Clark, Tim, Next Generation Table Management, Hospitality Technology, June 2007
Next Generation Table Management
Summary
Restaurateurs strive to increase revenue in their facilities every day. Throughout the restaurant industry it is a known fact that for leading casual dining ventures like T.G.I. Friday's, and BJ's Restaurants that turning tables fast and efficiently can generate more revenue. These restaurants also want to create a unique dining experience for the customer while still getting them in and out the door as quickly as possible.
BJ's Restaurants, Inc. decided to invest in a table management solution in 2005. This change in BJ's began a new vision for the company in everything from the entrance of a guest, to printing checks for the back of the house staff all because of innovative technology. BJ's researched their technology venture and decided on QSR Automations. ConnectSmart Hostess from QSR Automations combines speed of service, production and sales data to increase table turns and seat utilization by serving more accurate wait times. Essentially offering BJ's the ability to have a systematic approach to seating their guests.
T.G.I.Fridays was also recently in the market for creating a better guest experience with table management solutions. Friday's used a pilot from vendor JTech which inevitably they purchased from Micros in 2005 provided a better table availability diagram. JTech enables faster mobile status updates, a custom view of wait lists, floor plans, and on screen keyboard and handwriting recognition input.
Finally, in Atlanta, GA a restaurant, Aqua Blue, was eager to try to credit card processing technology. On the Spot, by Verifone, was the new table management system that Aqua Blue best fit their facility. Essentially the staff brings a machine and the bill to the table, swipes the credit card, and hands it back to the guest. The whole process takes place in front of the guest which puts the guest at ease with an extra level of satisfaction and then allows the server to handle the transaction right then and there. New table management systems have become more evident in the hospitality industry, but still have considerable room for growth in the future market.
Reflection
I feel that technology in the restaurant industry is making huge strides in accommodating the ultimate guests needs. These "extra levels of satisfaction" that a customer can now enjoy because of the new table management systems is outstanding. These systems allow the servers to be extremely productive, they allow for facilities to generate more revenue, and they supply the customers with the most effective service possible.
The continued partnering venture between BJ's and QSR Automations has given the restaurant's greeters and seaters information to lower the amount of time that seats are empty and ultimately increase the number of guests seated during a busy time at the property. This table management system works well for their facility while the JTech Host Alert system works well for T.G.I. Friday's In the Tyson's Corner Mall in McLean, Virginia D'Anna, Regional Director of T.G.I. Fridays, has recommended the full scale launch of Micros new system in this 400-seat property. The reduced wait time and obvious positive customer feedback has proven profitable for T.G.I.Friday's business developments. All of the systems appear to be a crowd pleaser in the hospitality industry and will continue to make leaps and bounds in the next couple years because the guest expectations can always be exceeded!!
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4 comments:
I think Table Management Systems are an excellent idea for the Food and Beverage industry. Being able to check the status of tables and reduce wait times creates positive effects for both the employees and the guests. I also like the idea of having a portable credit card machine right there at the table. And the fact that these Table Management Systems have also led to an increase in revenue makes it even more exciting for companies!
Table management will not always improve. It can sometimes anger your customers. It all depends on the speed of service and personality of the servers.
This made me come up with an idea to improve service. They could come up with a system where they have a monitor/screen for each table. This would be right next to the POS Micros. So servers know exactly when to send in the next order or course to the kitchen. This will make the service run more smoothly.
Reduced wait time and more efficient customer flow not only create a happy guest, but also a happy restaurant. Systemizing the seating and payment process with technology speeds up turnover and reduces the margin for human error. This means more revenue for the restaurant and a more efficient use of the most important resource; time. I can see how these tools are a large benefit to chain restaurants with many seats and massive turnovers, but clearly would not work for smaller restaurants and upscale establishments. I doubt that hand held units would ever be acceptable at a five-star property due to their obtrusive nature. The casual dining establishments that would benefit from the technology cater to a clientele that would not mind seeing a hand-held terminal at their meal. For this particular market segment, this systemization is a wonderful technology with many benefits.
i completely agree with this article too. Making guest satisfaction its greatest is the main goal of a restaurant. if there is a system that helps with table management to help the guests have the best trip they can have while making the maximum amount of money per day. this is a great stride in the hospitality industry. Any stride in guest satisfaction is a positive forward stride toward something better than we already have. This is a good article and i agree.
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