They used to have waiters write down your order on a pad... they would then take it to the kitchen... answer any questions from the kitchen... then whoever was in charge took over... organized everything... and if the chef was any good... everything, for EVERY table... in a really busy restaurant... arrived together... in the correct order... easy... with a nice break between courses... sure, staff got yelled at and abused... BUT it WORKED...
So pencils are old-fashioned... hey, let's try and get the customers to place orders in the kitchen using their smartphones... buy a tablet or iPad for all the remaining waiters... or use terminals in the restaurant... so there is absolutely no communication with the kitchen... THEN... give everyone in the kitchen their own little printer... so THEY all know what to do without being yelled at...
Does it work in PRACTICE?... No... When did you last get every meal arriving at the same time?... On one occasion, I didn't get fed at all... Technology... love it...