What's Up With Comment Cards at Restaurants?

By James Mulcahy

This week we've been spending time in Chicago to celebrate the launch of our 30 Under 30 list, and we've noticed that many of the Windy City's restaurants give you something a little old fashioned when they present the check: a comment card. We've been seeing these less frequently lately - it seems that the internet has become the de facto comment card of the dining public.

Thinking about it a little, we actually realized that we've never filled out a comment card during all the meals that we've had - so should these things go the way of the dodo? With eaters having plenty of ways to register their happiness or disappointment both after and throughout the meal (live Tweeting dinner is the new trend, or so says Neil Patrick Harris), the comment cards don't seem so relevant, especially because there is no public audience. On the other side, you're pretty much guaranteed to reach the owner or manager if you fill these things out, while electronic comments may just go into the digital void.

Do you take the time to fill these out, or are they just an unnecessary chore at the end of a meal? Let us know our own comment box below!

Photo: nikoriana via Flickr