restaurant menus are one, a big plus is no booger picking, ass scratching, sneezoholic can get their mitts on your phone, so it's cleaner..

They should have a few print menus there for folks who wish to browse the physical menu, but QR is the future, since it allows lots of utility to both and eliminates the print budget. Not good for local print shops...

quote:

Originally posted by Kskelton:
Wait times at restaurants have definitely gotten longer here due to short staff.

Fast food has gotten strange too. Drive thru lines will be 50 cars deep and no one will go inside. I went to raising canes on Friday for something quick to eat and the drive thru line went through the parking lot up and down every aisle, into other businesses parking lots in the strip mall… had to have been 40-50 cars in the drive thru… I parked, went inside, was the only person in there grabbed my chicken and left in probably 3 minutes.

I've seen that at places like MacDonalds as well. Ten cars waiting at the drive thru, when they could just walk in and be back out in a minute or two. Go figure.

Para's right - who the hell needs restaurants?

They need us.

If they want to be woke, political and/or administer surcharges - then you can't complain if you continue to patronize them.

Over the weekend, my wife took one of her friends out for lunch for her birthday. The friend loves Cracker Barrel. My wife said they had a wait of one hour and twenty minutes to be seated. Cracker Barrel is OK ('ceptin for those pinto beans that smell like old gym shoes) but it's not worth an 80 minute wait.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by NK402:

they have no menus, we must use a code reader . . . Instead of perusing the menu and telling the waitress our choices, we find we have to make our selections on our cellphones. The kicker was that after making our selections, we were to input our credit card information.

I have to wonder what would happen if a customer said "I don't have a cell phone."

That would be my response, since I don't have one.

Wow! I thought the whole "only have a QR reader and not a menu" thing was beyond annoying. That experience is a whole 'nother level of bullshit.

Good on you for walking out.

My wife and I split our time between our home in Manassas, VA (Northern VA) and our second home in Tazewell, VA (Southwest VA). We eat out in both locations and have not encountered this. There are still many fast food restaurants that only have the drive-thru open, but nearly all of the restaurants are open for normal service.

See lots of signs at restaurants looking to hire. Saw Panda Express (not really a restaurant) offering food packers $12/hour and food prep $14/hour. Saw a TGI Friday’s offering $200 sign on bonus. I’m in the midst of job hunting now and wondering if I can make some decent money being a server…

The way I read the surcharge comment from the OP was that even if he was going to pay by cash, they were going to charge him a buck on his credit card for the "privilege" of using their QRCode Whiz Bang Super Sanitary Electronic Menu. Maybe it was something that was held then refunded, I don't know, but I definitely got the impression it was for a cash sale.

A reasonably nice restaurant near me just uses plain ol printer paper.

They just print out a bunch every day, the waiter hands one to each person at the table.

They tell you to take it home with you or toss them in the trash can nearby.

Less than a penny for a sheet of printer paper, probably the same for the toner.

It's cheap for them as well as convenient and "safe".

When it's time to pay they bring out the Ipad,
the waiter holds it, you swipe your card on it, put it back in your pocket, OK the total and tip, and it's done. You retain possession of your credit card at all times, everybody's happy.
.

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
A reasonably nice restaurant near me just uses plain ol printer paper.

They just print out a bunch every day, the waiter hands one to each person at the table.

They tell you to take it home with you or toss them in the trash can nearby.

Less than a penny for a sheet of printer paper, probably the same for the toner.

It's cheap for them as well as convenient and "safe".

When it's time to pay they bring out the Ipad,
the waiter holds it, you swipe your card on it, put it back in your pocket, OK the total and tip, and it's done. You retain possession of your credit card at all times, everybody's happy.
.

I'm seeing this also. Seems to be the wave of the future.

We are doing some house cleaning and I came across a couple of ancient cell phones. "Dumb" phones that are capable of nothing except phone calls -- no camera, no text, no internet, nothing. Maybe carry one of these and ask the restaurant people to help, because I can't figure out how to scan the QR code.

I don't know. Whip out a magnifying glass, stare at the QR code with it, pretend you can read it, and order the Cobb salad with a sweet tea.

quote:

stare at the QR code

"Fat bar, skinny bar, fat bar, fat bar, dollar twenty-nine."

--Harry, Third Rock From The Sun