Good wait help is, it seems, hard to find in Germany. So hard, in fact, that a dining entrepreneur has developed a restaurant where there are no waiters or waitresses.
At 's Baggers in Nuremberg, patrons place orders on touch screens at their table and then have meals delivered to them via a special metal rail track system from the kitchen directly above. Customers are kept apprised of the progress of their meal via the touch screen so they know when to expect food and drinks.
According to the company's website, the 's Baggers philosophy holds that "staff only execute those tasks that are directly of benefit to our guests... Our motto is: The most efficient way to do something is, in fact, not to do it at all!"
Not doing it at all adds up to some serious savings, according to Michael Mack, the founder of 's Baggers. He told Der Spiegel, "Billions of euros in personnel costs could be saved using this system. We don't need service at the table."
While the novelty of the ordering and track system attracts visitors to the restaurant, not all are sold on the concept. According to Der Spiegel, a visitor to the German internet forum Restaurant-Kritik.de complained, "We prefer a nice friendly waiter to this cold stainless steel system you can't talk to."
Discussion Question: Are consumers ready to do more themselves in shopping environments? Do you see a future for fully automated do-it-yourself restaurants and stores in the U.S.?
[Author's Note] For those wondering about the menu, this from the restaurant's website: "Our chef uses only fresh, high-quality ingredients, many of which are organic produce, directly from the local region. Everything is freshly prepared and once a week a new menu is created. For this reason we ask for your appreciation should a dish on the menu unexpectedly run out."