The Outback pilot is still in early stages, but Suri sees broad potential in Presto Vision. The software has the potential to detect things like when a guest’s drink is almost empty, he says as an example, and prompt servers to offer them a refill.
But even without those fancy features, Presto Vision is likely already capable of producing lucrative data for the restaurant industry. That information could be used not only to boost sales, but also make life harder for workers. Researchers have found that workplace surveillance can have negative effects on employees, like increased stress and lower job satisfaction.
Alexandra Mateescu, a researcher at the Social Instabilities in Labor Futures initiative at the nonprofit research institute Data & Society, wonders whether Presto Vision and similar tech could ultimately decrease staff numbers or alter scheduling patterns. For example, if the software finds that servers at a given restaurant have enough time to visit their tables often, higher-ups may decide to cut the number who work during certain shifts, to try to cut labor costs. "This [technology] may sort of automate the discretionary power of restaurant management to make decisions," Mateescu says.
There’s also the question of what happens to the aggregate information Presto Vision and other similar tools collect. Even if the underlying videos get deleted, the data lives on. At franchised restaurants like Outback, it could be vacuumed up by parent organizations, and used to make business decisions in the future. In a press release, Presto touted its software could be employed to prov ..
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