Sunday. June 2, 1991 - North Shore News - 43

Peppi’s trading in pads for computers

WHILE CUSTOMERS are
HOt quite vet sitting down to
munch a mouthful of
microchips, the expanded
application of computers in
the food service industry
continues unabated.

A West) Vancouver restaurant
recently handed its food servers
hand-held computers in a bid to
upgrade service.

On May 22 Peppi’s Restaurant
servers traded in pauper pads and

pens for wireless push-button
computers,
Peppi’s| owner-manager Klaus

Fuerniss first saw the U.S.-made
Remanco system at trade shows in
Canada and south of the border.
Said Fuerniss, ‘It attracted me
for the primary reason chit the

more attention to customers.

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reshauraat dusiness is se changing
that the service aspect is becoming
more and more lupartunm. Par-
ticularly, we want to meke sure
tbat our Waiters and waitresses
have time for our custymer: and
don’t spend time running between
the kitchen and our customers.’

Ments items are coded in the
Remanco system. For example,
smoked salmon is USMS" in the
“A™ or appetizer category.

Fanes a drap of wine? Mouton
Cadet is keyed “MO and then
“C™ for Cadet.

Orders taken) from customers
occupying Peppi’s 63-seat outdoor
patio or any of the 140 seats in-
doors are transmitted via antennas

strategically located throughout
the restaurant.
Fuerniss said the mew system

helps the server to pace the meal

NEWS proto Mike Wasefield
PEPPI'S RESTAURANT in West Vancouver has its food servers
taking customer oders via hand-held computers. The new
system is said to streamline service and allow servers to pay

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service effectively.

“For example they pick up the
appetizer and bring it io the table
and ball way through che ap-
petizer, they cail up the miain
course, press a bution, fire it to
the kitchen. The chef has the
order right away and starts to
Prepire it bninediately.”’ he said.

Since opening the restaurant ats
a new owner in April, buerniss
has seen his share of fluctuation.
“Being blessed with a lot of cus-
tomers coming to see what
changes are voing on, you sorie-
times misjudge that you have a
very few reservations and chen in
a few hours the restaurant is full.
How do you cope with thar?

“What those units also allow
sou to do is that vou have a

waiter who tikes over a large see.

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tion and then you have a number
of servers, Or runners who make
sure that food is being served and
brought out. So it’s more the ald
style of captain and waiter.” he
said.

Come the time of reckoning.
when the hunger has been sated,
remote control commind sent to
nearby printers and credit) card
checking machines produces the
bill and credit card verification,

Said Fuerniss, “Ho was quite an
expensive investment those
things are extremely expensive.
There have been some occasions
without the equipment where we
haven't been able to satisfy all the
needs of our customers. We are
now taking the steps to be able to
do that.”

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