Restaurant Payment is an Awful Experience

There is always the option of asking for the check when your food arrives, explaining that you will need to leave as soon as you are done eating. I've seen this done many times without ever seeing someone refuse.

And, as others have pointed out, attitudes on this vary considerably around the world. To some, the idea of being brought the bill and expected to pay and leave as soon as you are finished eating is strange.

I agree with the article.

Why can't we just pay at the register and be done with it?

Adding on to the Japanese restaurants. They have a call-button system which is much more efficient than having to flag down a waiter.

And, payment is more common at the register.

This allows Japanese restaurant to have fewer waiters and waitresses working.

You miss out on the interaction with the wait staff, but that's not really why I was there.

Japan is far from perfect when it comes to business practices, but their dining experience is second to none for the most part.

There are a few startups tackling this end of the business. Integration here with restaurants is challenging and usually only applicable to people who use restaurants as a utility (not a luxury).

Spoke to someone yesterday about http://www.tabbedout.com/ which markets it's "Pay when you're ready" thing.

I simply won't be held hostage at a restaurant when I'm the one with something they want (payment). After a reasonable amount of time, I'll get up and head to the door, bill in hand. If the waitstaff does not come dashing toward me, I'll stop by the register if there is one, or tell the hostess that I want to pay my bill. I rarely need to do this, but the fact that I ever have to do it at all annoys me. I'm not annoyed because my oh-so-precious time is being wasted, but because it's such a broken system for both patron and restaurant staff. Business owners have incentive to fix it if only for themselves (and some do, with payment at the register up front).

I love the Japanese system: They put the bill next to you as soon as your first order comes, and then they keep it updated every time you order something more. Once you are done, you take your bill to the cashier at the exit, pay, and leave.

I really wish restaurants around the world would adopt that system (I guess the dependency on tips is one aspect that prevents this approach from being implemented in other countries. In Japan, there is no tipping).

But tipping is another annoyance in today's restaurant culture anyway.

I like the South Korean system. Stand up when you're ready to leave and walk out. They will intercept you by the door for payment. No high tech necessary, sorry YC folk.

Leave cash on the table, that's the fastest way to do it.

This is also a great use for bitcoin. Just have the waitress drop a QR code (specific to your party) on the table when you sit down, and you can pay without ever having to flag anyone down, and no need to have an ipad per table or anything expensive and fancy like that, and unlike cash above, no one can swipe the money off the table. That's trivial to do even with current bitcoin technology.

In Australia, often times you pay first. I understand that some people find this offensive, as the implication they feel is being made is that they'll walk out without paying. But it makes way more sense to do it this way, and an intelligent person can deduce why a company might want to structure the process this way. It's nothing personal, and it's not a sign of a cheaper restaurant.

You walk in, sit down with a menu, then order and pay at the counter and sit back down. Not terribly difficult, and it solves all the problems in the article.

The only time I'm waiting is when in line to order (if there is a line), and when waiting for food. At no point is the status of my time there in question either. Are they finished? Are they waiting? Have they paid? Where's their bill? All questions never needing an answer, as if you have food, you've payed for it. If you're done, you can leave.

You also don't have to hand your card to somebody you've never met and hope for the best.

Smoother, safer, more concise and more efficient.

Communication is key. If you are in a hurry, tell the wait staff. They should be more than happy to oblige.

I really think you're in the minority of expecting to be in and out of a restaurant quickly, save for diners.

This is an idea that startups often try and quickly abandon (see Toast in Boston). The clear winner in Manhattan is Cover - I think this is exactly what you're looking for.

TabbedOut and MyCheck have really struggled to get any real traction here in New York. I saw recently that Cover does more volume in Manhattan than all the competition combined. Not sure if there are any good options in SF.

The reason behind the deliberately obtuse system of paying is tipping. Unless you change your culture you're not going to solve the problem.