Some are promising; others are downright confusing. The other day, Scott Kirsner at the Globe rounded up a few restaurant-related start-ups taking root right here in Boston. Leaf, in particular, caught our eye. Simple name; complicated concept.
Apparently, “the Cambridge company [is] trying to render extinct that faux-leather bill presenter that’s dropped at your table at the end of the meal. What if instead, your waiter handed you a small tablet computer that allowed you to review what you’d eaten, split the check, figure out the tip, rate each individual dish and beverage, and swipe your credit card to pay?”
Besides rendering Jerry Seinfeld’s “the story of the bill” joke completely outdated, isn’t the worst part of dining out lingering over the bill? This appears to be a prime way to haggle with stingy friends over the tab. (Come on, each of us has that one friend who only orders water and salad, then lunges for the check, performs extreme mental calisthenics to declare what each person owes, then insists on paying in quarters). Rating each individual dish and beverage? Sounds taxing, not to mention a recipe for a first date gone wrong (pity the poor guy who insists on earnestly evaluating his every course, just as the computer requires, while his soon-to-be paramour pretends to go to the bathroom and climbs out a window). And swiping your credit card to pay … on your own? We’ve tried this at the grocery store. We always have to yell for help.
The thing is, Leaf, once we’re done eating, in the wake of post dinner bloat, all we really want to do is leave.
The TableTech Rundown [Globe]
