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As a Canadian, it does feel like stepping out of a time machine when you pay at restaurants in the USA. Instead of using a terminal at the table to pay yourself

As a Canadian, it does feel like stepping out of a time machine when you pay at restaurants in the USA. Instead of using a terminal at the table to pay yourself, you need to give the server your card and wait for them to manually process it somewhere. Maybe things have progressed in recent years. But we haven't done it that way in Canada since the early 2000's.

wpietri 3y ago
Things have definitely changed here recently. At least in San Francisco, at-table terminals are now the norm in sit-down restaurants. Staff generally use the same device for order-taking and payment.
- baby_souffle 3y ago
  > Things have definitely changed here recently. At least in San Francisco, at-table terminals are now the norm in sit-down restaurants. Staff generally use the same device for order-taking and payment. I used to work in PoS industry. This tech is new-ish to the US but not to the rest of the first-world. 15 years ago, paying with a CC @ the table was common in Europe, but the terminal could ONLY do payments. The devices that have been rolling out to the US are more like android tablets in that they can run the order taking half of it, too. Selling hardware to a restaurant is tricky and "oh, no, this only allows you to move the payment portion to the table; staff still have to go to central spot to find a table that can accommodate guests and place their order" was basically a non-starter. The sales pitch is a lot easier now that everything can be done table-side.
  - wpietri 3y ago
    For sure. "Bring the card to the device" and "bring the device to the card" seem about equivalent to me in convenience unless the device is something that the waitstaff is going to carry all the time anyhow.
    - rconti 3y ago
      Well, from the customer standpoint, it's one trip from the server versus two.
    - nerdawson 3y ago
      In one scenario, the waitstaff disappear with your credit card for an extended period of time. In the other, the card never leaves your sight.
danudey 3y ago
I was visiting Seattle (from Vancouver) a few years ago, and they didn't want me to use my chip card as a chip card because if they did then I couldn't tip. What the heck is that all about? Also, we're still hearing stories about merchants in the US starting to accept Apple Pay, whereas it worked fine in almost every retailer in Canada the day it was available - even though it wasn't available in Canada for a long time, American visitors (or Canadians with American credit cards) could use Apple Pay on launch day at any retailer that supported tap-to-pay, which was easily most of them.
- bmicraft 3y ago
  > What the heck is that all about? Tax fraud? I've never seen a card reader in a restaurant (here in europe) where they couldn't either enter a completely arbitrary amount to pay, or add a tip.
- tptacek 3y ago
  That's not a thing. Americans universally pay for restaurant meals on cards.
- kasey_junk 3y ago
  It was probably an issue with that particular merchants POS. Merchants have very little incentive to update their POS systems so technology changes are very hard to get rolled out. Especially for smaller merchants which many restaurants are. It’s a network effect thing. Because tap to pay wasn’t supported by the POS vendors US consumers did not get much improvement in experience because of it, so there wasn’t demand from merchants. With Apple Pay there is a huge improvement for consumers (not having to carry the credit card) it has finally forced merchants and their supporting POS vendors to support it. Between that and the disruption in the POS market the iPad (and similar devices) brought, POS vendors have had to become more flexible.
- kalleboo 3y ago
  Re: Apple Pay acceptance, some of the big chains took the chance to push hard for their own payment solutions ("Walmart Pay") in the hopes of not having to pay card processing fees anymore. Obviously the market has spoken and one by one they've been giving up.
pests 3y ago
I've started to see more and more servers using a mobile POS with built in credit reader and receipt printer. They hand it to you for tip and signature and you don't have to hand your card to anyone.
- WirelessGigabit 3y ago
  But now they get to see how much you're tipping them! Like they literally have to wait while you punch it in, increasing the social pressure to make up for a broken system. I don't go to restaurants anymore. Too much pressure.
  - DiggyJohnson 3y ago
    Respectfully, this seems like social anxiety or hyperbole. You don't go to restaurants because of the stress of the cultural norm of tipping? Seems more accurate to say you don't like eating out in general or because of the price of eating out once you factor in a tip...
- tlogan 3y ago
  Definetly not a better experience for all consumers. Or waiter. I do know that some restaurant owners are removing these things. They do not want to look like Olive Garden :) But it really depends on a restaurant: is it high end, type of food / drinks, it is a date place, etc. Majority of restaurant is all about experience and event payment system should match that experience.
  - sigwinch28 3y ago
    > Majority of restaurant is all about experience and event payment system should match that experience. I'm in the UK. I go to many high-end restaurants, cocktail bars, etc. Portable card terminals are essentially universal in these places. The fact it's the same everywhere is a feature, not a bug. It's quick. Your card never leaves your sight. No pen is required. Payments up to £100 can be done using contactless on a physical card. Even higher amounts with smartphones/smart watches. Tipping is often integrated into the terminal where tipping is common. It's rare to have to put the card into the terminal. I don't think it detracts from the experience. On the contrary, I think it streamlines the bit between being finished and wanting to leave: "Please can I have the bill and a card machine, please".

wpietri 3y ago

Things have definitely changed here recently. At least in San Francisco, at-table terminals are now the norm in sit-down restaurants. Staff generally use the same device for order-taking and payment.

baby_souffle 3y ago
> Things have definitely changed here recently. At least in San Francisco, at-table terminals are now the norm in sit-down restaurants. Staff generally use the same device for order-taking and payment. I used to work in PoS industry. This tech is new-ish to the US but not to the rest of the first-world. 15 years ago, paying with a CC @ the table was common in Europe, but the terminal could ONLY do payments. The devices that have been rolling out to the US are more like android tablets in that they can run the order taking half of it, too. Selling hardware to a restaurant is tricky and "oh, no, this only allows you to move the payment portion to the table; staff still have to go to central spot to find a table that can accommodate guests and place their order" was basically a non-starter. The sales pitch is a lot easier now that everything can be done table-side.
- wpietri 3y ago
  For sure. "Bring the card to the device" and "bring the device to the card" seem about equivalent to me in convenience unless the device is something that the waitstaff is going to carry all the time anyhow.
  - rconti 3y ago
    Well, from the customer standpoint, it's one trip from the server versus two.
  - nerdawson 3y ago
    In one scenario, the waitstaff disappear with your credit card for an extended period of time. In the other, the card never leaves your sight.

danudey 3y ago

I was visiting Seattle (from Vancouver) a few years ago, and they didn't want me to use my chip card as a chip card because if they did then I couldn't tip. What the heck is that all about? Also, we're still hearing stories about merchants in the US starting to accept Apple Pay, whereas it worked fine in almost every retailer in Canada the day it was available - even though it wasn't available in Canada for a long time, American visitors (or Canadians with American credit cards) could use Apple Pay on launch day at any retailer that supported tap-to-pay, which was easily most of them.

bmicraft 3y ago
> What the heck is that all about? Tax fraud? I've never seen a card reader in a restaurant (here in europe) where they couldn't either enter a completely arbitrary amount to pay, or add a tip.
tptacek 3y ago
That's not a thing. Americans universally pay for restaurant meals on cards.
kasey_junk 3y ago
It was probably an issue with that particular merchants POS. Merchants have very little incentive to update their POS systems so technology changes are very hard to get rolled out. Especially for smaller merchants which many restaurants are. It’s a network effect thing. Because tap to pay wasn’t supported by the POS vendors US consumers did not get much improvement in experience because of it, so there wasn’t demand from merchants. With Apple Pay there is a huge improvement for consumers (not having to carry the credit card) it has finally forced merchants and their supporting POS vendors to support it. Between that and the disruption in the POS market the iPad (and similar devices) brought, POS vendors have had to become more flexible.
kalleboo 3y ago
Re: Apple Pay acceptance, some of the big chains took the chance to push hard for their own payment solutions ("Walmart Pay") in the hopes of not having to pay card processing fees anymore. Obviously the market has spoken and one by one they've been giving up.

pests 3y ago

I've started to see more and more servers using a mobile POS with built in credit reader and receipt printer. They hand it to you for tip and signature and you don't have to hand your card to anyone.

WirelessGigabit 3y ago
But now they get to see how much you're tipping them! Like they literally have to wait while you punch it in, increasing the social pressure to make up for a broken system. I don't go to restaurants anymore. Too much pressure.
- DiggyJohnson 3y ago
  Respectfully, this seems like social anxiety or hyperbole. You don't go to restaurants because of the stress of the cultural norm of tipping? Seems more accurate to say you don't like eating out in general or because of the price of eating out once you factor in a tip...
tlogan 3y ago
Definetly not a better experience for all consumers. Or waiter. I do know that some restaurant owners are removing these things. They do not want to look like Olive Garden :) But it really depends on a restaurant: is it high end, type of food / drinks, it is a date place, etc. Majority of restaurant is all about experience and event payment system should match that experience.
- sigwinch28 3y ago
  > Majority of restaurant is all about experience and event payment system should match that experience. I'm in the UK. I go to many high-end restaurants, cocktail bars, etc. Portable card terminals are essentially universal in these places. The fact it's the same everywhere is a feature, not a bug. It's quick. Your card never leaves your sight. No pen is required. Payments up to £100 can be done using contactless on a physical card. Even higher amounts with smartphones/smart watches. Tipping is often integrated into the terminal where tipping is common. It's rare to have to put the card into the terminal. I don't think it detracts from the experience. On the contrary, I think it streamlines the bit between being finished and wanting to leave: "Please can I have the bill and a card machine, please".