DIY when going out AIBU to want to return to pre covid levels of service?

[Muchtoomuchtodo]

Odeon - no ticket office, buy tickets online or on a touchscreen machine when you arrive. Can’t order food / snacks at the counter, back to the touchscreen things to order what we wanted, back to the counter to be given our nachos and empty cups - go to the machine to fill it yourself.

Pizza Hut - could you please scan this qr code to order what you’d like. Ok, then they bring empty glasses and you have to go and get your own drinks from the machines. Ice cream for dessert? Here an empty bowl, fill it yourself. Sit down again, the spoons are back where the machine is, not on the table.

Nandos - you can order at the desk but we’d prefer it if you scan this qr code and order online. Then we’ll bring you empty glasses and you have to fill them yourself as well as collecting your own cutlery, condiments and napkins.

2 local very nice restaurant- now want food choices in advance. I like deciding what I fancy once I’m there.

I know none of these are very upmarket places, but if I’m eating out I don’t want to be up and down all the time sorting drinks etc for everyone (young kids and self service drinks machines aren’t the best mix!) I want to sit down and chat and relax with the rest of the group that I’m with. Please can we go back to pre pandemic levels of service?

I think that some of these businesses have seen what they can get away with after opening post-lockdown and found out that it works for them. For the old boring "COVID is still around" comments, well yes, it always will be, but on what planet do you really think a few QR codes and self service will really change this?

I think that pressures on hospitality has exacerbated this situation, inflation, labour shortages etc. But I can't help thinking that ignoring the customer experience for short-ter, savings will bite them in the bum eventually.

But. The more worrying trend is this kind of thing at GPs, dentists etc. You're treated like a leper, doors locked, "can I help you" by receptionists determined to do the opposite via intercom. People will die because of this.

In our local pubs you aren't allowed to go to the bar to order a drink, table service only. Let alone sit at the bar!! Feel sorry for the old guys who used to sit there and chat.

And as for the DVSA and driving tests .... how can covid still be to blame for the enormous wait for a test. DD has to wait until mid Jan.

Hospitality is very, very short staffed in many areas so no, we can’t go back.

At places like an Odeon or Pizza Hut I would far rather get my own than have to wait for a member of staff, neither is exactly somewhere you go for a fine dining experience.

It's a useful cover for the shitshow that was Brexit. So many caring and service roles relied on overseas workers.

It's nothing to do with COVID at this point, it's just the absolute minimum level of service businesses can get away with. I don't mind in a cafe or restaurant because I can go elsewhere (and I do). But for GP services and blood tests I think it is irresponsible. Last time I went for a blood test I had to help several elderly non-english speakers navigate the system to confirm they had arrived and were waiting to be called. Otherwise they would have sat there all morning because there was nobody to check them in, just a sign they couldn't understand.

@QueenCamilla but if you aren't able to give your exact address to the taxi company, how do you expect them to find you and pick you up ?

If I call my local taxi colony I can say x library or outside Sainsbury’s or whatever and the driver knows where that is. I don’t know the actual address of my local Sainsbury’s or library.

Nando’s and Pizza Hut have always been self service and if you don’t want to order via the app you don’t have to , we never do in any restaurant .

I don't really go to the places mentioned here- but I've noticed a lot of our local pubs offer ordering online/via an app. Some of these were bought in pre-Covid (Wetherspoons), others started when reopening after Covid as a method of keeping social distancing / minimising touching . It makes sense now that they are in place that they keep them going, particularly now that everywhere is struggling for staff. It generally means you get your order more quickly too. I don't think there is anywhere I visit where they won't take your order in person, or would not be able to provide a printed menu if you needed it though. Mostly I find that better quality places have better service - and I'm talking pubs here rather than gourmet restaurants.

I can totally understand a small restaurant offering freshly cooked food asking for food choices in advance on booking . It would maximise efficiency in preparing the food, if they have fewer staff and should also mean less food waste .

I think that some of these businesses have seen what they can get away with after opening post-lockdown and found out that it works for them.

Absolutely, there's a lot of companies hiding their bad customer service behind Covid - they've realised it's to their advantage (particularly when it comes to saving money) and they can get away with it (usually with a hefty dose of pious "It's because of Covid, as if no-one's ever heard of it). I don't want to spend 15 minutes trying to download an app, create a login, validate the new account and upload my payment details so they don't have to employ waiting staff.

That or they just like exerting a bit of extra control - our local tip still insists on pre-booking for no other reason other than they seem to like making everyone jump through hoops.

We went to pizza hut yesterday and when ordered from the qr code. At the payment stage, it asked me if I wanted to add a tip... No, you haven't given me any service to deserve a tip!
I wonder if the people working at these types of places like the new way of working. It's less work for them, but also less tips so less money.

"Nandos - you can order at the desk but we’d prefer it if you scan this qr code and order online. Then we’ll bring you empty glasses and you have to fill them yourself as well as collecting your own cutlery, condiments and napkins."

You've always had to collect your own cutlery and sauces in Nandos. Haven't been to Pizza Hut in decades, but I'm sure it's always been like that.

I quite like ordering via qr codes and apps. My husband hates it.

I much prefer the fill-your-own drinks because it means you don't have to wait ten minutes trying to catch the waitress's eye just to get a refill. I wish every place had it tbh.

I don't want to spend 15 minutes trying to download an app, create a login, validate the new account and upload my payment details so they don't have to employ waiting staff.

God YES! They are greatly multiplying the work to complete a simple action, but since they are also shifting the labour into the customer, they don't care.

They're not restaurants anymore they're more like fancy canteens now. Which is fine and they have their place for that middle of the road, know what you're getting food to refuel. But a dining experience it will not be.