homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Dinner in your palm: social media and eating out [infographic]

Mobile technology is revolutionizing nearly everything consumers do. From browsing price comparisons in the store to checking movie times for nearby theaters while you’re still on the road, it’s possible to streamline virtually every activity using your smartphone. Dining is one of the most recent additions to the world of mobile conveniences.

ZME Science
May 13, 2015 @ 1:30 pm

share Share

Mobile technology is revolutionizing nearly everything consumers do. From browsing price comparisons in the store to checking movie times for nearby theaters while you’re still on the road, it’s possible to streamline virtually every activity using your smartphone. Dining is one of the most recent additions to the world of mobile conveniences. Having a smart device powered by a fast 4g network like the sleek Samsung Galaxy S6 in hand when your stomach starts rumbling can make it easier than ever to find, order, and enjoy your meal.

Starbucks has established itself as one of the forerunners with mobile ordering. Customers with the app can place an order for their caffeine fix before they stumble out of the house so the steaming cup is waiting when they stroll in the door a few minutes later. Several pizza restaurants are utilizing similar technology by offering mobile ordering through their apps. Consumers are extremely receptive to this type of technology, with 74 percent of those aged 18 to 34 saying they would order delivery or takeout through a mobile device if it was available.

If you’re in the mood for a more leisurely meal, your smartphone can help here, too. Restaurant finder apps are hardly new, offering locations, phone numbers, menus, and reviews on the fly, so you can pinpoint the best options in your vicinity. Reservation apps are joining the scene as well, making it easy to snag a table before you arrive to minimize your wait.

Mobile conveniences extend all the way into the restaurant. Thirty percent of consumers have used a restaurant’s app to pay their bill. Forrester predicts that mobile payments will reach $142 billion by 2019 as people ditch their wallets for the convenience of paying with a smartphone. Thanks to smartphones, the traditional dining experience may never be quite the same again. Read on to learn more about how technology is changing the way we dine.

Mobile dining

share Share

Elon Musk says he wants to "fix" Grok after the AI disagrees with him

Grok exposed inconvenient facts. Now Musk says he’s “fixing” his AI to obey him.

Stanford's New Rice-Sized Device Destroys Clots Where Other Treatments Fail

Forget brute force—Stanford engineers are using finesse to tackle deadly clots.

Big Tech Said It Was Impossible to Create an AI Based on Ethically Sourced Data. These Researchers Proved Them Wrong

A massive AI breakthrough built entirely on public domain and open-licensed data

Lawyers are already citing fake, AI-generated cases and it's becoming a problem

Just in case you're wondering how society is dealing with AI.

Leading AI models sometimes refuse to shut down when ordered

Models trained to solve problems are now learning to survive—even if we tell them not to.

AI slop is way more common than you think. Here's what we know

The odds are you've seen it too.

Scientists Invented a Way to Store Data in Plastic Molecules and It Could Someday Replace Hard Drives

What if your next hard drive wasn’t a box, but a string of molecules? Synthetic polymers promises to revolutionize data storage.

Meet Cavorite X7: An aircraft that can hover like a helicopter and fly like a plane

This unusual hybrid aircraft has sliding panels on its wings that cover hidden electric fans.

AI is quietly changing how we design our work

AI reshapes engineering, from sketches to skyscrapers, promising speed, smarts, and new creations.

Inside the Great Firewall: China’s Relentless Battle to Control the Internet

On the Chinese internet, a river crab isn’t just a crustacean. It’s code. River crab are Internet slang terms created by Chinese netizens in reference to the Internet censorship, or other kinds of censorship in mainland China. They need to do this because the Great Firewall of China censors and regulates everything that is posted […]