Look At Technology
by Apryl Chapman Thomas

Technology is ever-changing, especially for the hospitality industry. Here are a few services worth considering if you are looking to update.

Menus Go High-Tech
Aside from the food, the menu just may be the second most important item in your restaurant. In fact, it might be the first thing that customers view before going into your restaurant. Therefore, you want it to stand out. eMenuBoard (www.mytouchmenu.com) is a touch-screen version of a traditional menu placed in front of restaurants and in hotel lobbies for food and beverage promotion. Not only does it display the restaurant’s offerings, but it also allows customers to easily find menus (with images of entrées, drinks and desserts), events and more, by simply touching the screen.

According to Sergei Mamedrzaev, partner, eMenuBoard Systems LLC, the idea was to “digitally upgrade” traditional static menus in front of restaurants because they provide very limited information—current menu and prices. “The digital capability of eMenuBoard allows restaurant operators to provide much more useful information and interactively engage with consumers at the point of decision while promoting their offerings,” he says.

As Mamedrzaev points out, aside from the menu’s availability and prices, other factors that also influence customers in selecting a restaurant include presentation and size of meals, décor and ambiance inside the restaurant, different menus and special deals, critics’ reviews and hosted events, and wine and cocktail lists. “Traditional menus cannot provide these important details. eMenuBoards can—and all at one point of easy-to-access information. It can also help restaurants turn tables faster during busy hours, since seeing and understanding the menu before being seated will reduce customers’ decision-making time at the tables.

“Today’s demanding consumers need to find more information about services they are offered and whenever they need it,” says Mamedrzaev, “and eMenuBoard satisfies this demand by providing all necessary dining information at their fingertips right in front of restaurants.”

The software allows operators to create, organize and quickly edit their content online at any time. “On-screen presentations are easily customizable in terms of layouts, colors, texts, branding, images and all proprietary information, ” Mamedrzaev says. “Operators can do it by themselves, or we can assist them upon their submission of menus, images and brand materials.”

The company also offers additional services such as graphic design, digital photography, video and multilingual translations, if needed.

In addition, the kiosk is specifically designed for the hospitality industry and complies with its standards. It can be customized with different colors, styles and frames. The company provides floor-stand and wall-mount solutions.

The cost ranges from $4,000 to $5,500, depending on kiosk configurations.

Swipe and Sign at the Table (or at Curbside Pick-Up)
As a restaurant operator, you are constantly looking for ways to increase productivity and run a smooth operation. A piece of technology that can help achieve this is the Ingenico 7780 (www.payattable.net), a pay-at-table credit card processing machine. Available through Equity Commerce (www.equitycommerce.net), this wireless, handheld device can be used as a standalone application or integrated with your current application.

Convenient for both you and the customer, pay-at-table cuts down on the time it takes to go to the station and run the credit card. Tables are turned over more quickly because once the customer is finished with the meal, the wait staff can bring over the handheld device, so the customer can pay instantly.

In addition to faster transaction times, customers don’t have to worry about potential indentity theft since their cards are with them all of the time.

The machine accepts pin debit, which in turn can provide savings over time. Customers can also pay with gift cards at the table. The technology allows for multiple payments on the same check as well.

The complete wireless system costs $695.

Find Out Immediately About a Customer’s Experience
Everything is automated these days, so it makes sense to automate your feedback as well. Many in the hospitality industry are turning to Mindshare Technologies (www.mshare.net) to make this possible. It’s a simple action; when customers receive their receipts, they include an invitation to take a survey in exchange for a percent or dollar amount off their next visit, or a chance to win a contest. Customers go online or call a number to take the survey, and the system turns their responses into actionable data.

“The technology allows managers or owners to make changes more quickly than waiting on a comment card,” says Rich Hanks, president and CEO of Mindshare Technologies. “They are alerted to a problem immediately, and they can take action immediately. They receive comments in real time.”

Previously, it would take a couple of days or weeks before the managers or owners would get any feedback, and for the most part, it wouldn’t be specific.

Hanks provides one example of how this technology instantly helps the restaurant:

“A particular restaurant was serving clam chowder, and one customer responded with a comment that he did not get any clams. Well, it turned out that the server didn’t know you need to stir the chowder since the clams sink to the bottom. Within a couple of seconds of the customer hanging up the phone after taking the survey, an email about this problem was sent to the restaurant manager. The server was retrained on how to properly dish up the chowder.”

When the manager or owner receives an alert, he or she is held accountable to fix the issue.

“When there is a problem, it’s an open ticket. The manager can go into the system to update that action was taken. For instance, if someone reported a problem with the bellman and the manager received the alert, after handling the situation, he can report that he spoke with the bellman about his attitude. The response is date and time stamped,” Hanks explains.

Hanks further points out that Mindshare does more than measure satisfaction; it helps business owners save customers before they defect to the competition. And it isn’t only about negative responses. The positive responses can be useful as well. “Pulling all of the staff together and having them listen to a customer extol their virtue can help motivate everyone.”

The company does 40,000 surveys a day across 25 industries. There is no hardware or software to install. The surveys can be up and running within days. Survey questions can be customized as well, and the price doesn’t change.