Technology plays an important role in customer satisfaction.

Restaurants and Institutions

Erin J. Shea
Associate Editor

As crucial as accounting, payroll and inventory software are to his operation, Tobin Wehrle says the order interface he uses at Mitoodle Noodle means the difference between good days and bad.

"To survive, we have to turn the restaurant over at least two times during lunch and dinner," says Wehrle, owner of the Elmhurst, Ill., fast-casual restaurant specializing in noodle preparations from around the globe. "Our order system helped us find a way to cut the time it takes to take guest orders, without them noticing. It means I reach not just my own expectations but my customers' too."

While back-office software gets much of the attention, tools that streamline order taking and service put an operation's focus squarely where it needs to be: on customers.

Wehrle says his biggest challenge as the owner of an independent restaurant is eliminating what he calls "the stupid factor."

"I can't afford the support staff that the bigger guys can, so I have to make things as easy as I can wherever I can," he explains. "I have to be able to train people to get through the line without much confusion and without involvement from me."

Mitoodle Noodle's ordering interface is operated using a touch-screen terminal. Because guests often customize orders, the system needed to allow for quick substitutions.

"Instead of typing out each customer's instruction, we were able to program into the database every possible combination we could think of," he says. "It keeps the line moving when you're 10 people deep."

Wehrle says that front-of-the-house technology is vital for keeping clientele happy. "At a place like ours, customers expect to be in and out within 30 minutes," he says. "Our system cuts five minutes off of that time without making customers feel like we're pushing them out the door."

Point of Difference

Catering is big business and competition is fierce. With more operations branching into catering, finding ways to distinguish food and services can be difficult.

"The first installation of ordering systems we made were in our catering operations," explains Mike Barner, vice president of field system solutions for Compass Group, The Americas Division, based in Charlotte, N.C. "We needed to provide a mechanism that makes it easier for the end user to place an order and do so in an attractive way that gets their interest."

The popularity of online ordering for its catering operations—six years and counting—paved the way for the development of additional front-of-the-house applications at hundreds of Compass accounts. Taking a cue from retailers, Compass installed automated kiosks at accounts where grill and deli lines are central, such as schools and universities.

"We had a lot of issues with getting people through and on their way," Barner says. "Moving a guest in front of a kiosk instead of to a customer-service representative means that more transactions can take place."

Barner is careful to point out that kiosks "shuffle" time more than save it. But where it once required three employees to move customers through a line, Compass now can supply up to 20 kiosks that allow guests to place orders immediately. "We've moved those [counter] employees to the production of orders instead. Plus, kiosks don't need to take breaks," Barner says.

In corporate-dining and cafeteria environments, Compass has implemented its Zipthru cashless payment solution. "Speed of service translates into a favorable customer experience as much as the food does," Barner says. "People are crunched for time, and if you can shorten their wait by a couple of minutes, it can have a big impact."

With its Zipthru cashless payment option, customers receive a card loaded with a preset balance. When the amount dips to a predetermined level, it automatically is replenished from the user's checking account or credit card. Barner says the program has slashed customer wait times and helped with the overall traffic flow.

"If people see a line at the register, they're going to change their purchase or just go somewhere else," he explains. "Now transaction times fall anywhere from 2 to 4 seconds."

Anti-Technology

When former Sen. Max Cleland (D-Ga.) settled in for lunch at Atlanta's Mary Mac's Tea Room in July, he placed his order just like everyone else: Cleland filled out a ticket.

"Having guests write their own orders is just one nostalgic piece we've kept in place since we opened in 1945," explains Joe McCarthy, operating partner of Mary Mac's, which specializes in classic Southern food. "We have a POS system in the back but this helps us maintain a feeling of unpretentiousness."

After customers write out their orders, a server picks up the tickets and hands them off to the kitchen. Technology, McCarthy says, has its place, even at Mary Mac's, but too much can take away from an important element of the customer experience.

"You get these big high-tech maelstroms that swirl around and don't give customers a chance to set aside from the pace of the day," McCarthy says. "Restaurants have to remember to give people a reprieve from their hectic pace."