Product Survey

[CStraface]

Hey fellas. I need some help. If you would be so kind, I would appreciate it if you could find your way to www.irestaurantsurvery.com and take the 2 minute survey. You can even enter to win a $100 cash prize that will be drawn at random on December 25th, 2006.



I need as many opinions as possible. Please pass it on to friends and family. Thank you very much.



Chris Straface

 

[Jumbo Jet]

Completed the survey.

 

[BigEasy]

done... are they gonna be waterproof? spilled drinks could be very expensive!

 

[CStraface]

There are still many quirks that need to be worked out. We are just trying to get a feel for what kind of attention the new ordering system would get if the service and product was worked into certain restaurant chains. We are currently working on test restaurants. These certain restaurant chains will have a certain number of menu systems available giving customers the choice to try it out, or stick with the tried and true method. I will keep you updated as further advancements are made. Thank You for the feedback.

Chris Straface



THIS SURVERY HAS ONLY 5 QUESTIONS!!!!!!! PAINLESS AND QUICK.

 

[mberry]

I filled out the survey. Interesting idea and would work well for a busy place.

 

[Jumbo Jet]

At the local Sonic, we can swipe a Debit/Credit card to pay for our order. They are just one step away from letting us enter the order electronically.

Good luck.

 

[bmoeller]

Just finished. Neat idea.

 

[tugboatphil]

Completed. You might want to reconsider the wording of #5. :-laf

 

[TowPro]

the pay at the table thing is great. I was in a mexican restraunt where the service sucked. So did my tip! the girl changed a $3. 00 to a $8. 00 on the credit card slip!

 

[CStraface]

At the local Sonic, we can swipe a Debit/Credit card to pay for our order. They are just one step away from letting us enter the order electronically.



Good luck.

We are actually trying to appeal to a more family, "sit-down and eat," kind of enviroment. The fast food industry is not our current focus. Some example restaurants, where you could see our service and product in the near future, could be say an Applebees, or a CHILIS, or maybe Red Robbin, TGI FRIDAYS, Dennys, IHOP, COCO's, Red Lobster, etc...

 

[JVolpe]

I am afraid it is the way things are headed, whether good or bad. I like the idea personally, but it is the first step in eliminating the waiter/waitress and needing only bus boy labor on the floor.

 

[CStraface]

I am afraid it is the way things are headed, whether good or bad. I like the idea personally, but it is the first step in eliminating the waiter/waitress and needing only bus boy labor on the floor.

Percisley why we think we have something here. Whether you want to admit it or not, computers are taking over. IF we can create a cheap wireless handheld kiosk system, restaurants will be saving thousands of dollars annually by replacing our units with their servers. All that is needed now is a busser/deliverer. Many restaurants already have specific people designated to just bringing food from the kitchen to the tables, so with our system in place, now all you need is that middle man. No more waiter/waitress to weight on taking orders and picking up your money. Of course we think restaurants should still staff a few, so people do have an option. We just have to be selective in the restaurants we target, as many people still enjoy the lively personable waiter/waitress.

 

[bmoeller]

We just have to be selective in the restaurants we target, as many people still enjoy the lively personable waiter/waitress.

Wouldn't want to lose that as some places. Texas Roadhouse for one. Partly because the waitresses are really easy on the eyes, and fun to talk to.

 

[Dieselnut59]

I am ALL for full service type resturants. I like for the waitress to "complete the sale" by taking the money at the table and bringing back change. I will not eat at places where they make you wait at a check out line or order at a counter. I am all for the pay at the table idea, but for the same reason I do not use the self check thing at the grocery store, I want a PERSON to be there. I like personal customer service. That cannot be replaced with a computer. Another point. I drink a LOT of iced tea when I go to a resturant. How would that work with your system? The iced tea service is how I base my tip and I am a big tipper in exchange for good service.

Thanks, but no thanks.

Your idea might be great for Waffle House, Cracker Barrell, Denny's or that type, but you get what you pay for when it comes to real customer service.

 

[CStraface]

I am ALL for full service type resturants. I like for the waitress to "complete the sale" by taking the money at the table and bringing back change. I will not eat at places where they make you wait at a check out line or order at a counter. I am all for the pay at the table idea, but for the same reason I do not use the self check thing at the grocery store, I want a PERSON to be there. I like personal customer service. That cannot be replaced with a computer. Another point. I drink a LOT of iced tea when I go to a resturant. How would that work with your system? The iced tea service is how I base my tip and I am a big tipper in exchange for good service.

Thanks, but no thanks.

Your idea might be great for Waffle House, Cracker Barrell, Denny's or that type, but you get what you pay for when it comes to real customer service.

We are still ironing out the details with different restaurant chains. I think what you are referring to when you mention your iced tea is that you enjoy getting the constant refills. If this is what you mean, not to worry, there will still be servers on hand and attentive. We are not replacing them all, just some of them. But like I said, the economics must make sense for this too work, so regardless, we still have issues to work out.



Now as far as your last comment: again, I am not positive about what you are trying to say, so if I decipher incorrectly, please correct me. The way I am understanding your comment about Waffle House's... . etc... is that you don't expect great customer service. Or I should say, you would expect the customer service to get better as the price increases and get worse as the price decreases.



Now, if this is what you meant, you really help me clear up a huge point. We can make those places that you don't really expect the best service, into places where top notch service is attainable regardless of price.



Again, I appreciate all the feedback, keep it comming!



Chris Straface

 

[RGardner]

Didn't take the survey, but from the posts so far, I am not in favor of the idea of eliminating another person's job in favor of a computer. I refuse to use the self-checkouts anywhere.

 

[GO 4LO]

Took it - got this as a response:



-------------------------

Sorry, you have experienced an unexpected server error.



You have experienced an unexpected server error. We are working to resolve this problem as quickly as possible. Please try again later.

 

[GO 4LO]

It sounds like you are a member of the company producing this device. Keep in mind that by getting TDR guys to take your survey, you are skewing your results relative to the overall population, unless the restaurants you're aiming at have a target market that highly overlaps the TDR group. If you have the cash, you'd be better served by getting a marketing group to conduct some survey or focus group research for you. It would also be more convincing to customers than a poll you conducted yourself.

Regarding the product itself, I like the idea of paying at the table electronically, but it would be difficult to do the ordering without it becoming a pain in the butt to get through the system. Anybody who wants extra pickles or light mayo or heavy ice or extra cheese is going to have to wade through menus of options to find what they want. If you can find a way to iron that out, I'd like the ordering electronically part, too.

So if these systems are implemented, would the bussers/runners still be tippable employees? Cutting out tips would be nice .



Chris

 

[CStraface]

It sounds like you are a member of the company producing this device. Keep in mind that by getting TDR guys to take your survey, you are skewing your results relative to the overall population, unless the restaurants you're aiming at have a target market that highly overlaps the TDR group. If you have the cash, you'd be better served by getting a marketing group to conduct some survey or focus group research for you. It would also be more convincing to customers than a poll you conducted yourself.

Regarding the product itself, I like the idea of paying at the table electronically, but it would be difficult to do the ordering without it becoming a pain in the butt to get through the system. Anybody who wants extra pickles or light mayo or heavy ice or extra cheese is going to have to wade through menus of options to find what they want. If you can find a way to iron that out, I'd like the ordering electronically part, too.

So if these systems are implemented, would the bussers/runners still be tippable employees? Cutting out tips would be nice .



Chris

Like I have said, we still have many details to work out. The first step is deciding whether or not the overall population would be accepting of this idea. Once we get a better understanding of how people will respond, more money will go towards the actual system.



Don't be fooled, TDR is not the only crowd we are going after. We have our survey's in restaurants, at technology fairs, and in newspapers. TDR is just a good place I knew I could receive quick feedback from straight shooters.



Sorry about the "Unexpected error messages. " Not sure what that is about. Let me know if more of you have issues submitting.



Thank You,

Chris Straface

 

[CStraface]

Oh and by the way, if you normally tip bussers then feel free to, but our idea is that tipping would simply be a thing of the past. No need to leave tip's for computers.



I would also like to address any possible waiters/waitress's who may be offended by the idea. Please understand that every market, no matter what the size or shape, should have competition. Competition only makes for overall better service and productivity.