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.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)