Literature review2
Research methodology..3
The purpose of using interactive digital menus in restaurants and pubs.4
The examples of a digital menu integration in trading venues5
The benefits of using interactive digital menus6
The working principle of e-menu in restaurants and bars 8
Conclusion....10
Bibliography 11
Introduction
The current technological conditions are fascinating. The struggle between the outdated technologies and innovations can be seen every single day. The printed information has been already replaced by digital technologies, cell-phones have been replaced by smartphones, tablets and laptops replaced books and journals, and even in restaurant industry, the old-fashioned paper menu is being replaced by new digital multimedia version. Even though a relatively convenient for most people printed paper menu may be considered as an irreplaceable item and cannot be modified by the technological development, an effective substitute has been already created and integrated in various restaurants, pubs and cafes all around the globe. The digital menu in restaurants and pubs will become a popular and an extremely convenient solution not only for managers of trading venues, but also for visitors and permanent client. The digital menu is able to increase the speed and improve the quality of serving. The integration of a digital menu in restaurants or pubs will give visitors a chance to compare the functionality, design, features and level of interaction with the user. The benefits of digital and multimedia menus are numerous. So, what does the list of benefits of using an interactive digital menu include? And why should the management of prosperous restaurants and pubs think about the integration of this technological solution? The modern society should get more details about it.
Literature review
Nowadays there are more than enough literature and web sources, which completely reveal the benefits of using interactive digital menus in restaurants, pubs, cafes and other trading venues. The articles published by J. Bickers and Meichsner provide the reader with the main reasons of using this technology in the modern world. The web articles written by Deaton, Hall, Harrison, Socratus and Sara Thomson also give us a nice insight about this relatively new solution for businesses and outline the major benefits of having such e-menus integrated into the system of restaurants and pubs. Lots of useful information on this topic can be also found in one of the most popular British journals called the Daily Mail. The article called “Futuristic dining at London's first ever interactive restaurant” show us a perfect example on how the integration of e-menu contributed to the development and success of an ordinary Asian restaurant. The articles in Interactive, Market realist and Outdoor digital web journals tell the world about the ways of efficiency improvement in restaurants with a help of tablets. The specific examples of using this technological solution outlined in the New Australia journal and several articles, published by Y.Moik.
Research methodology
Nowadays, research methodology is one of the most effective ways to receive an important business information on various processes inside and outside the company. The information is essential for decision-making processes, therefore various companies from all around the globe conduct surveys, proceed with interviews, make some publication researches and use other techniques to receive enough information.
Since the question of a digital menu integration is quite new and trending, we have come up with an idea to interview managers of restaurants, in which this system has been integrated long time ago. Unfortunately, we did not have a possibility to conduct interview with founders of those restaurants, however most of the managers agreed to have a quick talk. We managed to conduct 5 different interviews with managers of various restaurants and bars in the United States and were quite fascinated by their feedback on the benefits of using such e-menus. 4 out of 5 managers assured that digital menus helped them to increase the speed of service, customer engagement and consequently, the client’s database. Unfortunately, one of the restaurants decided to remove e-menus and use the old-fashioned printed ones, due to the fact that their main audience is elderly people, thus it was quite inconvenient for them to use tablets.
Moreover, we have created the questionnaire that consisted of 15 simple questions related to our topic and sent it to the representatives of restaurants, pubs, cafes and other trading venues that are using e-menus. The result was quite disappointing for us. We have sent 45 emails with a request to answer the questions, outlined in the questionnaire, and received 3 emails back. Based on their answers, the integration of e-menus into the system helped them to add some creativity into the atmosphere, engage the clients and slightly cut down the expenses. The only negative aspect is that not every single trading venue can afford purchasing both high-quality software and numerous tablets needed for this purposes.
We have received enough information from the above-mentioned methods to conclude that e-menu is a great technological solution for almost all restaurants and bars. However, we decided to create an additional survey and examine the thoughts of ordinary people, potential customers of such restaurants. Firstly, we have answered the questions by ourselves and agreed that we would definitely visit restaurants with the e-menu system integrated and determined these tablet menus to be a great solution for all restaurants. However, public thoughts were more useful for us. Several respondents stated that e-menu is a perfect idea for most modern restaurants, who are having a budget. But, there are restaurants with old-fashioned or even ancient interior design and tables will simply destroy the whole atmosphere of such places. In addition, the type of audience should be also considered while thinking about the integration of digital menus.
Based on all the information we have managed to receive, the benefits of using an interactive digital menu are numerous. It can help to increase the creativity inside the restaurant, engage the audience, reduce expenses, bring more clients to restaurants and pubs, and increase the speed of service. However, e-menu is not an appropriate solution for all the restaurants due to the fact that some restaurants have a vintage interior. Moreover, it might be a challenge for the elderly audience to use tablets instead of printed menus. Therefore, it is crucial to take the above-mentioned moments into account.
Data analysis
The purpose of using interactive digital menus in restaurants and pubs
Various futuristic companies from all around the world promise to spread the touchscreen technology worldwide and replace all possible surfaces to make the lives of human beings more comfortable and pleasant. Such future is absolutely possible, since, even now, touch screens are widely used not only in smart phones, tablets, computers, navigation devices, ATMs and TV hardware, but also in various vending and voting machines. The restaurant industry is not an exception here. The usage of touchscreen still provokes the emergence of interest in people, thus entrepreneurs are trying to conquer the client in more and more niches with a help of this technology. One of the examples of touchscreen integration is a well-known restaurant in London, called Inamo. It became the first place, which came up with an idea to have interactive touchscreen tables for visitors ("Futuristic dining at London's first ever interactive restaurant: Asian fusion eatery Inamo puts the fun back in to dining out", 2012).
The examples of a digital menu integration in trading venues
The table in this fashionable restaurant is not completely made with a touch screen, however there are parts, which allow visitors to select the color and pattern of illumination of the table, give visitors a chance to order food and drinks with a help of a digital menu, see photos and read additional information about some specific products and cocktails ("Restaurant tablet menu Advantages ", 2013). The system allows to place an order without a help of a waiter and watch the whole process of cooking directly from the table by accessing the online surveillance camera, placed in the kitchen of this restaurant. This innovation has transformed an ordinary restaurant into an extremely popular place in London. The number of visitors drastically increased, having multiplied the profits and helped managers to improve the authority of the restaurant ("Futuristic dining at London's first ever interactive restaurant: Asian fusion eatery Inamo puts the fun back in to dining out", 2012).
Meanwhile, the American industrial designer Adam Benton offered a new conception of the interactive table, completely made of a touch screen. These smart tables allow visitors to choose dishes and drinks, available in a restaurant or pub, place orders, pay for them, call the waiter and get some audio and video information. These tables are able to help the guests and regular client spend time in a restaurant in more developed, convenient and entertaining way. The automatic translation of the text, outlined in this digital menu, could give international visitors a chance to avoid the language barrier. Digital multimedia tables and menus become more and more popular all around the globe (Noe, 2013).
The benefits of using interactive digital menus
The digital multimedia menu software has been created long time ago. Most of the software companies realized the benefits of this idea and improved its usability to perfection. Therefore, nowadays there are hundreds of absolutely different digital menu applications, which are quite different in design and functionality. Even though the time has passed and various software companies are constantly working on quality improvement, sometimes managers and waiters, who work with this type of menu, face ridiculous situations (Meichsner, 2012).
Guests are ordering additional dishes and cocktails by mistake, or visitors, who come to restaurants or pubs with their children, make an order and give the tablet to the child to play around and consequently let him order all the dishes and drinks available. In most cases, once the order is made, the system forwards the information to the kitchen and bar to fulfill this incorrect order within the minimum time frames. Such kind of situations are quite inconvenient for management of trading venues, thus most of modern software companies lock the ability to directly link a digital menu with a system in the restaurant until the order is approved and verified by waiter. Despite of having numerous benefits, the system should be perfectly organized to avoid the emergence of similar issues, inconvenient not only for management of restaurants or pubs, but also for visitors and regular clients (Hall, 2012).
The digital restaurant menu is a touchscreen tablet such as iPad, where you can get the detailed information about each dish in different languages, check the price, get a full list of ingredients, calories, know the cooking time of a specific dish or cocktail, read a detailed description of the food cooking process. The digital menus are organized on the principles of online stores and provides the ability to compare several options before the customer clicks on the "order" button. Once the decision is made, and the order is verified by the client, the system transfers the order to the kitchen. The digital menu saves time, money and provides international guests with an ability to fully comprehend the process (Bickers, 2007).
The digital menus can be used not only in restaurants, they are also suitable for cafes, pubs and night clubs. The two main advantages of a digital touchscreen menu in comparison to the old-fashioned printed version are the possibility to change or add information throughout the whole process and the providence of a complete interaction with users at any level. The digital touchscreen menu for restaurants is currently quite an exclusive thing, however this situation will be definitely changed in a nearest future. The integration of a digital menu in restaurants and pubs is one of the most effective solutions, directed towards the quality improvement and the sales increase ("Digital Menu Boards and ROI: Finding the break-even point for digital signage in foodservice ", 2013).
The above-mentioned digital menus are a great system of automatization of the entire set of processes inside restaurants, cafes, bards, and night clubs, which is able to simplify and make the environment more comfortable and engaging. The automatization of the processes does not have negative sides and trading venues can get only benefits from such technological solutions. The menu displayed on a tablet will significantly raise the quality of service, increase customer loyalty and consequently the number of regular clients (Thompson, 2011). The system has the detailed statistics of the dishes and drinks, ordered by clients. The management of a restaurant or pub can at any time view the processed orders, make a report, based on the information gathered, and improve the quality of service. Moreover, it will help to optimize product purchases and simplify the process of storage. The electronic restaurant menu will allow users to leave comments about the quality of service in a restaurant or cafe. It will help management to work with human resources (Deaton, 2012).
Integration of the electronic menu has the following advantages: simple and easy order placement, and as a result – increased amount of meals ordered; improvement of quality of services; faster order acceptance and order processing, as a result - increased customer loyalty; increased interest in providing services; attraction of new customers, who are interested in novelties; easy updating of assortment and prices. You don’t need to type anything new in order to make changes to the menu. All you need is to make several clicks. Additional functionality of the electronic menu includes the following: an opportunity to leave a feedback on the quality of services, an opportunity to call a waiter to the table, complete analysis and statistics of dishes ordered, remote control over the work process, conducting of promotional activities ("Advantages of Tablet Menu and eRestro System ", 2013).
The working principle of e-menu in restaurants and bars
A number of restaurants in Europe, the USA and Japan are already testing the new technology of ordering meals by means of sensor displays, which are intended to replace impolite and inattentive waiters. Apart from keeping costs down, electronic menus help attract young clients, while appetizingly-looking photos of dishes serve as a visual advertisement. Entrepreneurs in Israel, Belgium, France, and South Africa have already started installing electronic menus in sushi-bars, pubs, and family restaurants. The system is based on touch-sensitive terminals. In a Tel-Aviv sushi-restaurant Frame, income from tables, equipped with electronic menus, is 11% higher than from the regular ones. When clients order tables by phone, they usually prefer those with touch-screens. Electronic menus provide the following options: order meals, listen to the music, and play games. Music, games, chats, drawing board for children, quizzes, horoscopes, videos, jokes, and useful tips not only entertain guests, but also help increase orders (Harrison, 2008).
Self-service electronic menu (also known as “E-menu”) is a terminal, mounted at the edge of a table and designed for clients to place orders on their own. However, only one guest at a table can use an electronic menu ("Benefits for Owners ", 2014). This and some other aspects restrain this technological innovation from wide implementation. Guests have to take turns ordering meals through terminals, a terminal usually occupies one sitting spot at the table, and installation of one such device is quite costly. Having integrated electronic menu on mobile devices we eliminated all its drawbacks. Mobile electronic menu is not bigger than a traditional printed menu; devices can be handed to every guest at the table; waiters can actively participate in choosing meals; after the order is made all the devices are cleared from the table; there is no more need to equip each table with fixed terminals, since electronic menu can be passed to other tables ("Why restaurants improve efficiency with tablets and technology ", 2013).
At the end of May, 2010 iPad tablets were put on the market outside the USA (Moik, 2010). A Sydney restaurant Global Mundo Tapas purchased 15 devices, each of which cost 629 Australian dollars (around 530 US dollars). E-menu can work for 3 hours on a single charge, which is quite enough for performing its basic function. Before handing an electronic menu to a guest, a waiter specifies a table number. All the tables are displayed on a scheme, where empty tables, tables being served and tables with taken orders are distinguished by different colors ("Sydney restaurant replaces menus with iPads ", 2010). Clients receive a menu, which resembles a printed one, so that the information is easy to comprehend. Menu entries and other elements of the interface are available in multiple languages. Languages can be switched at any moment and their number is unlimited. As the electronic menu is passed from one guest to another, everyone can choose dishes and later make changes to the order if needed. Sufficient information about each dish with a photo is presented in the menu. Clients also can specify a serving size and a number of servings of each dish. Electronic menu can be easily used by both children and adults ("Why restaurants improve efficiency with tablets and technology ", 2013).
Conclusion.
Even though most of modern restaurants are using the old-fashioned and printed menus, the benefits of using interactive digital menus in restaurants and pubs are numerous. The integration of the electronic menu into the system can help management to avoid such problems as the lack of attention to details and communication issues, a poor level of service, the language barrier and various blunders in the menu. The integration of digital menu will definitely help to improve the interactive relationship between consumers and restaurants or pubs with a use of media data, which is able to make the menu more interactive for visitors and increase the usability. The examples of those restaurants that have been brave enough to incorporate this relatively new technological solution, currently see the benefits. The availability of various languages in system of the interactive digital menu decreases the chance that the language barrier will occur, making this system extremely convenient for those international tourists, who do not know foreign languages. The multitude of benefits for both consumers and managing people have been already tested by a huge number of various restaurants, pubs and cafes all around the globe. The digital menus have been already integrated not only into the trading venues of the United States of America, but also Europe, Australia and Asian countries. The number of users are constantly increasing, making an interactive digital menu one of the most widely used and effective technological solutions for trading businesses in the modern world.
Bibliography
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