Case Study

PowerQ Makes Waiting for a Table Easier for Customers And Leads to Increased Business

La Pasta is a popular Italian restaurant chain in Taipei, with several locations in the city. Their popularity often leads to long waits for tables which average about 20~30 minutes. Many potential customers give up rather than enduring the wait. Restaurant owners quickly identified the issue: They had to entertain customers during the waiting time in order to capture the additional business.

Comprehensive Customer Management Solution

La Pasta management turned to Advantech for a solution. Advantech helped the restaurant implement PowerQ, a complete customer management solution. When a customer first enters the restaurant, they input the number of people in their party as well as a cell phone number; they then receive a numbered ticket from a UTC-520 self-serve terminal or they can scan the QR code shown on the ticket with a smartphone app. Customers can check the queuing status at any time from the mobile app. In the restaurant, customers will immediately see their place in the queue on a nearby digital display, an Advantech DSD-3042, 42" FHD Industrial Digital Signage Monitor with touchscreen.

Notification by Smart Phone App

The customers are invited to wait, but they can also leave and return. A UTC-515 self-service touch computer on the restaurant reception counter is showing all the queuing information. As soon as the table is ready, the restaurant staff trigger an automatic alert to be sent to the customer’s smartphone app within 30 seconds. The PowerQ app also lets customers query the system remotely. When they return to the restaurant, they are seated without delay. The owners can take advantage of the digital displays to deliver targeted marketing messages, menu choices, hours of service and other information to customers in the restaurant. PowerQ helps increase customer satisfaction and drives more business into the restaurant. It also helps restaurant personnel by delivering information about number of diners, tables, reminder messages, and upcoming bookings.

System Solution

The system was built on Advantech industrial-grade hardware including the UTC-520 and UTC-515, all-in-one touch computers, used to assist waiters in managing customer queuing, as well as showing notifications, booking information, and generating a queuing ticket. An ARK digital signage media player was used to provide media-processing along with the DSD-3042 digital signage monitor to show information to customers at the entrance so they would know queuing status at a glance.

Advantech’s PowerQ software completed the solution, assisting customers at the restaurant. After viewing the queue, they add themselves in three simple steps. The real-time status messages sent to their phones alleviate frustration allowing them to leave and return when their table is ready.

Benefits

La Pasta has reaped the benefits of Advantech’s PowerQ system which include: