Cardamom, the in-house restaurant at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, is laying off sixteen front-of-house staff members as it transitions to a QR-code-based ordering system. The restaurant’s operator, DDP Restaurant Group, cited fluctuating museum traffic and rising operational costs as the primary drivers for the shift to a counter-service model. While kitchen staff and bartenders will remain, the move effectively replaces traditional table service with digital automation.
This transition highlights the ongoing tension between labor and technology in cultural institutions. While the restaurant frames the move as a necessary business optimization, employees and labor advocates have raised concerns about potential retaliation against recent organizing efforts and the loss of tip-based income. The situation underscores a broader post-pandemic trend where museums and their vendors increasingly rely on contactless technology to mitigate the financial instability of the hospitality sector.