Restaurant paging systems have changed the way restaurants manage waiting lists. Not long ago, restaurant workers were forced to call names over an intercom or shout over the din of a packed lobby or bar. Now, thanks to restaurant pagers that vibrate, beep and light up when a table is ready, employees don’t need to leave their station, and diners can sit at the bar, go for a walk or even run an errand at a nearby store while they wait for their name to crawl towards the top of the waiting list.
Restaurant pagers have become extremely popular with diners and with restaurant owners. And with good reason, as restaurant pagers offer tech-savvy eateries numerous benefits. Among them:
1. Restaurant paging systems help restaurants reduce waiting time and turn more tables.
2. Restaurant pagers help restaurants locate waiting patrons quickly and efficiently.
3. Restaurant pagers improve customer service and satisfaction.
4. Restaurant beepers commit guests to waiting, reducing the number of walk-aways and increasing the number of bar patrons.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Stick to basics with coaster pagers
While there are many different kinds of restaurant beepers, the most common type of restaurant pager is the coaster pager. Because they're stackable, vibrating coaster pagers are easy to store. And because they're shaped like coasters, coaster pagers also encourage drink purchases among waiting patrons.
I recommend: Market leaders selling both simple coaster pagers and more elaborate restaurant paging systems include
Long Range Systems,
JTECH Communications,
HME Wireless and
Commtech Wireless.
Use restaurant pagers to advertise your business
An alternative to coaster pagers, paddle pagers are rectangular in shape and can fit easily into guests' pockets. Extending from the restaurant pager base is a banner-shaped plastic arm on which restaurants can advertise products and promotions.
I recommend: While the most popular paddle pager is Long Range Systems’
Adverteaser, other providers of paddle-shaped restaurant pagers include
InterPage,
Curbell Electronics,
Redi-Call and
iPort Communications.
Turn guests' cell phones into restaurant beepers
Increasingly popular are cell phone paging systems, which call customers' cell phones with a prerecorded message when their table is ready. Ideal for restaurants that are located in malls or shopping centers, cell phone paging systems allow customers to put their name on your list and run nearby errands while they wait.
I recommend: A leader in cell phone paging systems is Queuent, which sells the
Wait List Manager, a popular mobile phone-based restaurant paging system.
Entertain guests with next-generation restaurant pagers
To keep impatient customers waiting, forward-thinking restaurants are turning to upgraded restaurant beepers that include clocks, video games and puzzles.
I recommend: EPDesigns sells a restaurant pager called
InfoCubeOS. Able to display games, movie show times, news, sports scores and trivia, it puts traditional restaurant beepers to shame.
Improve operations with restaurant paging systems for servers and managers
Restaurant pagers aren't just for customers. Many restaurant paging systems also include restaurant beepers for servers, to let them know discreetly when customers' food is ready, or for managers, so that they know when a complaining customer requests their presence.
I recommend: Companies selling restaurant paging systems for servers include
POSNation.com,
NFS Hospitality and
Microframe.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- While restaurant paging systems aren't cheap, they are effective. A typical system costs approximately $3,000 and includes a transmitter, a charger and 40 restaurant pagers.
- Before buying, be sure to compare restaurant paging systems. Relevant points of comparison include transmitter distance, the number of restaurant pagers the system can handle and the cost for replacing or repairing restaurant pagers.
- To discourage theft, buy restaurant beepers that will work only with your particular system.
- Consider only restaurant paging systems that feature rechargeable batteries. Restaurant beepers that use run-of-the-mill batteries end up being extremely expensive due to the cost of frequently replacing them.
- Don't run a restaurant? Restaurant pagers can be helpful in a variety of business settings. Doctors can use them in their waiting rooms, for instance, and retail stores at their customer service desks.
The official source of Restaurant Paging Systems is
the Restaurant Paging Systems page at Business.com
Related Resources from Business.com
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