Alert – Aussie sparks huge debate after calling out annoying café trend

A disgruntled Aussie has launched a fiery rant at cafés that use QR codes for ordering, sparking a huge debate on social media.

The customer spoke out after visiting a café in Bondi, Sydney, where QR codes were the exclusive method for placing food and drink orders.

They vented about the absence of face-to-face table service and criticised the café for having the ‘audacity’ to request tips through the QR system.

A customer of a café in Bondi, Sydney, slammed the venue for asking to be tipped, despite using a QR code ordering system (stock image)

‘In this day and age, you go to a café in the city, and most will have QR codes to scan and order your food at the table. Quick, easy and convenient, right?’ they explained.

‘So I was in Bondi at a café on the beach. They had no table service – where a waiter would take your order – only the QR code.

‘So I bring it up, make the order, get ready to pay and the café had the absolute audacity to ask if I would like to leave a tip.

‘At this point I’ve had no interaction with anyone and I’m thinking to myself, “What BS.”‘

The customer then offered some advice to cafés switching to a QR code ordering system.

‘If you switch to technology and your staff aren’t interacting with customers while they are seated and making their orders – don’t be so rude as to ask those customers to leave a tip,’ they said.

‘For what? I paid $9 for a fruit juice and it tasted like blended broccoli water. WTF.

‘I seated myself. I made the order myself. I might as well have cooked it myself.

‘People go out for a meal because it’s an experience and they want quality customer service and interaction, not QR code service and asking for a tip before I’ve even eaten. How rude.’ 

The customer joked they ‘might as well have cooked [the food] myself’ and questioned why they should tip when there was little to no customer service involved

Hundreds of Aussies agreed.

‘I used to tip for good service, or if something was extra special, but asking for a tip before I’ve had anything… how do I know if it’s going to even be good?’ one wrote.

‘I do not tip the staff; they get wages. Nobody should be made to feel they have to tip,’ another said.

‘Completely agree! The whole hospitality industry needs a reset,’ a third added.

‘Same as the self-checkout at the major supermarkets. All of sudden I work at Coles now. Nobody invited me to the Christmas party though,’ another said.

A fourth said: ‘I much prefer customer service. I usually like to change things/add things to a meal which can’t be done with a QR [code order]. I certainly agree with your tipping comment.’

A fifth added: ‘I went to a bar with QR codes on the table. Walked up to the bar, ordered and got my drink, got back to my table and my friends were still trying to work out how to order using the QR code.’

However, others thought the Bondi customer was overreacting.

‘It’s pretty simple: you can just say no to the tip. No point getting angry over it,’ one said.

‘I just take it that it’s a built-in feature of the QR system they use. Not necessarily the café asking for a tip,’ another wrote.

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