That's a fantasy. There's too much clerical work involved in keeping Apple's menu database up to date, especially since there's nothing in it for the restaurant. Many restaurants have daily specials, which would need to be input each day. Some restaurants sometimes run out of something, so that would have to be told to the app as it occurs.
When I dine out I don't order everything right away... I need to see how it goes before deciding on a dessert. I also can't predict if I'll have a second glass of wine or not.
How does what I order on the app get communicated to the waiter? How does my order get entered into the restaurant's pos system so they can total out (Apple app orders and all the other customers) at the end of the day?
What if something I order turns out bad and I send it back... does the waiter have some sort of override code where he can get into my app and change my original order?
It’s a whole lot easier than you think it is. Actually, I may suggest it to our sales guys (base infrastructure & app already in place).
You’re also off track: the threads intent was fast-food type menus, where the offerings are stable & national, and clerks are just filling checklists and processing payments.