Beyond Efficiency: Restaurant Workers' Everyday Experiences with Digital Technologies in Multicultural Service Environments
Author
Tapos, Amiyar Jahan
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-06-04
Pages
55
Abstract
This thesis examines how restaurant workers experience and adapt to digital tools in their daily work. These include point-of-sale (POS) systems, online ordering platforms, delivery apps, and digital payment systems. While these technologies can speed up service and organize tasks, the study also shows that they shape everyday routines, communication with colleagues and customers, and feelings of stress during shifts. The research focuses on multicultural restaurant workplaces where employees differ in language background, digital skills, and work experience. The study draws on interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation, and field notes. The data address how digital technologies are used, what kinds of problems arise, and how workers describe their work lives. Findings present a mixed picture. Digital systems help staff coordinate orders and payments and support day-to-day service. At the same time, they can create stress and confusion when systems are unreliable, hard to navigate, or do not work properly. The thesis concludes that the digitalization of restaurant work should be understood not only in terms of efficiency, but also through workers’ everyday experiences.
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan restaurantarbejdere oplever og tilpasser sig digitale værktøjer i deres daglige arbejde. Det gælder kassesystemer (POS), online-bestillingsplatforme, leveringsapps og digitale betalingsløsninger. Disse teknologier kan gøre servicen hurtigere og mere organiseret, men studiet viser også, at de påvirker hverdagsrutiner, kommunikationen med kolleger og kunder samt oplevelsen af stress under vagter. Undersøgelsen fokuserer på flerkulturelle restaurantarbejdspladser, hvor medarbejdere har forskellige sproglige baggrunde, digitale færdigheder og arbejdserfaring. Datagrundlaget består af interviews, fokusgruppediskussioner, deltagerobservation og feltnoter. Materialet handler om brugen af digitale teknologier, typiske tekniske problemer og medarbejdernes oplevelser på arbejdet. Resultaterne tegner et blandet billede. Digitale systemer hjælper med at koordinere bestillinger og betalinger og støtter den daglige service. Samtidig kan de skabe stress og forvirring, når systemerne er upålidelige, svære at bruge eller ikke fungerer korrekt. Specialet konkluderer, at digitaliseringen af restaurationsarbejde ikke kun bør forstås ud fra effektivitet, men også gennem medarbejdernes hverdagsoplevelser.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords