settling bills in restaurants has become an ordeal

The world has got much, much worse in the last 3 years.

Until a few years ago, the way a restaurant bill went was as follows: you ask for the bill.  They bring it, and it's itemised.  It's on a slip of paper, maybe handwritten, maybe printed.  You check the items, if you like.  You check the addition, if you like.  You raise any mistakes.  You see if they added service, and add a tip, if you like.  You then pay by cash, or by card if mutually agreeable.

Now, the way it works is as follows: you ask for the bill.  Someone fiddles around on some kind of electronic device for a very long time, right in front of you, so you kind of feel obliged to give them your attention.  Eventually, they presume to announce a total at you.  You ask for an itemised bill.  They initially pretend not to know what you mean, so you have to explain what an itemised bill is.  You say it can be on the screen or on paper.  At this point, they may flash the screen at you for a second, so you have to explain that the way bills work is you check the items.  You would be happy with a normal paper bill, and will check it at your leisure.  If they want to use their screen, you will need time to check it.  There now follows a performance in which the device, in some way worn by, or strapped to, the waiter, is held awkwardly for the customer to check the screen contents.  If there are more than around 5 items on the itemised bill, paging must be coordinated between the customer and the waiter.  Despite trying his best, the waiter is unlikely to be able to hold the stress position for long enough to check it fully.  You then have to decide whether to complete the process, and how, or just give up.  Once the bill is checked, it is time to pay.  If the restaurant accepts both cash and cards, it's probably going to be okay.  If the restaurant claims to only accept cards, and you intend to pay with cash, you must explain the legal tender law.  If they do not understand the legal tender law, they may incorrectly escalate.  If, on the other hand, the restaurant only accepts cash, then your friends are probably unable to pay, being card-only people.  You are then left having to choose whether to cover for those unable to pay their own costs, or leave them to do what they would do if you weren't there.  Neither is all that pleasant.  If you cover for them, they will certainly lean on this cash facility on an ongoing basis, and they will not be grateful for the help, instead becoming all indignant at how backwards places are that don't take cards.  If you do not cover for them, it just seems like unnecessary hassle for a friend to go through.  You finally leave the restaurant, reflecting on how eating out used to be a treat.

And that is just settling the bill.  QR menus are out of scope for this article.  I may treat it in a followup article entitled "reading menus in restaurants has become an ordeal".  Actually, just entering a restaurant became an ordeal during the pandemic, and, in MARCH 2022, is still an ordeal in bizarro papers-please Austria.