For Information Contact:
Phone 01782 537000
Fax 01782 544810
E-mail: sales@lrspagers.co.uk
For Immediate Release
Perched on a hill overlooking the ocean waves in Laguna Beach, Calif., Las Brisas Restaurant has been at
the pinnacle of fine dining in Southern California for generations. Like other restaurants that make
customer service paramount, Las Brisas had installed a pager system to let guests enjoy the surroundings
while waiting to be seated. But pager loss was costing the restaurant dearly.
"On average, we were losing about five pagers per month, sometimes as many as four in a single weekend,"
says Fouad Ziady, executive general manager of Las Brisas Restaurant. "Customers would unknowingly walk out
of range, miss their table call, and not return with the pagers."
Pager breakage was also a problem, putting a number of units out of service each month.
"Our old pagers were unreliable and lacked product consistency, "says Ziady. "For example, paging
vibration would stop or battery charge would drain. Too many broke down, and there was no telling how long
they’d last. Sometimes they’d break in a day, a week, or a month."
Even fully functional pagers occasionally failed to attract guests’ attention, reducing the
restaurant’s efficiency. Unless guests were holding or wearing the old vibrating pagers, they tended
to overlook table calls, especially when drinking and talking with others.
Through industry sources, Las Brisas turned to Andrew Wells, president of Hospitality Systems, a
consulting, restaurant-focused value added reseller based in San Francisco, CA. After a careful review of
Las Brisas' needs, Wells chose to replace the old system with Star Pagers from Long Range Systems, a leader
in guest paging systems based in Dallas, Texas.
"I recommended Long Range’s Star Pager system for a number of reasons, but primarily because of
features that reduce pager loss," says Wells. "First, it pages at 500 MHz for more range and clarity than
older 27 MHz models still in the marketplace. The higher frequency signal helps guests receive their table
calls, making them less likely to get frustrated and go someplace else - taking the pager with them.
Second, its controller sends out a silent range signal every 30 seconds. If a pager doesn’t hear it,
it knows it’s out of range and beeps until the customer comes back. Third, a tracking mode lets the
hostess page a guest once and automatically signals him until he returns the pager. If the guest remains
out of range or fails to return, he’s left with a beeping pager that’s useless for anything
else. That’s accountability."
Wells adds that Star Pager’s advanced batteries figured in his decision to recommend it.
"Star Pager’s new nickel metal hydride batteries last nearly twice as long as older nickel cadmium
batteries on the same charge," says Wells. Nickel cadmium batteries, such as those used in the previous
system, develop a ‘chemical memory.’ Like old cell phone batteries, the more often
they’re charged, the faster they drain. Star Pager’s new nickel metal hydride batteries
don’t develop ‘chemical memory’ so, they last longer on the same charge, increasing
reliability."
To grab guests’ attention and to minimize missed pages, Wells selected Long Range’s Star
Pager for its programmable ability to beep, glow, flash, or vibrate.
"Customers miss fewer table calls with Star Pagers because they can flash and vibrate at the same time,"
says Wells. "And changing the setting for all pagers is easy, taking only seconds."
With Ziady’s approval, Wells quickly installed the Star Pager system at Las Brisas. Immediately,
the restaurant experienced a reduction in lost pagers.
"Long Range’s Star Pager system has reduced pager loss from an average of five per month down to
only one per month," says Ziady. "We’re saving at least $240 every month in reduced pager replacement
costs."
After unreliable performance from his previous pager system, Ziady had demanded rugged durability from
his new purchase and was not disappointed. The restaurant realized additional savings from reduced pager
breakage.
"Pagers must be able to take abuse in a busy restaurant setting," says Ziady. "Reliability is now number
one for me before buying any pager system. And Long Range’s Star Pagers are holding up very well.
Even when guests drop them, they continue to work. They are very solidly made and can take abuse. I highly
recommend Long Range’s Star Pager."
Wells agrees with Ziady’s endorsement.
"Restaurateurs have always loved the convenience of paging, but are too busy to worry about maintaining
delicate paging systems," says Wells. "They just want something that works and doesn’t cost an arm
and a leg. Long Range’s Star Pager system admirably fits the bill."
For more information about the Star Pager or Long Range Systems UK or Dallas USA, write to Link House,
Leek Road, Milton, Stoke on Trent, Staffs, UK, or Tel 01782 537000, Fax 01782 544810, email sales@lrspagers.co.uk or visit www.lrspagers.co.uk or visit the USA website.
For more information about Hospitality Systems, call 01782 537000 or fax 01782 544810
###
|
