You know that call button that summons flight attendants to your seat when you need a coke or something? Well, Applebee’s has rolled out a version of that at its Florida restaurants. Servers are forced to wear watches that vibrate when their customers push a tabletop button to get their attention.

Writes Hanna Raskin of Slashfood:
"In fairness, all Applebee’s button is made to do is call a server to the table. But the system demeans servers, and undercuts their professionalism with the implication they can’t be trusted to figure out what guests need and when they need it. I’m guessing servers trained to respond to electronic prodding are ruder and less attentive than servers without controlling watches on their wrists, meaning the system might actually make service worse."

Full post here.