A student approaches an iPad in the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life. They type their name, phone number and food order into their LBC restaurant of choice, and voilà, they are alerted when their food is ready with no human contact. No “Hello, may I please have?” or “Have a good day!” is necessary with an LBC Grubhub iPad.
Major restaurants like McDonald’s now use iPads for ordering, contributing to a loss of human connection that feels dystopian. These technological advancements often feel closer to science fiction than reality.
Where does that leave Tulane University? The LBC restaurants are organized as quick service and to-go style eateries. Most customers are college students in a rush, and the iPads offer great convenience. While Tulane graduate student Nathan Zwick agrees that the iPads are faster to order, he described the process as “weird.”
“It feels a little weird not talking to anyone when I order food now,” Zwick said. “Now, I just order my food and grab it from a rack or a counter when it’s ready. It’s definitely an odd feeling.”
Junior Noah Bassirat believes that while the iPad/Grubhub integration can be a good advancement for the LBC, the system needs work. “The Grubhub integration is good because you can order your food on the way to the LBC,” Bassirat said. “The iPads themselves are a good idea, but to have three iPads for eight vendors is dumb and inefficient.”
“It’s not a good tradeoff,” Bassirat continued. “It’s dehumanizing for everybody.”
The LBC iPads evoke a former technological advancement Tulane tried to incorporate: the Kiwibots. When Kiwibots first rolled on to campus in 2022, Tulane promised a “high-tech convenience with a digital smile.” However, these bots confused and frustrated students with their slow and awkward routes. Walking near them felt like a chore and felt “too futuristic” for everyone.
“I was hit by a Kiwibot once,” senior Lauren Kessel said. “I never liked them. I always thought they were so weird and a waste of Tulane’s money.”
I applaud Tulane’s efforts to integrate technology into student life, but there must be balance. Technological fatigue and confusion plagued the Kiwibots, and there is a similar uneasiness with the iPad/Grubhub integration.
Bassirat offers a fair tradeoff for the LBC: “I’ve seen some restaurants that let you use the iPad or order at the counter, which is a little less efficient,” Bassirat said. “But, if the LBC vendors want to keep the person that yells an order number when it’s ready, then they can also be made available to take your order in person.”
Students should have the option to conveniently order on the iPad or interact with the service workers if they need to ask questions or simply talk with a human.
