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Restaurants in Europe, the United States and Japan are experimenting with technology that allows customers to place their orders from a screen at their table instead of ordering with a server.

Companies that sell the e- menus say that they will attract a younger crowd and increase sales because of the appetizing images of entres and desserts.

In Israel, a private company called Conceptic has installed its e-menus in a variety of restaurants. The system is similar to touch screens used in airports for ticketing and cinemas. "It's about impulse-buying," Adi Chitayat, Conceptic's chief executive told Reuters. "If a person starts looking at pictures of chocolate cake, the chances are he'll order it."

Microsoft plans to launch its new Microsoft Surface system, which turns a table into a large touch-screen in the spring in some U.S. hotels and casinos, allowing people to order food along with playing games and music. Microsoft and Conceptic say the technology represents the future. "We are living in a technology age," said Conceptic's Chitayat. "People are not afraid of screens."

Not everyone believes that the e-menu concept will be widely adopted because human interaction cannot be substituted. "See this man here? He's been coming here for 25 years," said a waitress at Italian restaurant Rosticceria Fiorentina in Brussels, who gave only her first name, Giovanna. "I know his wife, I know his daughter. Do you think it would be better if he was welcomed by computer?"