Bring back menus, QR codes are terrible

It's really simple: if I can't read your menu, I'm not eating. Goodbye. IIRC there's a law here that mandates a menu visible from outside the premises, it isn't always followed to the letter, but but most places comply, and it's a great way to avoid unpleasant pricing surprises.

Same with paying. You don't accept cash or credit cards? Goodbye. You only accept apple pay or some other nonsense payment system? Goodbye. And you'd better advertise your accepted payment methods outside if you want to avoid unpleasant surprises.

There are plenty of restaurants/bars out there. I'm not spending money in any place that clearly doesn't want me there.

And if you really insist on a silly QR menu, then at least include a human readable version of the URL. Seriously. It's not that hard.

> And if you really insist on a silly QR menu, then at least include a human readable version of the URL. Seriously. It's not that hard.

OK, here is the URL: > http://customer0931.incompetentagency.com/?location=2k12kx&i...

Have fun :)

> You don't accept cash or credit cards? Goodbye.

Where did you encounter such a restaurant?

I'd estimate that 99.9% of restaurants accept credit in the US based on the anecdote that I've only had to pay 1 restaurant in cash over the last decade.

How would a restaurant refuse both credit and cash? Do they make you pay before eating?

I would argue that doesn't quite qualify as human readable ... Surely something like https://restaurant.tld/menu would make more sense ...

After 20 years of web, I still see commercially printed URLs on signs/buildings/cars/etc that do not understand redirects.

I saw http://www.ourcompany.com/sub/registration.aspx on printed on a glass door the other day - looked like etching at first, but may have something else? This was at a local theater/event space, IIRC.

"ourcompany.com/register" is infinitely more understandable, and unsure why no one in the chain of command for that decision didn't press for something simpler. But they often don't (still). I remember seeing an email printed on a service truck back... 2002? 2003? "Email us as www.myservicename@yahoo.com". I never tried it - perhaps they actually had that email, but I suspect people were still in the habit of saying "www dot" before anything that had to do with "internet".

> How would a restaurant refuse both credit and cash?

Might have been at a Czech place. ;)

these are everywhere in China now. They use WeChat pay or Alipay :)

I haven't been there in almost 3 years so it must have gotten a lot worse now, I doubt I can survive next time I visit.

Quite a few places went to online-only payment during the pandemic. And while you can pay online with a credit card, you can’t actually pay by presenting the physical card at point of sale - which is argue counts as “not accepting credit cards” for a significant minority of the population (those without smartphones, primarily)

There are a bunch of trucks outside my house at the moment laying fiber cabling. The email address for the company is basically 'buildingcompany.co.uk@gmail.com' and this isn't a tiny firm.

It left me wondering whether the bosses if the company just don't care or if they were told by the web design company they hired for their site that it'd add thousands to the website cost and decided against it.

I think most people will just Google the URL and (usually) get the correct address as the first result. This might even be an intentional (if misguided) SEO strategy.

It makes no difference to the box-checkers hiring them, so therefore,

Plenty of guides on registering burners for this app, no?

The basic principle that you should be able to go out and participate in society without an Apple or Google smartphone should be heralded as common sense.

(Feel free to put up a URL and a QR code for the menu online in addition to paper menus though.)

Push notifications should be a public utility, or standardized at least. I can't believe how much we depend on them, despite them being served only by their one corresponding company.

How do you depend so much on push notifications? If you are receiving so many you may want to adjust your settings. It is not good for your mental health nor your productivity to be constantly distracted by notifications on a phone

how am I suppose to have a burner bank account to use with it? don't forget mobile number are associated with your identity in China

I don't have any of this stuff set up on my phone either, and I don't tend to have my credit card with me at all times either. So even with a phone I wouldn't be able to pay.

I don't depend on them but banking apps do, for one, and I'd hate to arrive to a world where the communication channels are all proprietary. In my opinion, protocols should be open, services should be interchangeable. And so push notifications, as a they are means of communication, should be provided as a service so that you could choose providers and such.

> associated with your identity in China

Isn’t this true everywhere, just not effectively enforced?

You are generally supposed to provide ID and a street address to the phone company when your number is activated. Some places treat that as just a formality and will take any number and address in the right format, but at least in the EU it’s the law and they have to “require” it.

Are straight-up burner phones a la “The Wire” still a thing in the US?

> Are straight-up burner phones a la “The Wire” still a thing in the US?

Of course. Why would you have to provide an ID to buy a prepaid SIM card?

Of course this is not useful or really human readable. It was meant as a "Be careful what you ask for" to the parent post and refers to the fact that at least in my part of the world, most restaurants are not part of a big chain and often end up with digital service/ad agencies of very dubious quality where this kind of URL would be completely acceptable both for the business owner and the agency because both just don't know any better.

Where I live, refusing to load a menu from a QR code would drastically reduce your options to eat out during the pandemic. Yes there are plenty of restaurants, but 95% of them now use a QR code that links to the menu (usually a PDF).

You're free to leave, but you'll cook at home.

I'm not sure I have push notifications turned on for any of my banking apps.

I do get notifications from my banks through text and email.