I m the head of tech for a restaurant & cafe's QR code/online ordering business, also do alot programming on it. Happy to answer anything.
[AMA] I Work as a Programmer for Restaurant & Cafe's QR Code/Online Ordering
rimalala on 14/03/2024 - 10:16
closed Comments
very ashamed, sadly we have to lick the client's ass
username checks out
This is the funniest "username checks out" comment I have ever seen. I'm imagining the sound of pronouncing it XD
Gotta respect the brutal honesty though haha.
the amount of ass licking we had to do…
Tips feature is something we dont even want to talk about, the client (owners) ask for this, and if you dont have it, they look elsewhere…
@rimalala: Do you have access to the data or have feedback if people actually ever use that tips feature?
And if so, what kind of tips are they getting?
@El cheepo: i have access to some beta testing cafe, it really depends, but people actually use it. around $50 per week
@rimalala: Who the hell is tipping a for processing their own order? Small numbers but still, thats crazy.
Whats the odds those tips ever make it to the waitstaff…
@hornbill: If you were running a business and paying your employees their base salary, wouldn't it be nice for them to have an extra bonus funded by someone else?
It might also drive performance and job satisfaction when they get them, but I'm not a psychology expert.
@BobLim: Yes for sure, I was just trying to be sarcastic about some owners that keep the worker’s tips for themselves. Tipping on an app would seem to me to make it easier for workers to never see that money, little wonder owners demand this function.
lick the client's ass
You combined "lick the client's boot" and "kiss the client's ass"
And I just died of laughter, thank you!
Is the SaaS fee that business' are paying really that much cheaper than just hiring another member to take orders?
90% yes, the only exception is if u a fine dining (expensive kind) and u pay ur staff min wage
Are you a permanent employee or just a contractor? Surely there isn't a long term role for a technology person in hospo.
What percentage of customers order via QR compared to traditional?
Aren't most QR/online ordering SaaS? Is yours bespoke or a SaaS solution you've customized?
Are you a permanent employee or just a contractor?
permanent.What percentage of customers order via QR compared to traditional?
Depends, fast food, 80%, cafe 60%, average restaurant 40%, fine dining 10%Aren't most QR/online ordering SaaS?
Yes SaaSIs yours bespoke or a SaaS solution you've customized?
We are technically a SaaS platform, we code from base up
Does your company automatically delete customers data after a period of non-use, or keep it all “just in case they use your service again”?
anonymous user (user who ordered but didnt signin) after 2 years
Signed in user (we dont delete data unless requested)Your order data is kept for 7 years
Your order data is kept for 7 years
Thanks to those ATO requirements I am guessing.
i assume so
@rimalala: Glad the business is removing some customer data, but it’s a shame about the account holders. If the business ever has a data breach, it’ll be so much worse than it needs to be.
How do you differentiate from competitors?
Or is your product designed to lock in the customer as migrating away is made hard?Our solution works with all your existing sytem with our without intergration.
We provide everything you need dinein, reservation, takeaway, delivery (by your own driver), customer membership, data analysis, etc.
What do people do when they go into a restaurant, order on the app and then realise they have to pay in the app, but they don't have a credit card?
For the record, I hate these QR code ordering systems. I'm asian, and it ruins my ability to fight for the bill at the end!
not too sure what u mean,
If the restaurant require you to pay when u order, then our app will also require payment.
if the restaurant doesnt require you to pay (aka pay at the end of the meal), then u can just finish your meal and go to counter as u would normallyIf the restaurant require you to pay when u order, then our app will also require payment.
So for the ones you have to pay in the app, what do customers do when they don't have a credit card?
we have option to pay in counter
@bobbified: from my experience (from data) people usually just ask for a physical menu at that stage
@bobbified: btw, i m asian too, and i usually pay at the counter for expensive restaurant too, just to fight for the bill and ult show that i paid xD
@bobbified: That's when all the aunties take a bathroom break at the same time but end up fighting at the counter.
I hate the ones that make you go through the whole process, you get to pay and then it doesn't take Google Wallet card details I already have saved on my phone. What do you think I'm carrying my wallet around with the physical card? Haha so annoying
If you were to be stranded on a desert island, what 5 albums would you take with you?
i wouldnt take albums, but…
Meterora
Higher Truth
AftermanNice I'd take 5 copies of the Shrek 2 Soundtrack
Why 5? Why not 4, and a copy of The Matrix soundtrack?
Shrek is love; Shrek is life???
I wish we got a proper Reanimation for Meteora :(
There's a pizza place in Adelaide that lets you order food and booze from the table with the QR code, it's very convenient.
Yes, some people like it, some people hate it
I thought they all did. Are there places with the QR code system that don't let you order food and booze from the app?
alot restaurant have QR code to their website that just show menu, u never know lol
Have you ever been asked by the ATO to provide transaction records as part of their investigation into a client?
Not yet, we are pretty new
How is the service priced for clients?
Is it fixed monthly fee, % of sales, a combination of both or something else entirely?
our rate is 2% of the order
Almost all the restaurants that uses an online ordering system pass on the 2% charge to us. In my opinion, restaurants should absorb the platform fee if they are saving on labour expense. I dont agree that I have to make my own order and still pay platform fee.
I tend to avoid such restaurants after the first visit.
i m not sure about restaurants passing on the platform fee to customer, most likely its the payment surcharge which is also around 2% and we pass that to the customer too.
so technically we get 2% platform fee from restaurant and around 2% payment surcharge from customer.
@rimalala: But we only get charged 1.1% to 1.5% credit card fee if we pay at the counter? So why should we use the app then.
The customer is not getting any value out of it. We lose human interaction (asking questions regarding dishes or recommendations), we might potentially spend more time scrolling through the menu via our small Iphone 15 Pro Max screen rather than an A4 sized menu, we may risk our credit details every time we input it in some platform, we do the work to make the order and we still pay more on credit card fees?
Make sense for the restaurant, but I just dont get it from a customer POV. As i said, i tend to avoid such restaurants so Im sure there will be a crowd that feels the same. Lose-lose for the app devs and the restaurant in the long run.
@KaTst3R: We match payment fee, so its the same fee as u would pay at counter.
but yes, u are right. its not about you (the customer) its about the restaurant and its always about the restaurant. sure, there are people who dont like talking to people and love the easiness of self ordering. but at the end of the day, we selling our service to the restaurant.
Not too sure if u know, but restaurant owner and staff dont really want to talk to people all the time. they just want to get the order done, finish their job and go home. and this is much easier for them.
@rimalala: I totally get it, the devs are working for the restaurant to solve a problem they have. Nothing wrong with that. The restaurant has taken a strategic decision which is fine. I have been to restaurants which insist on only making orders via the app. Maybe as a way to reduce/avoid physical cash transactions at the counter. If restaurants allow both app and in person order, I have no issues with that. But of course, that would negate their potential savings right.
@rimalala: Surely a payment through your app would be higher fee so you're losing money there. Generally card not present transactions would be higher due to the increased fraud risk
@rimalala: In my experience this is never true. Every QR order system I've used has a significantly higher surcharge. That's why i never use them anymore. I've seen at least 5 different systems too. 2% is on the lower end but it'll be higher than paying at the counter.
So from my understanding those companies are taking a significant portion of my order for providing, in general, a sloppy web app. Feels very scammy and I just refuse to participate.Often the menu is out of date and the code is glued to the table as well. I've had some where the wait staff just tell us not to use it.
I agree I've had that same experience as you wasn't the card fee they were charging it was the service fee for using the QR code, I ended up just going up to order who the hell likes fiddling with the app and paying extra for it; end up leaving a mental note in my head to avoid restaurant unless food was amazing.
Also annoying I've visited a restaurant that was QR code only; had to pay on the app and no other way to pay to get rid of any surcharges. So damn annoying.
What colour underwear are you wearing?
i m naked in home
LoL, not in your pyjamas? LoL
Dark Coloured cause all DEVs love Dark Mode.
Can you program a user option to ignore tip options by default if they're signed in to an account?
Yes, will we? no
What’s the code for discounts on checkouts?
try test123
Any others??
JV123
Whats your favourite language?
python
Nice, mine is Japanese
Ssssssssss
Do you like KFC?
Did someone
saypay KFC?!Yes
no, I'm not sure if you're familiar with how programming languages works..
These days isn't it just "Hey Claude, write me a SaaS platform for restaurant ordering via QR codes in python"?
Let him be dude, leave him alote
I had to log in to see your comment and now very unfulfilled by what it actually was.
My local cafe has this and when we chat, they complain that people will put in an order but because there's no capacity for them to say something is sold out, the time the online order comes through vs customers at the counter, if that makes sense?
Is this a function you've thought of? And is it/would it be easy for businesses to switch menu items on/off during the day?
we had same complains. I m not too sure how to solve it, its def doable but not easy for staff to switch items on/off during the day
If it’s not easy for the customer (cafe/restaurant etc) you should probably redesign your product then.
McDonald’s do it. A good example of not being able to order ice cream and shakes at certain times.
If you have a staff portal why can't they just have a button to disable a product for the remainder of the trading day? A quick toggle on/off switch in a menu.
Seems simple to me.
if (employee press button1 = menu display show as out of stock and ordering function for item disabled)
if (employee press button2 = menu display show as in stock and ordering function for item enabled)sorry i dropped out of uni and didn't finish pass basic programming so this pseudo code will have to do :)
yes i agree a toggle button for the restaurant would make it easier but implementing that into the training might be difficult but having seen people operate pos cashier machines i think it is definitely doable just have a separate menu item list where you can toggle in stock/out of stock simple just create a new category called inventory that I assume would tie into the existing menu database
you can't just be sharing these code for free, that's how facebook got sue'd
@bakemon0: Wait how.. This is not even code it's just place holder text.
I don't work for any company I'm not even a coder
How ashamed do you feel when you're programming in the tip selection buttons into the self service app?