Instead of just downvoting, I'll explain. Using "ask" in that way is slightly non-formal, but standard enough to use in business or diplomatic contexts. One might say: "What is your ask?" to mean "What are you requesting from us?" In this case, the request is being made automatically in a restaurant, so it is acceptable to refer to an "automatic ask". It's true that this is not formally a full sentence, but in the essay's context the subject and verb are implied and obvious, and the brevity of the phrase draws attention to itself. This is a good effect because that question is the focus of the entire essay.