Product: Office Appliance
"What's for Lunch" Kiosk   (+5, -4)  [vote for, against]
Stop the daily argument

This kiosk searches an online database of restaurants nearby and automatically selects and orders the day's lunch selection. Delivery, if available, is automatically selected.

When the system is first delivered, employees enter their lunch preferences, special order configurations (ie. No Tomatoes), and vacation days, allowing the system to order Chinese when Bob the Tyrant is on vacation.

Also, this Kiosk is a bill changer, and solves the problem of everybody breaking out $20's. Simply refill the machine using Petty Cash when it runs low.
-- Mr Burns, Jul 16 2002

Can also be connected to ATM network and used as a cash machine (that dispenses bills OTHER than $20's)
-- Mr Burns, Jul 16 2002


//At delivery, employees enter their lunch preferences, special order configurations (ie. No Tomatoes), //

I don't get it. If you tell it you don't like tomatoes at delivery, isn't that too late?
-- XSarenkaX, Jul 16 2002


Upon delivery of the system, users enter their eating quirks, ie no tomatoes on anything it would ever order for them. I changed the wording for clarity. Thanks for pointing that out.
-- Mr Burns, Jul 16 2002


Okay, but still, I thought this device would solve the issue of deciding on *what* to have for lunch. It seems to be more of a mechanical version of an office lunch-order-taker.
* How does this thing decide on what gets ordered?
* Does it depend on a randomizer or some order for determining the restaurant each day?
* Then, does it depend on each restaurant to have a daily special to order individual meals?
* Does everyone get something different, or the same special?

I hate to say I could easily see a human take the place of this device. Any office could devise a way to do this all without an invention by doing the following:

Just pass the responsibility of choosing around each group, as is currently already being done in offices worldwide, and get the lunch-going group members to consistently have small bills on them, out of habit, to make life easier.

Sorry, but it's getting the bone.
-- XSarenkaX, Jul 16 2002


XsarenkaX- Come work for me. We are almost to the point of hanging menus on the wall and throwing darts at them to decide what's for lunch. You must not have a "Bob the Tyrant" at your office.

The idea goes kind of like this: Machine arrives. Machine checks database for local restaurants in your area. Employees enter their favorite dish(es) from restaurants on the list, and any special order instructions. Kiosk then randomly selects restaurant to patronize, selects your chosen menu item from the information you'd previously entered, and faxes a carry out order.

I too could fishbone my own idea by simply saying "Brown bag instead of bitching".. I prefer to let technology make my lunch break a bit more interesting
-- Mr Burns, Jul 16 2002


Well, that clears up the process a lot. I'm going to take my fishbone and convert it to a croissant after all. I understand the need for having a machine do tedious tasks that require time and effort. Besides, we ARE supposed to be working, not deciding on lunch, etc. I think you should add the clarification to your description, by the way. I was confused about the details before.

I like the part about entering your favorite dishes into your database. I envision you would be able to tell the machine if you want to make use of the thing each day, too, so you're not stuck paying for a meal you ordered last week for a day you took to play hookey.
-- XSarenkaX, Jul 17 2002


What's to stop Bob the Tyrant going "Fuck that stupid machine, I want sushi"?
-- pottedstu, Jul 17 2002


Bliss: Sounds *very* familiar..

Stu: Bob the Tyrant doesn't like oriental dishes, that's the problem.. I was thinking maybe add one of those folding hatrack things with a boxing glove on the end to bash him in the nose and say "You will obey.."
-- Mr Burns, Jul 17 2002



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