ReadyPing enables restaurants to easily "ping" customers with text messages when their table is ready.

The Issue

As long as restaurants have been around, customers have waited to be seated. Whether they have a reservation or are a walk-in, a busy restaurant may not be able to seat all of its guests upon arrival. So customers typically must wait for a table and the host must find them when their table is ready.

The Problem

This poses two dilemmas. First, customers are generally required to wait within the restaurant for an indeterminate period of time. Of course they may go to the bar area or another section to wait for their table. However, during peak dining hours, there may not be enough space available to have a drink or take a seat. Second, whether restaurant hosts use a pen-and-paper or computerized system to check in and seat guests, they must leave their stand unattended to find each party when their table is ready. The hosts may not be able to locate their guests or may have difficulty being seen or heard in a loud and crowded area.

The only answer to these problems has been the restaurant pager. While easy to operate, the upfront cost of pager systems is high and they can be expensive to maintain. As with all portable electronic devices, pager batteries will lose their ability to hold a charge over time. Pagers may be lost, damaged or even stolen. They have a limited range of operation requiring customers to remain on the restaurant premises to receive a page. Also, there's no telling where those pagers have gone (the bathroom?) or who’s been touching them. An investigation conducted by CBS3 Philadelphia found that 5 of 7 pagers from different restaurants tested positive for Staphylococcus and other bacteria that can make you sick.

The Solution

ReadyPing allows restaurants to easily send their customers a text message when their table is ready.