You’re out at your favorite restaurant but you can’t decide between the steak or the fish. You order an appetizer in the hopes that you’ll have made a choice by the time it comes out, but 10 minutes later you’re staring at a bowl of cooling artichoke dip, no closer to a decision. It’s one of the most common problems a person deals with when going out for a meal, but the Abramo Chop House may have a solution for those of us who have a hard time deciding. A new hi-tech facial recognition system, integrating the restaurant’s Customer Resource Artificial Intelligent Guide (CRAIG), promises to change the way we order food forever.
The Dish Fulfillment system monitors a customer’s face as they look over the menu, and remembers what items they like. A matrix of small red dots is projected from the special ordering module installed at each table that measures and remembers the topography of a patron’s face as they read over each menu item. The system notes microexpressions, and subtle facial changes converting the data into a “satisfaction” number that can be used to determine what meal a person wants most.
In addition, the software remembers past visits and meals, creating a library of likes and dislikes for each individual customer. “Eventually, we want the system to scan a returning customer as they walk in, and put their order in before they even sit down,” says Brandi Essen, Operations Manager of Abramo Holdings LLC. However, if online reviews are any indication, Lahaina may not be ready for bleeding-edge ordering technology.
Negative reviews about the system have been pouring in since its unveiling over the weekend. With complaints ranging from wrong orders, to automatic selection of higher-priced menu items, and the distracting nature of eating a meal with red dots projected on your face. Many are wondering why the popular eatery didn’t address more bugs before the system’s rollout.
“Whenever you start a new program, there’s going to be a few issues to work out, but we feel the Dish Fulfillment system is far superior to any other ordering method you’ll find on the island today,” says Essen. She further points out that changes have already been made to the ordering process.
“We’ve eliminated the mouth sensors that measured saliva production because our facial recognition software is so advanced that we really didn’t need it, and we agree that they made conversation difficult. We’re currently working on a way to dim the dots during the meal, but I think that eating with a few visual facial markers is a minor sacrifice when you look at what you get in return. For those few who were blinded, I just have to say … tough it out, vision usually returns within 48 hours. Just like the heart, the stomach knows what it wants, even if the brain gets in the way sometimes. Dish Fulfillment can recognized your inner cravings and desires. With our integrated ordering system, your perfect meal is as plain as the nose on your monitored face.”
While there are plenty of negative comments about overpriced dishes, and unwanted orders the reviews are just as critical about the restaurant’s CRAIG integration. The Chop House AI has had a bumpy rollout, especially amongst locals, over the past few months, and that trend appears to continue. Tourists Bret and Spring Casey say their experience with the Dish Fulfillment system was bad from the beginning, but CRAIG’s “taunts” made their meal unbearable.
“It was weird, but I could live with the dots all over Bret’s face. I knew things were going off the rails though when it came time to review our order,” says Casey. “Apparently we wanted the largest and most expensive cuts of meat on the menu, with the most expensive sides, despite the fact that we had a huge lunch a few hours earlier. My husband is allergic to shellfish, but the system kept insisting that he wanted a double order of crab legs. CRAIG told us that most allergies were actually psychosomatic, but there was a hospital close by just in case. It got worse when I said I wanted my filet cooked medium-well. I’m not a fan of bloody meat, but CRAIG refused to complete our order until I placed one that was “edible”. The last straw for us was the contact after we left. Despite how unenjoyable our experience was, we still left a good tip, but apparently not good enough for CRAIG. It sent us multiple messages about how “a meal this good deserves at least a 20% gratuity.”
Amid the wave of negative press, Mr. Abramo has been uncharacteristically reserved saying, “Facial recognition science is a fast-growing field and the technology gets better and better every year. The Dish Fulfillment system is the future of food. I’ve learned to trust my gut above all things, and my gut tells me this is about people not being comfortable with their true dietary dreams. Everyone is so obsessed with fake health concerns, that we’ve abandoned our deepest dining desires. When it comes down to it, we all want to tear into big chunks of grilled meat. We want to order a side steak with our diner and not be ashamed. I not only embrace my inner carnivore, I feed it. I feed it well. I try not to be bound by plating conventions and recommended daily allowances. I eat what I truly want, and all I want is for happy customers to eat too!”
