I was having lunch today at Kinniku in the Ari area in Bangkok and the service was absolutely horrendous. I waited for at least 1 hour before receiving my order. The worst part was that I had made my order slightly before the lunch crowd came in and another table which had made their order after me had received food before me.I got to thinking if mobile companies should redefine their business offering. Weird isn’t it? I started thinking about mobile companies when faced with this problem. Anyway, I was thinking if mobile companies can enable their users to order food through the web and pay for it too. This way, you can order lunch at your favorite restaurant and have it ready before you get there. Additionally, you can pay for your food in your monthly mobile bill.This is a win-win for everyone because the restaurant is more efficient at preparing meals and doesn’t lose money if the customer doesn’t turn up (because you still get charged for your order if you don’t turn up). Customers are happier with fast-served meals and mobile companies get to extend their services and ultimately build revenue.

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I was at Starbucks in Bangkok recently and noticed that motorcycle taxi riders are ordering complicated Starbucks drinks like “double macchiato caramel”, which is then delivered to customers, mostly in offices across the city. This is an interesting phenomenon where people with higher income levels in the 3rd World no longer want to pick up their own cups of coffee. I know this happens with maids for households chores and other menial labor, but this probably pushing the boundaries of 3rd World labor. The funny part is that when the drink is finally prepared and the barista calls out the complicated mixture by its name, the motorcycle taxi rider is unable to recognise whether that was the drink he ordered and simply stares blankly at the counter. He has to approach the barista to confirm his order everytime a drink is not collected by a customer from the counter.