I was out to dinner tonight with my boyfriend at Applebee's. The waiter placed an electronic device on the table and said, "If you need me and I'm not around press this button." He went on to explain that pressing the button activates his watch and causes it to vibrate. When he looks at the display, it shows him which table summoned him! Along with this nifty capability, the watch also has timers which times how long it takes to clear a table, sit a table and serve the customers their food. This experience got me thinking....
I'd like to do a paper on how the restaurant industry has become digitalized. From the invention of the drive-thru with speaker phones, to automated registers, to devices that vibrate and jingle when activated, the restaurant industry has joined the digital world along with the rest of us.
Perhaps I can focus on a popular website on the East Coast. (It might be elsewhere, but I just thought of the idea and haven't researched much yet.) The website is called http://www.carryoutmenu.com/. It allows people to search for local restaurants in their area, view a menu online, place the order and pay via credit card. A delivery person drives to the restaurant, picks up the order and then delivers it. Of course, this service costs the user a small fee, but sometimes it's difficult to not pay a small price for convenience.
Perhaps I can tie this in with the http://www.foodnetwork.org/. I view this website virtually everyday and search for recipes, my favorite chefs, and entertaining ideas. Today it is so easy to learn how to cook authentic fettucinne alfredo, poach salmon, or whip up a chocolate mousse. Yes, there have been cookbooks around for centuries, but I no longer dig through my bookshelves when I want to make creme brulee. I type the request into food network and have dozens of recipes within seconds.
Just thought of weightwatchers.com. That would provide a forum in which to study interactions in an online community. This (obviously) relates to food. Has easier access to food led to an increased need for weight loss support? How does the online community deal with these issues? Is online interaction more successful than traditional weight loss methods?
More thoughts on this to come....If I can combine my love of writing, research, and food, I think this will be the most fascinating summer yet!
3 comments:
I think a paper on how the restaurant industry has become digitalized would be fascinating to read. It also reminded me of a news story reporting that many fast food drive-through order stations (before the windows) are answered by persons who may not be onsite, but may be in another country. They take the order and then enter it into the computer system which is available to the restaurant. This would mean that even one of the most basic jobs can globalized through the use of communication technology.
Ali - I think a paper on the how restaurants are evolving to fit our digital lives would be fascinating as well. Is there just one facet of that which you could begin with for this paper, like the Applebees concept which is extremly fascinating and efficient on their part.
I am very intrigued by your weightwatchers idea as well. It would be interesting to see if being part of the online community assists in keeping people on track or not and what portion of that experience is most valuable to them; the recipes, the support the community provides or just the access to the online tools.
EXCELLENT ideas, Ali!
Again, my caution is this: we are limited by the summer. Consider, then, thinking of this research as a pilot of sorts. You might to a case study of this one restaurant: how have the digitized appliances helped/hindered? What are the reactions of the staff? The management? The customers?
Or, you can do broader research, perhaps looking at several sites...or conducting a limited survey.
I really like the case study idea, though. Let me know what you think!
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