The restaurant inside the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis is eliminating its front-of-house staff and replacing traditional service with QR-code ordering. Cardamom, the museum’s in-house restaurant operated by DDP Restaurant Group, will shift to a counter-service model this week, with customers ordering via their phones rather than through servers. Sixteen hosts and servers are being laid off as part of the transition, though kitchen staff and bartenders will remain, according to reporting by MPR News.  Related Articles The company framed the change as a long-considered business decision tied to uneven traffic and rising costs. Because Cardamom’s crowds fluctuate with museum programming and seasons, staffing has often been inconsistent. Workers either cut early on slow days or stretched thin during peak hours, a spokesperson told MPR.  Workers and labor advocates tell a different story. Some employees said the layoffs felt abrupt, and at least one suggested they were retaliatory, pointing to recent organizing efforts. Others noted that shifting to a QR-based system would likely reduce tip income, which can make up a significant share of front-of-house pay.  …