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The Restaurant Wait List Management System That Has Caught the Attention of the Savvy Restaurateur

The coolest trend in restaurant and hotel guest services is the move away from traditional restaurant pagers to cell phone pager systems that offer robust wait list or reservation system integrated with voice or text guest paging. No restaurant pager system offers the integration of a reservation or wait list management system along with an optional SMS mobile marketing application all in one solution. Sounds expensive, well it isn’t.

The evolution of the restaurant pager system to a cell phone pager enables patrons to receive a SMS text message or voice messages when a table opens. This eliminates the over head associated with today’s clunky restaurant guest pagers that seemed to constantly walk out the door every week (despite your best efforts), with restaurant cell phone pagers those people waiting for your best tables to avail themselves will receive a text or voice message directly to their mobile phone (with there permission of course).

No need to worry about your current restaurant wait List management system as some of these restaurant text pager system automate your existing restaurant wait list management system perfectly. According to the Blog.SocialMobileTrends chains are testing cell phone based restaurant cell phone pager / wait list management system to replace their manual restaurant wait management system of a grease pen and white board. What attracts restaurant managers to our wait management system is the ability to manage and track the restaurant’s wait list using a cue system that tracks quote time verse wait time, a party description field and an integrated restaurant call a heading seating systems. In the case of popular chain restaurants this is extremely valuable for their high volume locations.

Call-a-heads and walk-ins will not be in competition for your prime tables if you choose the right cell text pager solution that will seamlessly and efficiently enables you to accommodate both with a web hosted restaurant wait list management system. Restaurant’s that want a more efficient way to manage their call a head seating without slowing down their staff’s ability to manage the restaurant’s wait list. They also wanted to avoid purchasing restaurant coaster pagers to manager their wait list. Restaurant coaster pagers can cost upwards to $3000 for the initial system and each restaurant coaster pager can cost more than $70 to replace. A busy restaurant could perceivably go through one or two restaurant coaster pagers per month. That can get pretty costly over 12 months with little to know ROI. Creative solutions using the last trends in technology such as mobile phones can dramatically optimize operations.

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Status – Cross Cultural Differences

Status exists in all societies but varies in fundamental ways. Cross cultural differences in they way in which we perceive status, gain status and react to status differ from culture to culture.

In this article we examine the cross cultural differences with relation to status and analyse how they manifest in certain areas in the workplace. For the sake of simplicity we identify two types of status; ‘ascribed-status’ and ‘achieved-status’.

Ascribed-status:

Ascribed-status refers to those cultures that base status upon external qualities such as age, wealth, education or gender. If one has the right external characteristics, status is ascribed to them. In such cultures there is little room for others to gain status through actions and achievements.

Achieved-status:

Achieved-status, as its title suggests, is earned. Internal qualities are valued more than external ones. Therefore, status is achieved through accomplishments such as hard work and contributions to a company or community. In such cultures status is malleable, in that it can be lost as quickly as it is gained and status can shift to other individuals.

Status and Hierarchy:

An area that status impacts within businesses is organisational hierarchies. In ascribed-status cultures there tends to be rigid hierarchies that define roles, practices and processes. For example, employees will tend to focus solely on their own responsibilities and generally not offer suggestions to those above them in the hierarchy, as to do so would be disrespectful. In such organisations, change is very rarely bottom up.

In achieved-status cultures, hierarchies exist but are less formal. The egalitarian nature of such cultures usually means that more value is placed on development and progression rather than respect for status. Consequently, lower level employees would generally feel empowered to make suggestions directly to seniors.

Status and Formality:

The formality of a culture is usually a good indication of the significance of status. The use of names between colleagues is one of the more observable manifestations of status in the workplace.

In ascribed-status cultures colleagues will generally address each other using titles and surnames. Professionals, such as doctors, architects and lawyers, would expect to be addressed by their professional titles. First names are usually only used between family and friends.

In achieved-status cultures, people commonly use first names. This is because individuals will usually feel of equal worth with one another and see no need to demonstrate deference to a more senior ranked colleague.

Status and Management:

A manager in an achieved-status culture will usually take on the role of a mentor. The manager will be a reference point and will guide those under him/her to develop their skills and perform their duties with minimal guidance. Subordinates can and do challenge a manager’s decision.

In contrast, in ascribed-status cultures, the manager is expected to give orders and know all the answers. The manager is seen to be experienced, knowledgeable and able to deal with problems effectively. Rather than a mentor, the manager in such a culture takes on more of a parental role as he/she is expected to take care of employees by ascribing duties and overseeing how they handle them. Manager’s decisions are typically not challenged.

Status and Information:

The flow of information between people in companies and organisations is another area affected by cross cultural differences in status. In cultures where status is achieved, information usually flows easily between ranks. Directly approaching a senior colleague of another department for consultation, advice or feedback will have a certain amount of protocol attached to it, but is commonplace.

Conversely, in achieved-status cultures information flow is a lot less fluid. There are only certain avenues one can take to either relay or gain information. For example, if the scenario mentioned above occurred in such a culture, the senior colleague would probably feel offended. In this circumstance, the correct protocol would be for the lower ranking colleague to approach his/her manager and ask them to approach the manager of the other department for information or feedback.

As we have seen from the few examples cited above, cross cultural differences with relation to status can and do impact upon a business. If a business is multi-cultural, problems can occur where differences in hierarchy, status and protocol lead to poor communication between staff and frustration with colleagues.

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Mexican Food Restaurants – Where Do You Want to Eat Tonight?

Say, “Mexican Food” and most people automatically begin to salivate. Whether you mean Mexican, Southwestern Cuisine, or Tex-Mex, the favorite adjective is always “delicious”. From the smallest towns in America to the busiest bustling cities all across this country, foods of the great Southwest and south of the border rank right up at the top of preferred dining lists.

There’s a difference, of course, between Mexican and Southwestern foods even though we often lump them together and say “Let’s go Mexican”. The difference is in the use of jalapeno peppers or green or red chili peppers. And then there’s Tex-Mex that tends to be hotter than Mexican. And Santa Fe style is usually the hottest of all because they use more and hotter chili peppers. Travelling in the Southwestern part of the country? Be prepared to answer “Red or Green?” Order your sauce on the side if you think it will be too spicy. Want to sound like an expert? Answer, “Christmas” (both red and green).

We all know that pizza remains a mainstay in the American diet and “Let’s get Chinese” is a repeated refrain across the country in millions of households, but “Let’s go Mexican tonight” remains a choice that’s a cut above the rest – considered a special selection – a little more adventuresome – a bit more celebratory. There are great reasons for the feeling that dining out at a good Mexican restaurant is something special, whether it’s Southwestern, Tex-Mex, Santa Fe – or just plain Mexican. For our purposes, let’s call it “Mexican Style”.

1) First of all, most Mexican style restaurants in our country remain in the reasonably priced range. You know that places like the Grille and Cantina near to your home are not going to cost an arm and a leg and the reward will be great value and great taste. In these days of a struggling economy and the need to save, ordering Mexican food for dinner is a wise choice. You can even enjoy a selection of appetizers – and leave completely satisfied for almost “small change”. And the highest price item on the menu comes at a surprisingly low cost.

2) Most Mexican style menus are enormously varied and feature a wide array of seemingly endless options. There is usually something on those big menus of most Mexican restaurants that will suit the most discriminating palate.

Menu offerings range from Carnitas (chunks of tender pork, slow roasted with chilies and onions), to Quesadillas (large flour tortillas stuffed with optional cheese, chicken, etc.). Ever tried Chicken Diabla (a sauteed chicken breast with zucchini, yellow squash, red onion and diced tomatoes in a chipotle cream sauce)? Delicious! And of course there’s Flan (the ultimate Mexican style custard dessert) – comparable to Crème Brule in the finest restaurants.

3) If you have a Margarita or a glass of wine with your dinner, you will experience the perfect dining experience. Even special Mexican beers will complement the meal, much as fine wine accompanies the most elegant menu. Would you order wine at the Chinese restaurant in the strip mall down the street? It just doesn’t seem “to go”. But wine, beer, or margaritas are not only available, they are part of the charm of the Mexican style/southwestern culinary adventure. You can even find a restaurant that offers Wine Night Specials.

4) The latest trend in Mexican style dining is Catered Events. Some Mexican style restaurants are now offering catering services for our special American celebrations, birthday parties, family reunions, and yes – even weddings! You choose the place and they will bring all that delicious food to you, lay it out, and serve it with flair. What a great party that can be. Mexican style food is the same as having a Celebration in the minds of many and though the celebration table will be laden with a huge variety of delectable selections, the cost is happily bound to be much less than any other catering service you can find.

5) Special Events. Cinco de Mayo is not the only event you will see advertised at your local Mexican style restaurant. Some establishments feature Mariachi Bands that appear on a regular basis (kids love em’). Or you may find a Margarita special night. Or Wine Night Specials that include dinner. One Mexican restaurant in Fairfax, Virginia even celebrates St. Patrick’s Day! It pays to check out the special events offered by your local restaurateur. These events make dining truly special, something you will not find when you go for pizza or Chinese.

6) Patio Dining beneath the stars. When the weather’s fine, some Mexican establishments offer patio dining, either covered or uncovered. Talk about ambience! The atmosphere is positively balmy and relaxing while music floats outside to lull diners into a state of euphoria. Good food, a happy celebration, and the nighttime lights and music can make this dining experience something you will return to again and again.

7) To top it all off, Mexican food is healthy! Fresh veggies for the salads and side dishes (and we all know about the value of vegetables), avocado for the guacamole dip (high in everything!), beans for the refries (for fiber), and lots of protein. Delicious and healthy too – the perfect combination.

Why Mexican food? Let us count the many ways. As you experience the culinary adventures of southwest and south-of-the-border cuisine, you can create your own list of positives to add to this one Experiment – go Mexican Style and check out the subtle and not-so-subtle differences. And try this. When your family asks, “Where should we eat tonight?” answer, “Let’s go Mexican!”