The integration of Technology Readiness (TR) and Customer Perceived Value (CPV) in tablet-based menu ordering experience - Theory and Practice in Hospitality and Tourism Research - page 338

nutritional information and food claims from the
restaurants.
It is however impossible to stuff all the infor-
mation about items in the menu in a single menu
card. Otherwise, it will greatly shift the burden to
customers who will be trying so hard to be decisive
in choosing their meals. Considering this limita-
tion, it is said that technology application is the
only solution to the above mentioned problem
as agreed by Oronsky and Chathoth (2007) who
mentioned that technology can enhance or bring
about change in the dining experience of custom-
ers as a whole including the menu ordering. Leung
and Law (2007) added that is more relevant than
ever to use technology and innovative ideas to pro-
vide additional support for the restaurants' busi-
ness processes and decision making although the
use of 'traditional' paper-based menu ordering is
still considered by many as one of the most impor-
tant moment-of-truth prior to the other processes
later on.
Nonetheless, along with the increment in the
importance of technology there has been an
increase in the use of tabletop and handheld order-
ing devices (Rousseau, 2011). Significantly, the use
of these devices, especially tablets like iPad and
Galaxy Tab has enables customers to review menu
items, nutritional information and preparation of
menu items. Rousseau (2011) further added that
tablet menus are capable to enhance customer's
informational satisfaction by reducing customer
indecision and uncertainty in ordering decision.
On top of that, instead of going through number
of pages or folds of traditional menu cards, cus-
tomers will find it easy to go through innova-
tive displays of information developed through
intuitive interfaces of those tablets. The author
in his study also demonstrated that the customers
were fascinated by the new technology where he
explained one example where wine consumption in
Chicago Cut Steakhouse had increased since the
implementation of tablet-based menu ordering by
using iPad. Perhaps, customer satisfaction survey
can also be done by using the same device.
Many restaurants throughout the world are
using tablet-based menu ordering (iPad, Samsung
Galaxy Tab) lately. The most interesting part here
is that these restaurants allocate one tablet-based
gadget on every table for customers to place their
orders thus triggering a service called Self-Service
Technologies (SSTs) in table service menu ordering
applying the same concept of SSTs used in Airline
and hotel industry to name a few. For example, in
China, the number of restaurants providing this
kind of experience is increasing especially among
seafood restaurants and experts are anticipating
that it will be a new phenomenon that will shake
the foodservice industry in the country. A study has

been conducted by Dixon and Kimes (2012) from
Cornell University regarding the consumer prefer-
ences for restaurant technology innovation and the
study revealed that the technology customers value
the most currently is 'table virtual menus' where
customers love the fact that menu is presented in
more meaningful ways with additional informa-
tion on nutritional value, origin of ingredients. Not
only that, customers can place orders, play games,
pay their bills and even watch movie trailers with
the gadgets on their table.
It sounds nice to have something like this in the
restaurant but the menu ordering experience on
the customers' behalf is yet to be examined. For
long, restaurant industry relies heavily on the tra-
ditional paper-based menu ordering where face-
to-face interaction is at the utmost important.
The tablet-based menu ordering however is said
to be the most appropriate approach considering
the changes among customers and issues regard-
ing human errors and service failures exposed by
the traditional method of taking and delivering the
order. In fact, Yieh, Chen and Wei (2012) claimed
that customers in this age demand businesses to
keep pace with them in terms of technological use.
However, it is also depends on the technology read-
iness among customers and how they value tech-
nologies prior to their use. Individuals will have
different reactions to computer interaction there-
fore customers' technological readiness plays an
important role in influencing the overall custom-
ers' information satisfaction. Hence the assessment
on Technology Readiness (TR) among customers
on this technology to focus on their reactions and
level of comfort with technological tools is very
much needed (Dixon, Kimes & Verma, 2009). On
top of that, the capability of businesses to create a
good Customer Perceived Value (CPV) based on
this system could also influence the behavior and
actual use of this technology among customers.

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Technology Readiness (TR)
According to Parasuraman and Colby (2001),
Technology Readiness (TR) is defined as the peo-
ple's propensity or inclination to embrace and use
new technologies for accomplishing goals in life
and at work. The TR as proposed by the above
authors is categorized into four distinct catego-
ries namely optimism, innovativeness, discomfort
and insecurity. The first two dimensions are actu-
ally the motivator that increase a customer's TR
while the other two are identified as inhibitors that
restrain TR. In short, TR will indicate a person's
openness to technology in general.