[Technology] Out of touch with the 21st century, now it's Stat's turn - Lounges.

[Neville's Breakfast]

After a hard mornings graft we went to our local 'Lounges' for lunch, I believe Alcampo is the Brighton version.

"Are you ok to order on line, sir?".
"No we want a table"

Not a great start.

So it turns out they've done away with table service.
You QR the code, on your phone. (after downloading a QR reader)
Order your meal and drinks on your phone.
Pay on your phone.
Sit and wait half an hour until the cold food arrives, desperately trying to not look at your phone.


I'm incredibly conflicted by this.

It seems like back in the good old days we had appropriate service.
Then we had "is everything alright with your meal" over service.
Now we have no service at all.
A direction I'll be amazed if it isn't the norm in 5 years time.

It felt like once I'd placed my order I should go out into the kitchen and cook it myself.


Weird, very weird indeed - I'm gonna buy a MkIII Escort and listen to The Charlatans on the tape deck.
Things were simpler back then.

Look on the bright side. No more tipping !

 

[GT49er]

They'll be mortified at losing your business I'm sure.

They'll be mortified at losing a million or three like me. Their loss.


Still, I'm sure as they've got their trenche of 'anything is fine, no matter how cr@p the service, as long as I can get it on my 4G smartphone' hipsters they'll think they're doing well. Not my problem.

 

[sydney]

my 5G android galaxy 21 came with a full body suit of tinfoil and a free bird flu and covid test kit.......and some nice deodorant.

 

[The Clamp]

I’ve had three splashy sessions in pubs in the last three weeks. One all dayer in Lewes including two meals and multiple pubs and two evening piss ups in Shoreham. Not a problem with anything. No phone ordering, you’ve just got to pick pubs with attentive staff who check tables for drink orders regularly and a “no faff” attitude.

Not tried a dedicated restaurant yet but I wouldn’t have a problem going to one that required app ordering but there are plenty about that are doing good table service.

Generally I’ve found if you go to a pub that had good staff and service before Covid, they’re handling the new systems very well. For example The Crown & Anchor has always had slovenly and inattentive staff, they are not very good with the restrictions.
The Buck, always had great staff and landlord/owner and they are making a great fist of it.

It’s been a positive experience for me so far.

 

[sydney]

I’ve had three splashy sessions in pubs in the last three weeks. One all dayer in Lewes including two meals in pubs and two in Shoreham. Not a problem with anything. No phone ordering, you’ve just got to pick pubs with attentive staff who check tables for drink orders regularly and a “no faff” attitude.
Not tried a dedicated restaurant yet but I wouldn’t have a problem going to one that required app ordering but there are plenty about that are doing good table service.
Generally I’ve found if you go to a pub that had good staff and service before Covid, they’re handling the new systems very well.
It’s been a positive experience for me so far.

Nice ....i'm sure venues are out there that are not "wanky" enough to adopt this stuff by wrote , they would get my money any day...

 

[Westdene Seagull]

The answer is ..... don't be so effing tight and go to a proper eatery. Went to Fourth & Church this week - no smartphone required, great service and great food.

 

[Perfidious Albion]

It is sad when you hear yourself saying things your father said. Today I have a Galaxy phone that would be considered elderly by techie types. It won’t take the latest apps so where do I order? My attempts at reading QR codes have never worked. I will not be drinking or eating out until all this is over.
Everything is going this way though. The missus had a sniffle that persisted and the doctor wanted a Covid test. When it came the instructions left us baffled. You had to download an app, use QR codes, upload a photo of your results, and more. She never bothered, and it got better.

 

[schmunk]

For those with older Android phones needing to scan QR codes:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gamma.scan

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

A friend of mine was crowing about the Wethys table ordering process.

We went out together and she ordered her drink to our seats in North Street.

Only problem was she had located the wrong Wethys in the app and someone on table 21 in West Street got a free pint from her.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

On the positive side, when I was at Spoons in mid-March last year our friends in Toronto were able to send drinks to us!

Blimey, hope our family (well hers) don't hear about this they'll be on the cadge for us to buy them a drink, bought in Wales drunk in Canadia

 

[BN9 BHA]

I bloody love it. Scan order 2 minutes later pint in hand. It’s the future oldies get used to it.

Another ‘Spoons’ customer

 

[banjo]

Another ‘Spoons’ customer

New Amsterdam pub.

 

[BN9 BHA]

New Amsterdam pub.

You went to Holland, nice.

 

[BNthree]

They'll be mortified at losing a million or three like me. Their loss.


Still, I'm sure as they've got their trenche of 'anything is fine, no matter how cr@p the service, as long as I can get it on my 4G smartphone' hipsters they'll think they're doing well. Not my problem.

Not sure how being comfortable using a phone means someone is a hipster? Smart phone are about as mainstream as it gets these days. Anyway there is a big enough section of the population that are comfortable using their phones to order that means they will be fine. Every pub I've been to recently has this system and they have all been fully booked and busy.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Not sure how being comfortable using a phone means someone is a hipster? Smart phone are about as mainstream as it gets these days. Anyway there is a big enough section of the population that are comfortable using their phones to order that means they will be fine. Every pub I've been to recently has this system and they have all been fully booked and busy.

We were at a pub on the Welsh coast yesterday that didn’t have app ordering/paying. We had to queue ! The future is a lot easier.

 

[GT49er]

Not sure how being comfortable using a phone means someone is a hipster? Smart phone are about as mainstream as it gets these days. Anyway there is a big enough section of the population that are comfortable using their phones to order that means they will be fine. Every pub I've been to recently has this system and they have all been fully booked and busy.

Yes, you use one, and you go to places where the other people there use them too. An echo chamber, basically. Hopefully, as the restrictions ease, the rest of us will find our own echo chambers too. It's a shame that Covid seems to have introduced another sector of society for people to look down on, i.e. people without smart phones.

 

[Stat Brother]

It's beginning to feel like my 'old man yells at cloud' comedy stylings thread is heading off course.

Shame.

 

[banjo]

It's beginning to feel like my 'old man yells at cloud' comedy stylings thread is heading off course.

Shame.

It’s the NSC way.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Yes, you use one, and you go to places where the other people there use them too. An echo chamber, basically. Hopefully, as the restrictions ease, the rest of us will find our own echo chambers too. It's a shame that Covid seems to have introduced another sector of society for people to look down on, i.e. people without smart phones.

I don’t think anybody is looking down on people who don’t have smart phones. It’s just that smart phone technology is the future so companies will invest in it. It is difficult and expensive for them to subsequently make exceptions.

 

[BN9 BHA]