Not so long ago, just making eye contact with your server was an easy way to get their attention. But it’s not so simple these days. With servers busy turning in orders, clearing tables, and delivering food, they are often distracted from what should be their first priority—guests.
All of this can add up to frustrated restaurant guests. How, exactly, can you easily and politely get a server's attention when you want to place an order, ask for more water, or pay for your meal?
In the highly competitive restaurant industry—taking in $476 billion US each year in sales—these bottlenecks can be a big turnoff. According to a recent survey by the National Restaurant Association, guests want to order a meal in a convenient and timely manner.
Making table service more efficient isn't just good for guests, it helps restaurants, too. A recent Cornell University survey found that nearly one-quarter of every hour in restaurant service is spent turning over tables—that is, removing dishes and replacing them with fresh settings. This is time that can be better spent.
The solution, it turns out, lies in an emerging industry called guest customized service systems. "Basically, [the system] allows guests to shape their dining experience the way they want it. So they will never again have a service experience so negative that they are tempted to walk out of the restaurant and never return," says Devin Green, the chief executive of ESP Systems, LLC, a Charlotte, N.C. company, the first developer of guest customized service systems.
Basics of ESP guest customized service systems
The ESP solution works through what the company calls a wireless bubble. Every table is equipped with a small device called a wireless hub that looks a little like a portable CD player. Guests simply press down on a disc in the "player" to catch the attention of the server.
The hub communicates directly with a wireless watch-like component that the server wears. Want to order a meal? Use the hub. It's easier than snapping your fingers. Need a drink? Don't crane your neck. Ask ESP.
Advantages of the ESP wireless bubble
The ESP wireless bubble offers restaurants a number of advantages over conventional service:
Eliminates long customer waits While no system can completely eliminate the wait time at a restaurant, a program such as the one ESP offers promises to take a big bite out of it. In three different restaurant chain deployments, ESP clipped more than 10 percent off table turn times. Guest customized service systems also alert the host to available tables so patrons spend less time waiting to be seated.
Designed for easy use The ESP solution is a patented front-end to back-end system of wireless devices, all interacting with each other. And while that might sound complicated, it takes only a few seconds to explain how it works to customers. When guests want to call their server, they just activate their ESP unit. Employees find the ESP solution easy to learn so restaurants don't have to spend a lot of time and resources for training.
Improves the dining experience The moment entrees for a table are ready, the kitchen can use the ESP solution to call a server to pick up the order. No more long waits for a meal. No more random checks to see if the kitchen has an order ready. And no more lukewarm dinners. When entrees are served hot and drinks are served cold, the overall dining experience improves.
Helps staff be more productive Managing a restaurant can be a challenge when you are expected to be everywhere at once. With a wireless system such as the ESP solution in place, managers can receive a series of real-time alerts so they instantly and automatically know when and where their service model is breaking down. The manager can also electronically shadow new employees to make sure they are performing adequately. "With such high industry turnover, managers can use this functionality not only to critique employees in real-time, but also to coach them as events occur," says Green.
Built on reliable Microsoft technology ESP systems are built on the Microsoft platform. The user interface is designed with Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. It also relies on Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 development system to maximize software coding and uses Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition. "We chose SQL Server 2005 Express Edition because every bit of data at the store level is absolutely crucial to the operation of our system, and the SQL Server platform will allow us to easily aggregate and analyze data at the area, regional, and national level," says Todd Binkowski, chief operating officer of ESP Systems.
Benefit of ESP systems—repeat guests
A guest customized service system can improve both the guest experience and restaurant profitability. A dining establishment can afford to serve more guests with less staff—yet still offer a superior experience compared to a restaurant without the system. In one customer survey, 90 percent of guests say a system such as the ESP solution is reason enough to become a repeat customer.
http://www.microsoft.com/industry/hospitality/businessvalue/esparticle.mspx
