Pizza Today - March 2017 - 46

Dorsey advises that although restaurant staff and management cannot control the fact customers will be
distracted by looking at their phones,
small things or tweaks can ease up
operations, like: giving waiting customers a copy of the menu to read through
before they are seated, so they know
what to order immediately; stocking a
table with a carafe of water so customers don't need to wait for refills from
the servers; eliminating taking leftovers
to go.
In order to handle the "ancient art
of getting 'table campers' out the door"
while not offending guests, Hannah
Ash, former restaurant manager and
current marketing specialist at Graphical Networks, advises restaurant staffs
to keep it clear.
"Clear plates," Ash says. "Clear, clear,
and clear some more. Not only does
it signal to guests that it might just
be time to leave while providing them
with a clean table, you're getting a
jumpstart on cleaning and turning the
table once they finally do leave."
She also cautions against seating
large tables until everyone in the party
has arrived or the guests are ready to
order.
"I managed a pizza place that catered
to families, and we bent over backwards
to accommodate them. Plus side? It
helped us," Ash says. "Things like dropping the check early, with a no-pressure
tactic such as, 'Just leaving this here if
you need it - don't want you waiting
on me,' or even allowing customers to
place dine-in orders over the phone,
were win-wins for us."
Instead of fighting technology,
operators should use it to their
advantage.

"The answer to smartphones causing
longer table turn times can be using
smartphones or tablets themselves to
take orders at the table. Businesses can
then collect checks at the table," says
George Csahiouni, co-founder and
managing director of TransMerit Merchant Services. "Giving each customer
the customized experience of ordering
4 6 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / M A R C H 2 0 1 7

off an electronic tablet menu that will
shoot orders directly to the kitchen will
increase the efficiency of each order.
This will cut down on the turn time
for the server running back and forth
to create a ticket and will upload each
order into the point-of-sale (POS)
system."
Integrating this technology will allow
the wait staff the ability to primarily
focus all their attention on the customer and their dining experience, adds
Csahiouni.
"Also, a mobile check-out system
using a mobile swiper unit each server
carries with them, or a tablet at each
individual table allowing for mobile
check out, would eliminate the wait
time of the server having to go back to
the POS system, swipe the card and
bring the check back to the customer,"
Csahiouni says. "Eliminating this wait
at the end of each meal will not only
decrease turn time, but also eliminate
the annoying wait for the customer
when they are ready to leave."
Glenn Cybulski, co-founder of
Persona Wood-Fired Pizzeria, says
technology is an integral part of how
Persona connects with customers.
"Persona's philosophy is to optimize
our online phone ordering apps,"
Cybulski says. "Through our POS system and loyalty program, we use push
notifications of our specials - like our
rainy day specials -- and this works.

We utilize our mobile app, loyalty program and POS system to drive people
in."
Persona also uses geofencing, a
location-based digital marketing tool
that lets marketers send messages to
smartphone users in a defined geographic area.
"We promote Coke's app through
our specials that our guests receive from
us," Cybulski says. "And if a person is
within a certain distance of the store,
it will pop up with a special plus a free
Coke. Those ads don't cost us anything;
we actually get a rebate from Coke,
which goes right back into advertising. The order then pops up through
our POS system with the details of the
order, the time the person wants it, and
then it gets made."
Flattery with a bribe on the side
can go a long way for servers who
have tried everything - tech driven

and not - and failed to encourage
their guests to be on their way.
"If you really need a certain table,
offer the customer a freebie, from a
drink at the bar to a coupon, if they'll
give up the table. Always make sure
they know they're not obligated to
leave, and that they'll be doing you a
favor," Ash says.
A subtle guilt trip can help, too.
"Politely tell customers at the end of
the meal, 'Thank you so much, please
take your time, but so you are aware we
do have other customers waiting.' This
expresses the fact you aren't pushing
them out the door, but request their
help in keeping wait times reasonable
for others," Dorsey says.
No matter what methods you
implement to speed up service, be sure
that they aren't at the expense of good
service. Your guests, even the dawdlers,
will remember their dining experience.
If guests feel rushed, they might not be
eager to rush back to your establishment. n

DEANN OWENS is a freelance journalist
living in Dayton, Ohio. She specializes in
features and human-interest stories.

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Pizza Today - March 2017

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