Not only will robots soon replace bellhops during your next hotel stay, it appears the restaurant of tomorrow will be swapping out waiters and paper menus for multi-touch, interactive tabletops. Imagine not having to wait for a server to place an order. What if learning more about the dish you’re about order was only a mere tap away?
Writing for Gizmag, Ben Coxworth reveals that the Interactive Restaurant Technology (IRT) system represents an innovative way to make dining establishments more attractive, engaging and of course, high-tech. Upon sitting down, users begin by selecting a language of their choice. The unique tabletop then displays photos and detailed information on each the entrees, drinks and other menu items. Once they’ve decided on what they want, diners simply request it via the table’s waterproof touchscreen, and the order is instantly relayed to the kitchen.
As a child, you probably enjoyed playing with crayons on paper table mats, or in today’s tech-savvy world, tagging along your mobile device. Thanks to the multi-touch tabletop, patrons can now use the surface to keep themselves busy while waiting for their food to arrive with activities like playing games, reading the news, socializing with fellow patrons, or even receive live broadcasts from the kitchen. The company also offers the option of integrating screens on the walls, bar counters or other surfaces into the system, for purposes such as advertising special menu items or drinks, Gizmag notes.
Though a number of other interactive restaurant systems do also exist, the Ukranian tech firm claims that the “world’s first ultra HD interactive table” is dynamic in that the display occupies the table’s entire surface, features a backlit LED display and allows users to do more than just place orders. According to the company, its technology supports an unlimited number of touches, and “will keep working even if every single visitor sitting after the table will put his hands on the surface.”
“It is also about creating an atmosphere where the customer can have a good time, socialize with other patrons, meet new people, learn something new,” the company writes on their website. “So why do restaurateurs still offer traditional and boring solutions in the world where people are used to being online, using touch phones and voting for their favorite brands by likes?”
So far, IRT has been implemented in two restaurants — Oshi in Cyprus and Ebony in Dubai. Among other things, Gizmag says the multi-touch system will reportedly recognize returning customers when they place their smartphone on the table, and recommend dishes or drinks based on their previous orders.
What’s next? Perhaps a drone food server? Oh, wait… that’s already happened!
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