Pan-Asian restaurant Inamo now projects its menu onto your table, so you can see a snapshot of each menu item on a plate front of you, before buying. Called the E-Table, projectors hidden in the ceiling reflect the meal and its information on the tabletop.
The table also works as a touchscreen monitor for easy browsing through the menu. The drink and menu choices are pre-loaded onto the E-Table via a specialized content management system (CMS); the CMS also picks the table’s background image and other ambiences, but those at the table can choose the theme as well. The system also uses a central server to print orders for the kitchen or the bar. As well as looking at and ordering food, parties can book a taxi, browse nearby neighborhoods.
Unfortunately, there could be a few pitfalls. First, the biggest E-Table can only seat two, which isn’t much fun for larger parties. Also, it could make for a pretty bad experience if the technology happened to fail while you were ordering. At least it would give the waiting staff a little more to do, seeing as welcoming diners and handing out menus is no longer required. It’s also not a new technology, just different implementation–Ubergizmo notes that a Taiwanese restaurant has a similar setup.
Check out the video below to see how the table works. Would you like to see more E-Tables, or do you prefer a waiting service and menu?
[Inamo and Springwise via Ubergizmo]
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