Order Ready Screens: What They Are and Why You Need Them
On average, people spend around 10 years of their lives waiting in line. Customers expect a hold time before they can eat their food; it’s part of the dining experience. Unfortunately, the longer they wait, the higher the likelihood of guest atrophy, which can decrease your sales. While there are several strategies to alleviate diner frustration over long waits, order ready screens offer a simple and elegant solution to guests eager for service.
Order ready screens are as you might imagine, a screen that allows your diners insight into where they are in their dining process, from waiting in line to sitting down to eat. The psychology behind wait times suggests that by providing a measurable goal, individuals have a solution in sight.What is an Order Ready Screen?
The name says it all: an order ready screen shows when your dinner is complete. Order ready screens enhance customer satisfaction by alleviating their anxieties over wait times. Your order ready screen is an extension of your kitchen display system. With the right KDS, you can get metrics that you can project onto your screen or monitor to show patrons and staff alike order times. Ours is called OrderReady.
Not every order ready screen is created the same. Different brands have different features. Some brands simply show order times, broken down by order number and time. Others have more robust features, allowing for a customizable screen that can show names, times, as well as branding imagery. For Jane, an order ready screen presents an opportunity to plan for the present. Does she need to find a short activity with her children, or will her meal arrive in a short amount of time? Knowing this removes some of her stress. For John, an order ready screen provides him with quick information about how far behind the kitchen is, so that he can plan his efforts accordingly.Who Needs an Order Ready Screen?
Let’s imagine Jane. Jane is a mother taking her children out during a weekday after work. Her kids are young, and far more impatient for their meal, meaning that Jane has to find a way to occupy her time accordingly. On the way to the restaurant, it felt like Jane hit every red light and traffic jam. The wait at the counter was long, although not long enough to discourage her. Still with everyone’s patience already low, what can she do to keep the peace?
John is part of the staff at the restaurant Jane has chosen. It’s early evening during the rush, and he’s working to ensure that all orders are in properly, and delivered quickly, efficiently, and with a high order of quality. Part of John’s job is customer satisfaction, and although he is spinning a lot of plates, he can see that Jane is struggling to keep her children satisfied.
When Do You Use an Order Ready Screen?
No matter where you live, most people eat dinner around the same general time. You likely already know what times are busiest for you, although some kitchen display systems offer you statistical data so that you can plan accordingly. In Jane’s case, that means she’s gone through her daily routine and has taken the kids out after theirs; everyone’s a little hangry! For John, crunch times are part of the job, but now he can identify pain points in service.
While both Jane and John have different motives for using an order ready screen, the result is the same: they want to be able to plan accordingly. During the busiest times, John can chart out how to most effectively utilize his time. During the slowest, John can prove how the back-of-house can really shine, by showing their speed of service.Where Should You Place Your Order Ready Screen?
For both patrons and staff, it’s important that your order ready screen is centrally located and apparent. Positioning your order ready screen near where orders are placed, allows guests and staff alike, the opportunity to get a full scope of the picture before, during, and after their diners journey.
For Jane, that means somewhere that she can access. Ideally, that’s somewhere that customers like her can see upon arrival so that they can understand their potential wait beforehand. For John, having easy access to the order ready screen can inform his efforts and save him unnecessary steps.Why Do You Need An Order Ready Screen?
After a short wait, Jane’s meal arrives. Having packed a short book, she had the perfect activity to occupy her kids perfectly suited to their wait. John can assess the situation and react accordingly. Jane has it under control and because of the order ready screen, John knows that he can move onto his next task without losing track of what matters most— the guest experience. The meal concludes and Jane and her children depart, while John can move quickly and efficiently as needed between guests.
While mileage may vary on customer patience from one guest to another, long lines hurt sales. By giving your customers an idea of what to expect, you can ease those concerns, as they have an idea of how their journey will proceed. For your staff, it gives them quick information on how to proceed. And operators can rejoice, as many order ready screens are both easy to integrate and readily customizable. Subscribe to the blog for more interesting restaurant content!
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