Melbourne restaurants adopting new technology as doors open after lockdown
Technology that allows diners to order from the table via a phone app is set to become “the new normal” at Victorian cafes and restaurants in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. See what other changes are in store.
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Victorian restaurants are turning to “contactless dining” technology as they prepare to finally open their doors after the coronavirus lockdown.
Food industry insiders told the Sunday Herald Sun the technology that allows diners to order from the table via a phone app was set to become “the new normal” of eating out.
Orders could be sent to the kitchen and a docket prepared by patrons using their phones to access digital menus at the table.
While Aussies were unlikely to see robots delivering food to tables in the near future, this could happen down the track as the hospitality industry and public tried to avoid another wave of COVID-19, they said.
In the meantime, more restaurants would adopt a system of calling out table numbers when meals were ready and asking patrons to collect their own plates, in pub counter meal style.
Christopher Timms, the director of Australian company CloudWaitress, said inquiries to his company about contactless dining had skyrocketed since the pandemic hit.
“We were well before our time in terms of having that (technology) there and available at a time nobody, even globally, was using it,” he said.
“The COVID-19 situation has certainly increased demand for it, many, many times over.
“There’s a huge uptake, especially in Victoria, New South Wales and the Northern Territory.”
Mr Timms said each restaurant table using the system had a QR (quick response) code or NFC (near field communication) tag.
“So diners can just tap their phone on the table or scan the code, and it opens up the menu and automatically selects the details of the table.
“They can then open up a browser menu, add items to their cart, place the order and make payment,” he said.
The company was getting up to 20 inquiries a day about the technology, many from Victorian restaurants, which are allowed to open on Monday.
Melbourne cafes Sycamore Meadows in Reservoir and The Spade in Glenroy will be among the first to open on Monday using the technology.
“With COVID, this is the cleanest and safest way for our patrons and staff,” said Lisa Rodakis, who works at both venues.
“It’s all done through the app and orders go straight into the system and to the kitchen,” she said. ”At the end of the meal it’s just a matter of customers getting up and giving a wave and saying goodbye.”
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