The president of the CAEB Restaurants Association, Juanmi Ferrer, says that a lack of staff is forcing more and more bars and restaurants in Mallorca to implement a customer self-payment system.
"It is the only solution to be able to stay open", to be able to balance shifts and to be able to ensure profitability, especially during the low-season months. He points out that some businesses are introducing the option of paying from the table with a QR code; there is also the option of placing orders through QR codes.
Another method is payment at a till. Referring to this as the Italian model, Ferrer explains that at 85% of restaurants in Italy, especially the day-to-day ones, orders and payments are made at the till when customers arrive. "The owner of the establishment is usually at the cash register."
At Palma's Can Joan de s'Aigo, one of the most famous cafes in Mallorca, manager Anselmo Cardona says payment at the till started during the pandemic. The system has been maintained because it helps staff.
Ferrer believes that "automation is unstoppable", though he doesn't think it will signal the end of waiters and waitresses. "In the hospitality industry, human warmth will always be necessary." Nevertheless, he feels there will be a distinction between the more everyday establishments and upmarket restaurants.
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I think these machines are horrible! I was so disappointed when the bar at the airport (by the car park) was "renovated" into a horrible unwelcoming space, losing all of its original Mallorquin charm. But when I had to pay using one of these monstrosities, that was my final time going there! @David Holland, they DO take cash.
"In the hospitality industry, human warmth will always be necessary." Does that even exist in a Mallorcan run restaurant?
Security at the door to stop those opportunists leaving with a free lunch For those who pay cash, not welcome. Strange plan .
And this before the working week is shortened by, give or take, 10%