NW Democrat-Gazette

The new automats

By Christopher Rugaber

Some restaurants discovered during the pandemic that they can do away with most of their waitstaff.

Margo Manning, chief operating officer of Dave and Buster’s, said in a June call with investors that the chain’s new automated service for ordering and buying food and drinks enables guests to “control the complete experience themselves.” But if they really want the human interaction, they can ask for it.

Scott Lawton, CEO of the Arlington, Virginia-based restaurant chain Bartaco, was having trouble last fall getting servers to return to his restaurants when they reopened.

So his company, along with a software firm, developed an online ordering and payment system customers could use over their phones. Diners now simply scan a barcode at the center of each table to access a menu, and then order their food, without waiting for a server. They have to input their credit cards when ordering. Workers bring food and drinks to their tables. And when they’re done eating, customers pay over their phones and leave.

Workers aren’t necessarily worse off. Many former servers now work as assistant managers and assist diners who still prefer a human touch. They’re paid annual salaries, starting at $55,000, rather than hourly wages.

Money & Markets Extra

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2021-09-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://edition.nwaonline.com/article/284099209602203

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