RE: Weekly meme dump
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I saw that one about the hot air balloon somewhere else this past week. Funny stuff. The one about the burger joint is totally on point. I actually remember we had some places open near us where they were very vocal about the fact that they didn't have a burger on the menu. Like that set them apart or something. It wasn't long before they started adding burgers to the menu. Oddly enough, one of those places also had the QR code menu thing. Big problem though, they had horrible cell service and wifi in the building. They were forcing you to use something you couldn't even access. I just saw the other day they were announcing a huge upgrade to their wireless they finally completed. I think the early days of Covid really forced the QR code thing. That doesn't mean they should stick with it. I am the type of person who usually looks at the menu ahead of time if I know I am going somewhere specific. I do hate browsing non "responsive" pages on a smart phone.
Believe it or not, burger joints are one of the most popular type of establishments in Vietnam. I was surprised to find this out. For the most part they haven't gotten to the point of making it all hipster-ish over here and if they tried to charge $20 for a burger no one would eat there. I sometimes appreciate the fact that they are trying to think outside of the bun in some places but they just go a bit too nuts with it when the burger is so odd and filled with strange ingredients that you can't even pick the damn thing up without wearing it.
I had considered the QR code being a Covid thing but we are well past that now. Now I just think it is to save the place money and make it so they can update their menu on the fly. Now that Covid is a non-issue, if the place wants to do an electronic menu I think it should lie on them to provide tablets if they want to do this.
There is a fancier Italian joint near where we live that used to use their own tablets as the menu. We haven't been there in a while so I don't know if they still do. We went right after work so we would be dressed up, but I guess we still looked too trashy because they shoved us in the furthest table to the back. The food was fantastic, but the service was meh. I agree about them putting too much on burgers. If I have to wear it or eat it with a fork and knife that is a turn off.
Here in Asia a lot of places save money on staff, at least I guess that is the idea, by having tablets that are attached to the booths so you can order direct and someone just brings it all to you. This works out for foreigners quite well because you can choose from a dozen or so languages to get your order put in. I suppose that is one benefit of tech being a part of the ordering process, just don't expect me to install anything on my phone and I'm ok with it.
I guess places like Olive Garden and Red Robin moved to things like that a while ago too. I just didn't really connect the dots. I kind of makes me feel like I shouldn't have to tip as much because it drastically reduces the interaction between yourself and your server. I still do, but I always question how much they deserve it when most everything is done by me via a connected device.