A kiosk makes sense to boost sales and avoid store congestion. However, guests often create a queue in front of the food pickup area.

There are generally several solutions that offer faster service, but ultimately, a pager system is the most optimal. By giving the guest a pager along with their order at the self-service kiosk, guests can sit down and feel reassured that they will be called when their food is ready. When the kitchen has the food ready, the guest can be called via a pager that beeps or vibrates, and they can pick up their food and return the pager.

Pager systems in restaurants and cafes have been well known for decades. Guests have always appreciated knowing that their food will be ready when it’s hot, fresh, and prepared, and the serving staff have appreciated not having to run around or shout for the guest.

Pager systems are a win-win for restaurants and many other places. They help reduce waiting times, ensure ordering security, and of course, increase revenue and save on labor costs, just like kiosks do.

More Guests Are Comfortable Ordering via Kiosks
More and more people are comfortable ordering via kiosks, as it gives them a sense of control. On the kiosk screen, you can also show more and better digital images, which can make the food seem more appetizing. So, it’s clear that more and more guests of all ages are comfortable ordering via a kiosk.

The global kiosk market is predicted to grow from USD 22.69 billion in 2021 to USD 52.05 billion by 2028. Although the hospitality sector (HoReCa) is only a part of this market, such growth is undoubtedly fantastic. We are confident that the pager market will feel this increase as well.

Even if guests order their food via a kiosk, the restaurant’s service and operations are not finished. The food still needs to either be brought to the guest or picked up by the guest themselves. It’s clear that for restaurants that already have self-service or are facing staff shortages (which is one of the major problems in the hospitality industry today), they may fully or partially shift to self-service.

And this is where many restaurants struggle to combine a self-service kiosk with guests picking up their food. How can the guest be notified when the food is ready for collection? Some might think that a large digital screen displaying the pickup number could be a solution. However, this often leads to a queue in front of the screen, which results in guest dissatisfaction.

Others run out with the food if they have the time, but the problem is often that staff must figure out where the guest is sitting, and that can involve shouting out the dish name. Neither guests nor staff enjoy shouting and calling across the room.

There are actually some pager systems that can help with these self-service kiosk situations, whether you want to run out with the food or let the guest collect it themselves.

Pager Guest Location System

If the food is being delivered to the guest, a pager guest location system can be beneficial. This is often called a "table tracker" system. Essentially, it’s a pager that the guest receives at the kiosk and takes to their table. In the kitchen or behind the counter, the staff can see where the guest is sitting on a screen and can then deliver the food to that table.

Solutions for Guests Collecting Their Own Food

For a system where guests pick up their food, a standard pager system can work. The guest is given a pager along with their order voucher at the kiosk. When the food is ready, a signal is sent from the kitchen or counter to the pagers, causing them to blink, beep, or vibrate. It’s easy and straightforward.

An alternative solution for kiosks is to use ordering QR codes on tables. Here, the guest orders their food by scanning a QR code that provides a menu and an ordering option (and in some systems, a payment option as well). In general, the kitchen can then see where the guest is sitting and deliver the food to their respective table when it’s ready.

What many restaurants don’t know is that you can also use QR ordering with self-service, allowing guests to pick up their food. In these cases, the table is equipped with a QR code and a stationary display containing a pager. The guest is notified via the app that when the pagers in the stationary display blink and beep, their food is ready for pickup. This naturally saves the service staff a lot of time, which can then be used for other tasks.

Discover Systems
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