Wireless Waitressing

The Meze Bar improves customer service with the latest technology

Company Background

The Meze Bar is a Mediterranean Restaurant specialising in Turkish cuisine. The restaurant was established at its original Southgate premises in 2000 by Selcuk Ibrahim. Two years later Selcuk set up a new restaurant in East Finchley North London.

Since the new Meze Bar opened in April 2003 business has been steadily increasing, with the restaurant recently acquiring adjacent premises for expansion - effectively doubling in size. In 2005 the restaurant won the best neighbourhood restaurant award sponsored by LBC and The Independent newspaper.

EPoS Solution

When the Meze Bar expanded the floor space increased to include outdoor seating and three separate internal seating areas. This meant staff were spending an increasing amount of time running backwards and forwards between the kitchen, bar and table areas. This resulted in delays with order preparation and orders being delivered to the wrong tables.

Realising that improvements needed to be made, Selcuk approached a Casio dealer, who suggested installing the Casio QT-6000 touch screen system with four ORDERMAN DON Wireless Waitressing terminals.

Business Benefits

The installation involved one Casio QT-6000 touch screen terminal in the bar area and four ORDERMAN DON Wireless Waitressing terminals for the waiting staff. The Wireless Waitressing terminals link to a kitchen printer, allowing staff to take orders from the customers table and remotely submit them to the kitchen for preparation. Orders can be prepared more quickly and staff are always available near the tables to take customer orders.

The Casio QT-6000 and ORDERMAN DON system is easy to operate. It was installed and staff were trained on Friday, and that evening the new system went live - during the Meze Bar's busiest trading period! The transition went very smoothly, with staff noticing the difference immediately.

Selcuk comments "I now have a system that enables us to serve more customers in busy times, without staff having to run between tables, terminal, bar and the kitchen. I also have a very happy environment because the system increased the satisfaction of everyone from my chef and staff to my customers."

The new system has allowed Selcuk to re-organise his staff, with key waiting staff acting as sales people, always present on the restaurant floor taking orders from customers. Other staff deliver the food and drinks to the tables. Customers have responded well to this new system, with many being amazed when their drinks are delivered when they are still giving their food order! Selcuk hopes that this new, more efficient and sales focused staffing arrangement will allow him to increase turnover by 10 - 20%. This is quite a modest goal, as each table ordering one or two additional items, such as coffees, will achieve this.