The tradition of retail establishments offering excellent service to customers is one of my favorite aspects of Japan, and if I were in the restaurant business I’d look to see what ideas I could import. Like the excellent custom of handing out hot towels called oshibori to customers who’ve just sat down to order — there’s nothing that makes you feel positive about a restaurant like cleaning your hands (and face, although it’s bad manners) with a steaming hot towel. Another innovation I’m a fan of are electronic buttons you press when you’re ready to order. The staff of the restaurant can see your table number light up on a board, and they instantly appear. Another idea which might have potential in urban areas are restaurant ticket vending machines. If you want to order, say, a bowl of ramen, you insert your money into the machine and press the button, getting a ticket that you give to the cook. All monetary transactions are done by the vending machine, so the restaurant doesn’t need staff at a cash register, allowing the cost of the meals to be lowered.
(By the way, the Japanese achieve this higher level of service without ever taking tips, and in fact a Japanese person would be confused and insulted if you tipped them for doing their jobs. What an amazing country this is!)
I love the steaming hot oshibori towels they give you in restaurants.
