New York Restaurants Employ Remote Cashiers Based in the Philippines
Some New York restaurants have begun replacing on-site cashiers with remote staff based in the Philippines. Customers place their orders through a live video system, while the remote workers handle payments and basic service tasks from overseas. The shift connects two different labor markets and raises practical questions about wage structures, staffing decisions, and why restaurants are opting for this approach.
How The Remote Cashier Setup Works
Restaurants across Manhattan, Queens, and Jersey City utilize a screen at the counter that displays a Filipino cashier in real-time. Sansan Chicken, Sansan Ramen, and Yaso Kitchen are among the businesses using the system. The worker guides customers through the ordering process, operates the register, and answers basic menu questions via the video connection.
A staffing service called Happy Cashier supplies the workers. Some employees switch between restaurants during their shift by hopping across different video feeds. They process transactions and oversee payment prompts through the interface customers see at checkout.
Pay differences help explain the appeal. New York City’s minimum wage is $16 an hour, while the staffing service’s remote cashiers earn around $3.75 an hour. Tips are included in the digital checkout flow, and some workers have reported receiving sizable amounts during busy shifts.
Why Restaurants Look To The Philippines
Image via Canva/Worawee Meepian’s Images
The Philippines has a large outsourcing sector that supports international clients across various customer service and administrative roles. Strong English proficiency, experience with remote systems, and a favorable exchange rate make the country an established destination for offshore support.
Remote work expanded quickly after 2020. As companies became more comfortable assigning tasks to remote workers, outsourcing widened to include front-facing roles. Once video tools and remote POS access became reliable for daily use, cashiering was added to the list of jobs that could be handled abroad.
Happy Cashier says its compensation rates exceed the average for similar roles in the Philippines by leveraging stronger foreign currency rates. Despite that, the gap between U.S. wages and Filipino pay remains significant, which keeps the model attractive to restaurant owners.
Customer Reactions On The Ground
Customer responses cover a range of views. Some diners consider the setup a quirky twist on the usual ordering process. Others worry about fewer cashier jobs being available locally, especially in a city where service work accounts for a large share of employment.
The remote workers, on the other hand, describe their shifts as structured. One cashier in Subic noted that she handles multiple restaurant locations through different screens and occasionally receives substantial digital tips. She also mentioned that customers sometimes ask whether she is an AI tool because the setup appears unusual to them.
As with many digital processes, minor issues appear occasionally. A cashier might be tied up with another location, which may trigger a “busy” message on the screen. In other cases, a remote worker may be unaware of a promotion displayed only at the physical storefront. These situations are a result of the limitations of supporting customers without direct sight of the dining area.