Steak &b Shake--Never Again! Last night after an outing to see Christmas lights, we stopped at Steak & Shake. At the "new" versions of the restaurants, over half the menu is gone, one...

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Last night after an outing to see Christmas lights, we stopped at Steak & Shake. At the "new" versions of the restaurants, over half the menu is gone, one must order from a kiosk, no waiters, no condiments on the tables, only three employees, dirty tables, etc.

Note to self: Never, ever eat at Steak & Shake again. It used to be one of my favorite so-called fast food places to eat. Quote the raven, nevermore (apologies to E.A.Poe).

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

"Menu kiosks" seem to be the rage now...

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

That is too bad. I loved those places.

JFCoupe Loc: Kent, Washington

I think we are going to need to adapt to more technology in restaurants. It is more difficult to hire folks to be waiters, so kiosks will help meet the need of getting orders to the kitchen. The other alternative is to charge higher prices on the menu to enable restaurants to hire the necessary staff. But would we also complain that the prices just increased 25%.

Option: decide to take you business to higher priced restaurants from the start.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

JFCoupe wrote:

I think we are going to need to adapt to more technology in restaurants. It is more difficult to hire folks to be waiters, so kiosks will help meet the need of getting orders to the kitchen. The other alternative is to charge higher prices on the menu to enable restaurants to hire the necessary staff. But would we also complain that the prices just increased 25%.

Option: decide to take you business to higher priced restaurants from the start.

I think Olive Garden has a little menu/pay "mini-kiosk" at the tables.....
I wonder if all Darden restaurants do that now.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Anything to cut down on the staff.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

People complain about things like that and the DIY cash registers in stores. I wonder what the reaction was to supermarkets, where customers had to go and get each item themselves. When I was a kid, we had two local grocery stores. You'd go to the counter and tell the man what you wanted.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

jerryc41 wrote:

Anything to cut down on the staff.

That? Possibly.
But maybe more of implementing the new gee-whiz-bang technology that the "younger" people devour.

BebuLamar

The menu kiosk like the DIY check out has the advantage that I can customize the order without confusing the person who takes order. The self checkout let me pay with the kind of bills I want and get the change back the way I want without confusing the cashier.
For example if I want a hamburger with onion, lettuce, tomato and manyonaise but no pickle, no mustard and no ketchup and a fry with ketchup and a Fanta Orange zero sugar. It would be right.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

BebuLamar wrote:

The menu kiosk like the DIY check out has the advantage that I can customize the order without confusing the person who takes order. The self checkout let me pay with the kind of bills I want and get the change back the way I want without confusing the cashier.
For example if I want a hamburger with onion, lettuce, tomato and manyonaise but no pickle, no mustard and no ketchup and a fry with ketchup and a Fanta Orange zero sugar. It would be right.

Only if the person reading the order makes it up correctly.

Ahhh, the neat things associated with the improvements in technology.....

GregS Loc: Central Illinois, USA

I live in Normal, IL where Gus Belt first opened his restaurant called 'Steak & Shake' in 1934.
We have several in town and visited those places a lot; until the Pandemic hit. Used to have great waiters and waitresses with fast service. Not any more. Like you said, kiosk and no service. I don't know first hand since we have not been back since they ruined it.
A little history. His first Steak & Shake still stands, but is now a Monicals Pizza House. A regional Pizza chain that is really good!

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

jaymatt wrote:

Last night after an outing to see Christmas lights, we stopped at Steak & Shake. At the "new" versions of the restaurants, over half the menu is gone, one must order from a kiosk, no waiters, no condiments on the tables, only three employees, dirty tables, etc.

Note to self: Never, ever eat at Steak & Shake again. It used to be one of my favorite so-called fast food places to eat. Quote the raven, nevermore (apologies to E.A.Poe).

Foreign: owners now actually for over 10 years.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

BebuLamar wrote:

The menu kiosk like the DIY check out has the advantage that I can customize the order without confusing the person who takes order. The self checkout let me pay with the kind of bills I want and get the change back the way I want without confusing the cashier.
For example if I want a hamburger with onion, lettuce, tomato and manyonaise but no pickle, no mustard and no ketchup and a fry with ketchup and a Fanta Orange zero sugar. It would be right.

Lol now if they make a mistake its your fault

BebuLamar

Manglesphoto wrote:

Lol now if they make a mistake its your fault

Oh sure they even got mad at me when they gave me too much changes back and I told them so and gave the money back.

JimBart Loc: Western Michigan

Ordering off the kiosk I refuse to do another thing that is being developed and in use in a few restaurants is that you order via kiosk and the food is delivered by way of a robot waiter. Currently in place in a few restaurants where we go in FL