Pictures of food - good or tacky?

[Free Rider]

For fine dining, I expect to have a human being describe the dishes to me (hostess with knowledge, etc). It seems cheap to make the customer do the work. Also, in fine dining, I would hope not to be sitting in a reception waiting for a table for too long (fine dining places take reservations). I would be annoyed by a computer thingy in the reception area. But that's just me.

[Serge]

Originally Posted by Free Rider

For fine dining, I expect to have a human being describe the dishes to me (hostess with knowledge, etc). It seems cheap to make the customer do the work. Also, in fine dining, I would hope not to be sitting in a reception waiting for a table for too long (fine dining places take reservations). I would be annoyed by a computer thingy in the reception area. But that's just me.

Thank you.
It would help if the hostess is busy and have no time to describe dishes, or if she's not that good in doing it, or if some people do not like talking to hostesses. Btw, in some good restaurants it can take up to 30 minutes to get a table during busy hours - because they are good
The menu list on our eMenuBoard looks like a regular print-out list when not touched, so people can just read it as they read print-out menu. IF they want to see an item, or an event, or interior (if it's not seen from outside) they just touch it (it's not so much work) - and its image (not too big) and description appears on the right. And, in the description - you can provide more info than on print-out menus - recommended wine, very short history of the dish, etc. - to create a "story", to intrigue patrons..

[Serge]

Originally Posted by Free Rider

For fine dining, I expect to have a human being describe the dishes to me (hostess with knowledge, etc). It seems cheap to make the customer do the work. Also, in fine dining, I would hope not to be sitting in a reception waiting for a table for too long (fine dining places take reservations). I would be annoyed by a computer thingy in the reception area. But that's just me.

Thank you for your comment..
It would help if the hostess is busy and have no time to describe dishes, or if she's not that good in doing it, or if some people do not like talking to hostesses. Btw, in some good restaurants it can take up to 30 minutes to get a table during busy hours - because they ARE good
The menu list on our eMenuBoard looks like a regular print-out list when not touched, so people can just read it as they read print-out menu. IF they want to see an item, or an event, or interior decor (if it cannot be seen) they just touch it (it's not so much work) - and its image (not too big) and description appears on the right. And, in the description - you can provide more info than on print-out menus - recommended wine, very short history of a dish, etc. - to create a "story", to intrigue patrons..

[Serge]

Yes, we actually market eMenuBoards to hotels and resorts for their in-house dining promotion. They love it, as it increases hospitality to their international clientele with pictures and multi-lingual options..

[Serge]

Well, there is such a tool - eMenuBoard. We won an award for the Best New Product in hospitality technology at the last IH/M&RS 2007. We're already discussing it with a couple of Vegas hotels - it's a perfect fit for them.

[Serge]

eMenuBoard is not an advertising display, it's just an upgraded subsitute of your traditional external menu, so you don't have to make your food look better than it is in real life - but to show the regular presentation and ingridients. It's more for information purposes, to answer patrons Frequently Asked Questions

[boar_d_laze]

Serge,

I'm not very bright, so sometimes it takes me awhile to tumble to the obvious. It's dawning on me that you're not asking, you're selling. I resent it. Slow-mo spam is still spam.

From this you can't make musubi,
BDL

[Free Rider]

Originally Posted by Serge

Thank you.
It would help if the hostess is busy and have no time to describe dishes, or if she's not that good in doing it, or if some people do not like talking to hostesses. Btw, in some good restaurants it can take up to 30 minutes to get a table during busy hours - because they are good
..

If the restaurant hires a hostess that is too busy to have time to describe the dishes or worse, if she's not that good, then what kind of kitchen staff will the restaurant have?!

Imho, if your device is in the reception area, it's a sign that I'd better eat somewhere else because the restaurant is incapable of hiring decent help.

[Serge]

Originally Posted by Free Rider

If the restaurant hires a hostess that is too busy to have time to describe the dishes or worse, if she's not that good, then what kind of kitchen staff will the restaurant have?!

Imho, if your device is in the reception area, it's a sign that I'd better eat somewhere else because the restaurant is incapable of hiring decent help.

good point.. but isn't a picture worth a thousand words?

if the place is packed - for me it's a good sign that food must be good here even if the hostess is busy doing her job .. if she is really busy running around checking tables, seating guests, taking reservations, etc., I personally (out of mere understanding) wouldn't bother her with a bunch of questions about the menu, I'd rather look at the digital menu and quickly find all answers..

it would also help a foreigner, who doesn't speak English well to understand hostess' descriptions, no matter how good they are.

[Serge]

Originally Posted by boar_d_laze

Serge,

I'm not very bright, so sometimes it takes me awhile to tumble to the obvious. It's dawning on me that you're not asking, you're selling. I resent it. Slow-mo spam is still spam.

From this you can't make musubi,
BDL

I am not selling, as I dont' provide any links whatsoever.. I'm just debating if our new device is a good application for the industry (btw, we won the Best New Product Award on IH/M&RS 2007), to have an opinion of the professionals, and yes - I try to prove its advantages, maybe that's why it seems like selling. Don't worry - we have other channels to market it, rather than a forum.