Hosptiality Upgrade: Fall Issue, 2007
Sherry Heyl
Julie Keyser-Squires
Social Media on the internet is growing by the second through forums, blogs, wikis, and web-based communities like facebook and myspace. Travelers are searching online for reviews from actual guests who have stayed in the hotel they are looking into, or have eaten at a particular restaurant. All you need to join the conversation is a computer and an internet connection. This means that just about everyone can post comments about you and your company for everyone to read. It is critical for companies to understand how social media works, and the importance of getting involved in the conversation.
The first step in getting involved in the online chatter is to find the conversations. With search engines likes Technorati (www.technorati.com) you can type in your company's name to search through blogs, photos, and videos. Here, they also assign a number which shows the authority of each blog. This is based on the number of links coming into the site from various other blogs.
The next step is to listen to what is being said. The best way to do this is to subscribe to a Blog RSS Feed, such as Bloglines. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. "Information syndicated from frequently updated Web sites that can be subscribed to." Although subscribing can take a couple of hours to set up and a little work, the pay off is definitely worth the wait. After set-up, it is time to read your feeds.
Part 2, which will be in the next edition of Hospitality Upgrade, will focus on developing a blog stradegy and participating in the conversation.
If used correctly, getting involved in the online conversation can be extremely beneficial to a company. First of all, they are receiving free information on guest reactions, whether it be good or bad. They don't have to put much effort out to obtain this information on how a guest feels. Whether the guests loved your restaurant or hated it, they felt strongly enough to log on and state their opinion for everyone to read, so it is worth hearing them. I read a blog a while back on Olive Garden. The writer was complaining that the servers there are forced to bring wine to every table when they greet the guest. They are told to describe the wine to the guest and try to get them to buy a glass. I have experienced this while dining there also. I went out with 3 of my friends. None of us are 21 but yet the server still brought the wine to the table. Olive Garden may benefit from this conversation about them. Even if they don't change their policy, they could get involved in the conversation and inform their employees that some guests may be put off by trying to sell them wine. Conversation online is unlimited. Everyone has an opinion. The hardest part for companies may be deciding who to listen to, and who to reach out to. Customers keep the business running. Without them, we would be out of a job. With this in mind, we need to listen to what they are saying, and do our best to make the best of this information.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Going Mobile
Going Mobile
Hospitality Technology
October Issue, 2007
The first wireless techology that was installed in food-service operations was wireless internet. This was traditionally used to lure in guests. However, a few companies are taking wireless even further, and it seems to be working quite well. Bd's Mongolian Barbeque decided that they wanted to do away with traditional paper comment cards normally seen in restaurants. They installed "The Informant" by Long Range Systems, which is an electronic comment card solution. The device looks like a credit-card tray with a few more buttons, and a digital screen that displays the questions. A suprising 92% of guests agree to take the survey, which is a huge increase from how many people fill out paper comment cards. One of the questions asked in the survey is "Based on your experience today, will you return to bd's?" If the guest answers no, a manager is paged and can go talk to the table before they leave unhappy. This is a great way to keep customers coming back who normally would never return. Another big advantage for managers is that if a certain server's guests are not having a good time, the manager will see this, and can talk to them specifically. Bd's also installed a new pager system that texts a guest's cell phone when their table is ready. Lazlo's Brewery & Grill is using Panasonic Toughbooks and ProHost to manage guest seating and wait times. With these new handheld devices, hosts can meet guests in the lobby to get their party information. Guests love the new system, and managers love it because you can see what your average wait time is, and also collect information to do market analysis. Friend's Coastal was completely ruined in Hurrican Katrina, and after looking for a new POS system, they decided on Digital Dining by Menusoft. This system features handheld POS units and remote payment collection. One server greets the guests and takes their order. A back-up waiter brings the drink and food to the table. This is helping Friend's to increase table turns and increase customer satisfaction.
All of these new technologies are pretty amazing. I believe that the digital comment cards is a great idea. Not only does it get more guest feedback, but it also allows for managers to deal with unhappy guests who may not have said anything otherwise. The guest information can also be used to evaluate your employees based on if their guests leave happy or unhappy, and if they were satisfied with the service. As for Lazlo's new table management system, I strongly believe that all busy restuarants should have a similar system. Many hosts have never worked in a restaurant before and having this technology would allow for more accurate wait times, which means happier guests. Digital Dining is a little weird to me. I don't think it's a very good idea to have a back-up waiter who only runs food and drinks. This would increase your labor costs. Servers should be able to run their own food and drink in a timely fashion.
Hospitality Technology
October Issue, 2007
The first wireless techology that was installed in food-service operations was wireless internet. This was traditionally used to lure in guests. However, a few companies are taking wireless even further, and it seems to be working quite well. Bd's Mongolian Barbeque decided that they wanted to do away with traditional paper comment cards normally seen in restaurants. They installed "The Informant" by Long Range Systems, which is an electronic comment card solution. The device looks like a credit-card tray with a few more buttons, and a digital screen that displays the questions. A suprising 92% of guests agree to take the survey, which is a huge increase from how many people fill out paper comment cards. One of the questions asked in the survey is "Based on your experience today, will you return to bd's?" If the guest answers no, a manager is paged and can go talk to the table before they leave unhappy. This is a great way to keep customers coming back who normally would never return. Another big advantage for managers is that if a certain server's guests are not having a good time, the manager will see this, and can talk to them specifically. Bd's also installed a new pager system that texts a guest's cell phone when their table is ready. Lazlo's Brewery & Grill is using Panasonic Toughbooks and ProHost to manage guest seating and wait times. With these new handheld devices, hosts can meet guests in the lobby to get their party information. Guests love the new system, and managers love it because you can see what your average wait time is, and also collect information to do market analysis. Friend's Coastal was completely ruined in Hurrican Katrina, and after looking for a new POS system, they decided on Digital Dining by Menusoft. This system features handheld POS units and remote payment collection. One server greets the guests and takes their order. A back-up waiter brings the drink and food to the table. This is helping Friend's to increase table turns and increase customer satisfaction.
All of these new technologies are pretty amazing. I believe that the digital comment cards is a great idea. Not only does it get more guest feedback, but it also allows for managers to deal with unhappy guests who may not have said anything otherwise. The guest information can also be used to evaluate your employees based on if their guests leave happy or unhappy, and if they were satisfied with the service. As for Lazlo's new table management system, I strongly believe that all busy restuarants should have a similar system. Many hosts have never worked in a restaurant before and having this technology would allow for more accurate wait times, which means happier guests. Digital Dining is a little weird to me. I don't think it's a very good idea to have a back-up waiter who only runs food and drinks. This would increase your labor costs. Servers should be able to run their own food and drink in a timely fashion.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Restaurant Communications
http://www.htmagazine.com/HT/archive/0907/0907_03.html
Hospitality Technology- September issue
Restaurant Communications
By Vicki Powers, Contributing Editor
Restaurant communication is continuing to get more and more complex, but yet very efficient. Two of the technologies in my article are completely amazing. These new systems are helping to cut costs, increase table turns, and improve the customer experience.
Zaxby's is a fast-casual restuarant that provides outstanding food quality by cooking guest's food after it is ordered. Customers love the fresh food, but food does take a little longer to prepare. They wanted to cut back on the wait time for guests, so two years ago they began testing HyperActive Bob. This "robot" (which is mounted on their roof) predicts what guests will order from the time they park their car in the parking lot. It sends this predicted order to touch screens in the kitchen so they know what to start cooking and how much. It has helped them save $4,700 a year on waste alone.
At Fatz Cafe (and other major chains like TGIFs) they are testing new wireless technology that is greatly improving the customer experience. Everyone in the front of the house (hosts, servers, bartenders, managers, bussers, and even expeditors) is connected through a watchlike device. On each table is a wireless hub, which enables guests to page their server if they need anything. For example, when they are ready to order, they page their server, or if they need drink refills. This is just one great part of the technology. Hosts can page servers when they are seated, expos page servers when their food order is up, and bussers page hosts when they table is ready to be resat. All of these things are combining to increase table turns, increase tips, and improve guest and employee satisfaction.
This article was great for me because I work in the restaurant industry and plan to for a while. Zaxby's predictive robot is an amazing concept to me. The new technology seems to be working great for them because they have installed it in approximately 100 of their 385 locations. The article didn't go into much detail about how it worked, but I would love to learn more about it. As for Fatz Cafe, I took particular liking to this topic becuase it is the same technology that my group article is about. I LOVE this idea. It connects everyone in the restaurant to each other and has increased table turns by 10% in chains like TGIFs. Employee and guests feedback has been overwhelmingly great. My first reaction, however, was not so great. I am a server, and I imagined guests going out of control with paging you to the table. I still do believe that there would be a few guests who would be very annoying with the paging device, but on average a table pages you twice during the meal. When I am a restaurant manager in the future, this is definitely a tecnology that I would strongly consider having in my property.
Hospitality Technology- September issue
Restaurant Communications
By Vicki Powers, Contributing Editor
Restaurant communication is continuing to get more and more complex, but yet very efficient. Two of the technologies in my article are completely amazing. These new systems are helping to cut costs, increase table turns, and improve the customer experience.
Zaxby's is a fast-casual restuarant that provides outstanding food quality by cooking guest's food after it is ordered. Customers love the fresh food, but food does take a little longer to prepare. They wanted to cut back on the wait time for guests, so two years ago they began testing HyperActive Bob. This "robot" (which is mounted on their roof) predicts what guests will order from the time they park their car in the parking lot. It sends this predicted order to touch screens in the kitchen so they know what to start cooking and how much. It has helped them save $4,700 a year on waste alone.
At Fatz Cafe (and other major chains like TGIFs) they are testing new wireless technology that is greatly improving the customer experience. Everyone in the front of the house (hosts, servers, bartenders, managers, bussers, and even expeditors) is connected through a watchlike device. On each table is a wireless hub, which enables guests to page their server if they need anything. For example, when they are ready to order, they page their server, or if they need drink refills. This is just one great part of the technology. Hosts can page servers when they are seated, expos page servers when their food order is up, and bussers page hosts when they table is ready to be resat. All of these things are combining to increase table turns, increase tips, and improve guest and employee satisfaction.
This article was great for me because I work in the restaurant industry and plan to for a while. Zaxby's predictive robot is an amazing concept to me. The new technology seems to be working great for them because they have installed it in approximately 100 of their 385 locations. The article didn't go into much detail about how it worked, but I would love to learn more about it. As for Fatz Cafe, I took particular liking to this topic becuase it is the same technology that my group article is about. I LOVE this idea. It connects everyone in the restaurant to each other and has increased table turns by 10% in chains like TGIFs. Employee and guests feedback has been overwhelmingly great. My first reaction, however, was not so great. I am a server, and I imagined guests going out of control with paging you to the table. I still do believe that there would be a few guests who would be very annoying with the paging device, but on average a table pages you twice during the meal. When I am a restaurant manager in the future, this is definitely a tecnology that I would strongly consider having in my property.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
See-And Touch- The Future
See-And Touch- The Future
"A Look into Microsoft's Executive Briefing Center"
In Redmond Washington, amazing things are happening. Microsoft Home and the Microsoft Center for Information Work (CIW) are predicting and revealing the future in hospitality information technologies. In order to be successful, companies need to offer guests personalized experiences. Microsoft Home is developing technology that would completely eliminate the traditional room key altogether. It offers retinal and facial recognition technology in order to gain access to the room, as well as voice recognition and fingerprints. Upon entering the room, the guest's own personalized room settings are adjusted to what they prefer. This includes temperate, lighting, window shade position and even music. The technology can even change the walls and decor of the room to reflect the guest's current mood, and display family photos.
Many new technologies are being developed to assist people in the workforce who are working out of their homes or in more than one office. Microsoft Roundtable, developed by Microsoft CIW, is a new technology that will greatly enhance online meetings. It shows participants attending a meeting in real time, and includes a "smart camera" that will point to whoever is speaking at the moment. The CIW has also developed web-based workspaces where meeting attendees can collaborate their ideas and share information.
Microsoft has given me some faith in the hospitality industry in the coming years. If companies continue to be innovative and keep updating their technology there is no saying how far we can go with it. The retinal and facial recognition is great for hotels who are very concerned about the security of their guests. Imagine going to your hotel room with no room key, all you have to do is stand at the door and it will unlock for you. Personalizing the rooms is the greatest new technology that I am looking forward to experiencing. Many people who travel a lot may feel uncomfortable in hotel rooms, but these smart rooms are one great way to make them feel more at home and keep them coming back. Microsoft Roundtable gives you an experience unlike any other be being able to be in a meeting in the convenience of your own hotel room. Imagine the day when you can fly across the country to be on vacation, but still be able to participate in your meeting back home that you needed to be at. Then, when the meeting is done, you can go right back to what you were doing. New technologies like the ones being developed in Redmond Washington at Microsoft keep the hospitality business new exciting. I'm looking forward to the future. Are you?
"A Look into Microsoft's Executive Briefing Center"
In Redmond Washington, amazing things are happening. Microsoft Home and the Microsoft Center for Information Work (CIW) are predicting and revealing the future in hospitality information technologies. In order to be successful, companies need to offer guests personalized experiences. Microsoft Home is developing technology that would completely eliminate the traditional room key altogether. It offers retinal and facial recognition technology in order to gain access to the room, as well as voice recognition and fingerprints. Upon entering the room, the guest's own personalized room settings are adjusted to what they prefer. This includes temperate, lighting, window shade position and even music. The technology can even change the walls and decor of the room to reflect the guest's current mood, and display family photos.
Many new technologies are being developed to assist people in the workforce who are working out of their homes or in more than one office. Microsoft Roundtable, developed by Microsoft CIW, is a new technology that will greatly enhance online meetings. It shows participants attending a meeting in real time, and includes a "smart camera" that will point to whoever is speaking at the moment. The CIW has also developed web-based workspaces where meeting attendees can collaborate their ideas and share information.
Microsoft has given me some faith in the hospitality industry in the coming years. If companies continue to be innovative and keep updating their technology there is no saying how far we can go with it. The retinal and facial recognition is great for hotels who are very concerned about the security of their guests. Imagine going to your hotel room with no room key, all you have to do is stand at the door and it will unlock for you. Personalizing the rooms is the greatest new technology that I am looking forward to experiencing. Many people who travel a lot may feel uncomfortable in hotel rooms, but these smart rooms are one great way to make them feel more at home and keep them coming back. Microsoft Roundtable gives you an experience unlike any other be being able to be in a meeting in the convenience of your own hotel room. Imagine the day when you can fly across the country to be on vacation, but still be able to participate in your meeting back home that you needed to be at. Then, when the meeting is done, you can go right back to what you were doing. New technologies like the ones being developed in Redmond Washington at Microsoft keep the hospitality business new exciting. I'm looking forward to the future. Are you?
Saturday, September 15, 2007
The Customer Connection
Next Generation Table Management
"How leading restaurant operators leverage IT to turn tables faster while driving top and bottom line growth.
By Tim Clark, Contributing Editor
Hospitality Technology (June 2007)
http://htmagazine.com/HT/archive/0607/0607_04.html
In the highly competitive restaurant business, table management plays a very important role in how efficiently the restaurant is run. The goal is to turn tables faster, in order to serve more guests, provide more accurate quote times for a table, and to "enhance the dining experience for customers while maximizing profits."
When BJ's restaurant's decided to invest in a new table management system provided by QSR Automations, they were very happy. "The decision changed the way we looked at everything from welcoming our guests into the restaurants, to how we print up checks in the kitchen for our team member cooks." ConnectSmart Hostess is the system now used by all of BJ's 58 casual dining restaurants. When used correctly, ConnectSmart helps to shrink the amount of time that a table is empty. It also gives a systematic way to seat guests which has been very successful.
TGIF's is focused on keeping wait times to a minimum, because they know that their guests have many other choices of restaurants. This is why they purchased the Host Alert system from JTech. Not only does it offer a better view of table availability, but it also "enables faster mobile status updates, a custom view of wait lists, floor plans and on-screen keyboard and handwriting recognition." All of these things have increased productivity from the hosts and servers at TGIF's.
I know first hand how important table management is in a restaurant because I have been working in the restaurant business since I was 17. I worked 2 years as a host, and a year and a half so far as a server. In busy restaurants like TGIF and BJ's, table management is key. Technology like ConnectSmart Hostess and Host Alert can help with this. I have hosted at 3 different restaurants, and the more technology we had, the smoother things ran. First, I worked at Grotto Pizza in College Square shopping center. We rarely went on a wait, but when we did, I had no technology to help assist me. I wrote everything on a scrap piece of paper with the name of the party and how many people their were. However when a table became available I had nothing to help me contact the guest to tell them their table was ready, I just had to try and remember who was who. After that I worked at Don Pablos and we went on a wait every weekend. There, we had no technology besides a microphone to call someones name over the loudspeaker when the table was ready. Lastly, I worked at Bugaboo Creek. There we used pagers that were wirelessly connected to a paging device on the host stand, and we also had a microphone if it was needed. This was the most efficient way because it involved the most technology. I know first hand that technology can help improve table management and the overall restaurant experience for the guest and for the employees.
"How leading restaurant operators leverage IT to turn tables faster while driving top and bottom line growth.
By Tim Clark, Contributing Editor
Hospitality Technology (June 2007)
http://htmagazine.com/HT/archive/0607/0607_04.html
In the highly competitive restaurant business, table management plays a very important role in how efficiently the restaurant is run. The goal is to turn tables faster, in order to serve more guests, provide more accurate quote times for a table, and to "enhance the dining experience for customers while maximizing profits."
When BJ's restaurant's decided to invest in a new table management system provided by QSR Automations, they were very happy. "The decision changed the way we looked at everything from welcoming our guests into the restaurants, to how we print up checks in the kitchen for our team member cooks." ConnectSmart Hostess is the system now used by all of BJ's 58 casual dining restaurants. When used correctly, ConnectSmart helps to shrink the amount of time that a table is empty. It also gives a systematic way to seat guests which has been very successful.
TGIF's is focused on keeping wait times to a minimum, because they know that their guests have many other choices of restaurants. This is why they purchased the Host Alert system from JTech. Not only does it offer a better view of table availability, but it also "enables faster mobile status updates, a custom view of wait lists, floor plans and on-screen keyboard and handwriting recognition." All of these things have increased productivity from the hosts and servers at TGIF's.
I know first hand how important table management is in a restaurant because I have been working in the restaurant business since I was 17. I worked 2 years as a host, and a year and a half so far as a server. In busy restaurants like TGIF and BJ's, table management is key. Technology like ConnectSmart Hostess and Host Alert can help with this. I have hosted at 3 different restaurants, and the more technology we had, the smoother things ran. First, I worked at Grotto Pizza in College Square shopping center. We rarely went on a wait, but when we did, I had no technology to help assist me. I wrote everything on a scrap piece of paper with the name of the party and how many people their were. However when a table became available I had nothing to help me contact the guest to tell them their table was ready, I just had to try and remember who was who. After that I worked at Don Pablos and we went on a wait every weekend. There, we had no technology besides a microphone to call someones name over the loudspeaker when the table was ready. Lastly, I worked at Bugaboo Creek. There we used pagers that were wirelessly connected to a paging device on the host stand, and we also had a microphone if it was needed. This was the most efficient way because it involved the most technology. I know first hand that technology can help improve table management and the overall restaurant experience for the guest and for the employees.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
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