Fast delivery, entertainment between meals, checks being ready the moment you want to pay, and 100% accurate orders delivered every time. All of these are aspects most customers would equate to an impeccable dining experience and generous tip for the waitress, correct? Well, in a growing number of restaurants across the country, we now have electronic menus to thank for such an ideal meal.

I recently strolled into an Applebees with my mother and grandparents expecting another typical Friday night dining experience. The second I was seated I learned that I was mistaken. Instantly tempting my technology driven senses, sat an electronic menu, called a Ziosk, just begging to be tested out. On this Ziosk you can order your meal, desserts, play games in between courses, and even pay the bill. The question that lies beneath this undeniable entertainment and convenience is the true necessity of such an advancement.

“I think this type of technology should just be used for to-go food, if you use them in the restaurant it ruins the social aspect of ordering from a waitress,” says prior customer Paige Reid. We’ve all heard the debate of cell phones robbing people of their social skills, and inventions such as the Ziosk may be thieves all the same. These devices simplify our lives to the point where we don’t even have to speak to order our food. Not to mention the unquestionable affect the Ziosk will have on servers and their pay.

Some customers might suggest that the satisfaction they receive from these electronic menus urges them to tip their waitress more, while others question why they would tip their waitress at all if they’re doing all the work themselves on this ipad-like device.

“Personally, I would give my server less of a tip because I’m mostly doing everything on this digital menu,” Paige confirms. When I questioned my waitress on her experience with these new menus being brought into Applebees, her eye roll and frustrated tone lead me to believe many customers share Paige’s train of thought.

“The restaurant business is gaining money because the games that attract children are about $1 each, and dessert sales are going up because of the convenience to order them. But none of this helps us servers, because we’re typically getting tipped the same amount or less,” explained my young waitress. When teenagers are keeping a few extra bucks in their pocket than they usually do while calculating a tip, they may want to stop and think about how technology may slowly be building up to replace their future professions as well.

If an upgrade can be made in restaurants to order food, who’s to say it might not someday deliver the food as well, replacing waitresses as a whole? Who’s to say technology might not begin to take over professions in clothing stores, factories, hospitals, etc.?  While enjoying the Ziosk at your next family or date night at your local restaurant, be sure to consider all aspects of what this advancement truly means. Is it simply convenient entertainment, or a cause for concern? How you react to the Ziosk is up to you. “Technology will help jobs in the future, but if it gets to the point where robots are overtaking our jobs, that’s a problem,” concludes Paige.