A look into one private company's mission to "revolutionize" the airport dining experience by bringing iPads to every table:

...The iPads were easy to use, the crew members were certainly hospitable, and it was nice not having to run to the flight board to see if there were any updates. But the continued delays and my piqued interest allowed me to take a page out of Blatstein’s book; I had about four hours to kick back with a beer (ordered seamlessly from the iPad) and observe how other customers interacted with the tech and with each other.

What I saw was troubling. Several families at different times entered the restaurant deep in conversation but when they sat down few words were said. The draw of the tech experience had essentially dismantled whatever it was they were talking about. And just as troubling was the way in which nearly all patrons ate — one hand swiping the iPad as the other mindlessly went from food to mouth...

 “Having an iPad at every restaurant table tempts people to use it beyond just ordering food...This implies that people will be more distracted from eating consciously; they may eat more, eat faster, take bigger bites, chew less, and not feel as satisfied with the eating experience.”
                                             -Dr. Lilian Cheung