Monday, March 31, 2008

The Talking Menu

Ordering off a menu in some restaurants can be a hassle. The small print and then there is just not enough light. Well a few restaurants in the Miami area have began using talking menus. These type of menus can be described as:

It’s a device about the size of a DVD with lighted, labeled buttons for each menu category — appetizers, sandwiches, salads, entrees, etc. Diners who can’t read the category names or the Braille imprints can tap the button once to hear the category name. Tap the button twice, and the talking menu reads all the menu items for that category. The device comes with a hearing aid-compatible earphone for diners who are hard of hearing or who are self-conscious about the talking menu.

The menu also comes in 8 languages and allows the restaurant to customize any other language. For five units it cost the restaurant $120 a month or to purchase them, it cost $3,500. This is a great idea considering we live in Florida where we get a large amount of tourist and a large amount of retirees. The best part of the menu is that it costs the diner nothing directly to use it.

1 comment:

Michelle F said...

This is rather interesting. I think it is beneficial for most diners who are either foriegn or can't hear. Some people might complain that it's distracting from a nice dinner or if a child gets a hold of it they might press millions of buttons and the menu will never shut up! Just a thought!