{"id":4006,"date":"2012-02-13T17:41:27","date_gmt":"2012-02-13T22:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geekitdown.com\/blog\/?p=4006"},"modified":"2012-02-13T17:41:27","modified_gmt":"2012-02-13T22:41:27","slug":"tables-ready-loses-the-crowd-keeps-the-customers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geekitdown.com\/?p=4006","title":{"rendered":"Table’s Ready Loses The Crowd, Keeps The Customers"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a restauranteur, having a busy night with a lot of hungry patrons is a good thing. Typical Friday and Saturday nights include capacity seating with lines of anxious diners hovering near the hostess podium. However, many of those restauranteurs will probably tell you that they’re losing business on those busy nights. Table’s Ready might just be the solution.<\/p>\n

The Problem<\/h3>\n
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The problem with long lines and crowded waiting areas is that arriving diners quickly realize there’s a wait involved. The impression to newly arriving guests is that the crowd equals extended wait time, so those guests may opt for someplace else. It’s a balance that few restaurants have managed to find and even fewer that can consistently maintain.<\/p>\n

\"Restaurant<\/p>\n

One of the contributing factors to the crowds is actually a device meant to help restaurants in their pursuit for minimal wait times. Pagers. We’ve all seen them, they come in all sorts of shapes, blink a rainbow of colors and for lack of a better word are dirty. Think of all the germs they gather and it might just disturb you. Pagers serve their purpose. They’re designed to put customers in a queue and when criteria is met to fit their party, the pager goes off alerting them to approach the hostess booth for seating. The problem with pagers is range. Pagers are tethered to the establishment, which means guests must remain nearby in order to get the page. The whole process is counter-productive. Another possible mishap from pager usage is loss or accidental theft by customers who simply give up waiting for a table and leave with the pager, costing the restaurant money.<\/p>\n

The Solution<\/h3>\n
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In steps Table’s Ready. Table’s Ready is a paging system without the pager hardware. Restaurants take a patron’s name and phone number when they arrive and notify them by text message or phone call when a table is available. The system works through a cloud based application. Hostesses simply enter in the information similar to how a pager system works.<\/p>\n

Features<\/span><\/h5>\n

There’s a definite benefit to losing the pager hardware clutter, but Table’s Ready has much more to offer. First off, the startup costs are zero because there’s no hardware involved. In comparison, a pager system could be in the thousands of dollars. Restaurants who use Table’s Ready versus pagers have the luxury to staff more effectively towards patronage and not around crowd management. Customers can wait in or at their vehicles which frees up space in the restaurant entrance area, making for a more inviting presentation.<\/p>\n

Additional Features<\/span><\/h5>\n
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  • Text accompanying message about specials or promotions.<\/li>\n
  • Eliminate the crowds to potentially increase customers.<\/li>\n
  • Built-in Analytics.<\/li>\n
  • Custom Alerts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Table’s Ready is normally $69.95 per month. New sign-ups can receive a free 30-day trial so there isn’t much to lose.<\/p>\n

    \"Table's<\/a><\/p>\n

    Visit Table’s Ready<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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