“Choosing Wine at the Touch of a Screen”
Kevin Sack, The New York Times
09/13/2010
<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/dining/15ipad.html?_r=1&ref=technology>
Atlanta’s most esteemed steakhouse, Bone’s, the newest upgrade is 30 iPads that contain the restaurants substantial wine list. There is a comprehensive description and rating for each label. Wines can be searched for by name, region, price, and varietal. The restaurant has seen an increase in wine purchases since the introduction of the iPad. Additionally, other restaurants who have invested in this new use for iPads have experienced similar increases. Most people are fans of this upgrade, as they feel that this empowers them to make wiser and more educated decisions when choosing a wine. Some even believe that gradually leather-bound paper wine lists will become extinct due to this new technology. However, some people remain skeptic and worry that iPads will depersonalize fine-dining.
I think this article is extremely interesting and I am definitely a fan of this upgrade. As I could see to some degree how people would feel that iPads would depersonalize the dining experience, I disagree. As long as customers are not sitting there playing games on the iPad during dinner, I do not feel that it would depersonalize the experience. If anything, I feel that it would bring the table closer together as they sift through various wines and select the one that they would like to try. Choosing a wine from an extensive wine list can definitely be confusing. The fact that customers can receive all of this educated information while they are actually making the decision about what wine to choose is incredible. I feel that it will help customers confidently find what they are looking for to drink paired with their meal. Also, I believe that this will help people branch out when trying wines. I feel many people do not try new wines simply because they do not want to spend money on a new wine that they may not like. With the iPads, there are detailed descriptions and ratings about every wine that could help people feel more assured in making a new choice. I believe that this is a step for technology in the right direction.
Not only is this an innovative idea for restaurants but it is also a great way to attract customers! I completely agree that choosing wine can be difficult process if a person is not familiar with the wines on their list or may want to order something new. This will enable the customer to be more sure about their wine choices and educate them at the same time. In a few years, most restaurants if not all of them will probably be using some sort of technological menu sort of like they are in this article.
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