> No stupid app to download. No account to create. No bullshit fees. No marketing emails. I just tell them what I want and then go get it. It's refreshing.
That's how it always was, I really don't get this disconnect between people wanting to always hide behind a keyboard or smart phone when it comes to food. It's always been the most social thing I do in my entire day, as it has been done since for thousands of years, and I just can't see why people feel either super embarrassed and outright aloof when it comes to ordering food.
I mean if you know you're going to try and use an expired coupon or not going to tip well, I guess that makes sense, but in my experience most people just seem to have some inexplicable aversion towards food ordering and pickup. Yet seem to want to chat with the checkout lady about mundane matters, whereas I just want to get out asap and cook with the stiff I'm trying to buy and keep things to a minimum.
> I really don't get this disconnect between people wanting to always hide behind a keyboard or smart phone when it comes to food.
I don't want to 'hide', but my social anxiety makes phone conversations with people I don't know a harrowing experience; to make it bearable I need to work through a mental image of how a 'successful' call might go, from greeting through hanging-up, with some variations of what might happen in-between.
For a medical test related call I can force myself to go through with it, but to order food, when I can find something else that I like and that I can order via an app - I will avoid calling. I know this is quite an odd excuse, however did want to note that I at least want the personal phone contact, but can't deal with the unpredictability / stress involved that well.
> Ordering food via telephone is, to me, the equivalent of trying to use a command line interface without knowing any of the options, and instead of "help" being automated, you have to bother a person who is probably already extremely busy and overworked to clarify the menu. It's also much easier to pay with a credit card via an app or website than over the phone.
I've never heard of this perspective used to describe what takes place when ordering food, you're clearly trying to equate it to a non GUI way of trying to navigate the process as you would when on a computer. Interesting perspective, its seems you think there is some underlying 'protocol' called conversation that you simply don't grasp, or are unaware of, right?
More points to follow below.
> I don't want to 'hide', but my social anxiety makes phone conversations with people I don't know a harrowing experience...
See, this I clearly understand despite personally having had to essentially speak at conferences for a living at one point; as I think people with a clear medical condition need to be accommodated in these situations, but just know that the FOH people taking your order are more likely to be receptive to your order than not because it ensures they A: get to have a job, and B: ultimately rely on satisfying you and providing a good UX in order to get a tip in exchange for said transaction, which is the majority of their overall wages.
Now, the Industry is filled with examples of feckless and quite frankly discontent people so it doesn't always show. But just understand FOH are there to serve you, its called hospitality for a reason and the relationship needs to be approached as such (within reason). Whereas BOH (chefs/cooks) is entirely different domain, which is what I did in that Industry, and requires more nuanced ways of communicating that I won't get into.
As for the payment processing, believe me I did fintech and on the back end its only really beneficial for the end consumer, with several hidden externalizes, as its hardly 'easy' for the business owner and the staff. But credit cards are just a paradigm so ingrained into the collective psyche that it will never go away, what's even more notable is that it was the Diner's Club model in restaurants that made Credit Card usage ubiquitous in the US in the first place.
But, again I totally understand this perspective when described in this way and totally understand why an app or a online order system is preferable.
Ordering food via telephone is, to me, the equivalent of trying to use a command line interface without knowing any of the options, and instead of "help" being automated, you have to bother a person who is probably already extremely busy and overworked to clarify the menu. It's also much easier to pay with a credit card via an app or website than over the phone.
Whether or not it’s their job, one can still feel bad about doing it. When I worked retail, if we didn’t have something in stock (after looking), I’d apologize. Not because it’s my fault, but because I felt bad.
It’s the reason people don’t ask workers at retail stores for help; they (most of the time) don’t want to bother someone even though it’s their job.
I never invalidated someone's feelings. I merely stated that the logic they are using to validate their own feelings is flawed. It's very possible to change the frame of your mind through the language you use. If you remove the negative thoughts of "bothing" someone when they are merely trying to make ends meet, your feelings might change. In fact, by not bothering them, you may be giving their boss fuel for them to NOT have a job.
That's how it always was, I really don't get this disconnect between people wanting to always hide behind a keyboard or smart phone when it comes to food. It's always been the most social thing I do in my entire day, as it has been done since for thousands of years, and I just can't see why people feel either super embarrassed and outright aloof when it comes to ordering food.
I mean if you know you're going to try and use an expired coupon or not going to tip well, I guess that makes sense, but in my experience most people just seem to have some inexplicable aversion towards food ordering and pickup. Yet seem to want to chat with the checkout lady about mundane matters, whereas I just want to get out asap and cook with the stiff I'm trying to buy and keep things to a minimum.