Service Oriented Architecture in the “real” service world.

We’re not talking computing here…or are we??

But the concept of service oriented still fits the web 2.0 mold in that we are going to use technology to drive these new trends to consumers.

http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/27/news/companies/restaurant_trends/

Dining trends: Self-service=quick service

Innovations to watch: Self-service kiosks.

Fast food becomes faster—your lunch at your speed!

New technology innovations could soon force the restaurant industry to re-examine and change an often-used industry acronym -- QSR, or quick-service restaurant (fast food restaurant to the general public) -- to SSR, or self-service restaurant, instead.

Self-service kiosks and computerized table-top ordering screens are just two of the many trends that were on display at the National Restaurant Association's (NRA) industry show in May 2006. The NRA hosts this annual event that showcases the latest offerings in technology, menu items, uniform fashions and restaurant designs.

"The restaurant industry is the most labor-intensive industry in the country," said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of research with NRA, adding that it currently employs about 12.5 million workers in over 925,000 restaurants and is projected to grow by 2 million workers over the next 10 years.

"When you introduce technology into restaurant operations, whether these are fast-food operators or family dining chains, you are able to get above-normal productivity increases," he said.

For example, industry insiders said franchisees of fast-food leader McDonald's (see video) , sandwich chain Subway and restaurant operator Arby's have tested self-service kiosks.

Juan Perez, president of Adusa Inc., said his company, in partnership with IBM, has developed kiosks that allow consumers to self-order in grocery stores (Kroger is Adusa's biggest customer) and restaurants.

Move over food-sample marketing ladies; Said Perez "Our kiosks are already in pilot tests in grocery stores. A customer walks up to the kiosk and places an order to the deli or the bakery. They can pick up the order after they're done with the rest of their shopping." Moreover, customers can also use the kiosk to get information on wines or look up recipes, he said.

I can already envision the kiosks placed near the front doors of the stores and the service areas in another part of the store so that the customer’s order will be ready by the time they can walk to the counter.

Customers in quick-service restaurants will use the kiosks to order food and pay with a credit or debit card, Perez said, avoiding both mis-orders and long lines at the counter.

"It lets consumers feel more in control because they're getting exactly what they ordered. Businesses can deploy the staff elsewhere and refocus on speeding up order delivery," said the NRA's Riehle.

I don’t know about you, but I saw this very thing in the “cafeteria/mess hall” on the starship Enterprise on StarTrek back in the 1970’s! Their food was offered and supplied by the touch-screen and delivered instantaneously!!

Likewise, casual dining order systems are undergoing an evolution of their own. Chosen Media will debut a table-top touchscreen order system at the show.

Didn’t restaurants like A&W and small diners have a form of this at some point 30 years ago, similar to the table-top jukebox selection modules?

"Customers can place their menu order through the system, they can ask for refills, call the waiter to their table and pay for their meal using a credit or debit card," said company manager Calvin Watkins. The system also acts as a personal jukebox.

I rather like the idea of the personal multimedia presentation on my table-top to allow me to pick-and-choose instead of hearing the waiter’s (usually) lame claim as to which is his/her “favorite” dish on the menu – I have two daughters and one son-in-law that are or have been servers in restaurants and I know they are given instructions to push certain items that the stores are trying to raise sales on or perhaps are overstocked on, so its usually not really their “favorite” at all…

In any case, I was just wondering what anyone else thinks about these upcoming trends in restaurant dining will do for us or perhaps how this will change the dining experience at all—any feedback?