New York restaurateur Danny Meyer did an extraordinary move this week by giving Apple Watches to his employees.
Managers and sommeliers will be equipped with the technology for the sake of improving customer service. Resy app will send an alert to the restaurant staffs when a VIP arrives, when a drink is taking too long to be served or whether diners need their coats at the end of their meal and when a menu item runs out of stock.
The alerts will come from an iPad in the restaurant that serves as a central hub.
Shortcoming of the Technology
Maureen Cushing, the Union Square Hospitality Group Vice President of Technology feared of human interaction that might be compromised with the technology. Instead of enjoying the dish, customers might be just staring at their phone's screen while chomping on their food. As a result, how the customers perceive the dish might be directly affected by the amount of attention they got from social media.
How will it be Beneficial?
When the sommelier and manager receive an Apple Watch, these watches will be connected to an app developed by Resy, a tech-forward reservation system startup, and it will be integrated into the restaurant's point of sale system.
Guests will have their own profile on the server, provided their food preferences, distastes and allergies including their past orders. This will help the managers know immediately what are the things that they must do any avoid for their customers.
Another cool feature is that in a party, it will not just be the reserver who will get a profile but every participant will have it, which can make the party more organized, secure and hassle-free.
Meyer Adds Paid Paternal Leave
Aside from giving Apple Watches to his employees, he also added paid four weeks paternal leave for his male employees.
Full-time employees will be offered with 100 percent of their wages for their four weeks leave starting next year.
