Is handheld POS practical for private clubs?

Using handheld POS devices in the dining room is a topic that comes up often in discussions with private club board members and managers. It seems as though there is a lot of curiosity about this technology: How does it work? Where is it used? Is it practical? Is it affordable? Should our club be using it?

Consider that handheld POS has been around for years, is purported to be operating in about 2,000 U.S. restaurants (and many thousands more in Europe), and yet it has virtually no presence in private clubs. No wonder that this topic gets a lot of play in the club industry. Clubs are always looking for ways to speed up member service in the dining room, and handheld POS devices are touted by manufacturers as a way to reduce the time from taking the order at the table to presenting the order in the kitchen and at the bar. Here's the theoretical proposition of handheld POS:

"Using traditional methods, the server takes the order tableside by writing it down on a captain's pad (or memorizing it if they're really good) and then enters it later at a POS station. This is a redundant process, where the order is actually recorded twice--once in writing (or in memory) and a second time at the POS station. Handhelds eliminate the duplication by recording the order directly into the POS device right at the table--thus saving time."

So if it's that easy, why isn't everyone doing it? Here are some of the reasons that are offered by the club naysayers:

* The equipment is easily damaged and expensive to replace.

* The POS devices can be difficult to read and require more wait staff training than traditional POS devices.

* Handhelds use unreliable wireless technology that periodically drops the signal during order entry.

* The devices are used almost exclusively in public restaurants with very limited menus. A typical club's extensive menu doesn't lend itself to being entered on a tiny POS screen.

* The technology annoys members because it takes the server's attention off the member and puts it on the device.

The merit of each of those points can be argued at great length. Pros and cons for each can be lined up, and against each a case for or point can be made. But let's skip that debate altogether for a moment, and shift our attention back to the basic premise of handheld POS--that (when implemented properly) it saves a significant amount of time. Is that really true? I don't think so. Here's why.

When a member's order is taken tableside in the traditional fashion, a good server can write down that order just about as fast as the member can verbalize it. That's because well-trained servers use a shorthand system to record items, modifiers, and sides. With the exception of a particularly complex string of special instructions, well-trained wait staff can write member orders about as fast as the members can spout them out.

Not so when those same orders are taken on a handheld POS device. Each item must be meticulously entered, with all modifiers, meat temps, and special instructions entered in the correct order, and in their entirety. That can create a bit of a delay at the table as the server works to properly enter all of the order details for each member. Plus, order edits ("Let me change from the fries to potato salad," "Make that bread wheat instead of rye") are much more time-consuming to execute on a POS device than on a pad of paper. Worst of all, this "POS entry lag" happens right in front of the member--and that can be annoying.

To help put this discussion in perspective, here's a recent first-hand experience I had with handheld POS. A few weeks ago, my wife and I, our son, and his fiancee dined together at an upscale restaurant with a reputation for great food and excellent service. It was our first visit, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the waiters were using handheld POS devices at tableside. I thought to myself, "Great--this will give me an up-close look at how well this technology really works." The tableside service was top-notch, with a warm welcome, timely beverage order-taking, and a very professional presentation of specials and recommended items by the waiter.

Then the ordering began--and the process hit a snag, not that any of us offered up anything very difficult to record. Two of the four orders were straight off the menu, and the other two had only simple substitutions. Yet, the "POS entry lag" was noticeable, as we kept getting ahead of the waiter's ability to record our orders. Even worse, the waiter was forced to continuously stare at the POS screen throughout, looking up only after completing each person's order. (Funny, but most good waiters have a knack for looking at you while they are writing your order, and POS removes any chance for that eye contact.)

On our way out, I stopped to chat with the waiter, who looked to be in his late 20s. Turned out that he had been waiting tables for six years, had been working at that restaurant for two years, and had been using the POS device for more than three months. I asked him what he thought of it, and he said frankly, "It's a good idea on paper, but in use, it's not really appropriate for a quality restaurant." I asked him to elaborate, and he made the following points:

* He prided himself on being able to take orders with minimal writing while maintaining eye contact throughout. He felt that the handheld POS took away that connection with the customers.

* He was well-aware of the "POS entry lag," and regretted having to ask customers to hold up a moment while he entered the previous person's order.

* Certain orders were so complex that he had to skip entering them at tableside for later entry after leaving the table. He worried that other, less-experienced wait staff were taking even longer to enter orders than he, and that the personal connection with customers was being strained.

* He and his fellow servers were all relatively computer-literate, and thought the handhelds were "kind of cool"--but not very practical.

* He didn't think tableside POS was saving any significant amount of time--and in some cases, it was taking longer than traditional methods.

* Overall, he felt that the potential time savings wasn't enough to justify the impersonal nature of the handheld at the table.

Interesting observations--from an experienced waiter in a public restaurant, offering many fewer menu options than are expected by the typical private club member. Just a single example of POS usage at tableside? Of course. But it's food for thought as boards and managers consider handheld technology for use in their clubs.

Note that along with time savings, manufacturers also point to other benefits of handheld POS: eliminates time spent by servers waiting in line to use POS stations; eliminates need for servers to ever leave the dining floor, thus improving service; and provides more time for servers to "up sell" at the table. These can be significant benefits for a public restaurant, but for a private club?

First, very few clubs experience lines at their POS stations. If that's the case, they simply need to add a few more stations. Second, most servers (especially at lunch when time savings is most important) are doing more than just taking orders. Their service chores should take them right past the POS stations, so no major time savings there. Finally, very little "up selling" is possible (or even appropriate) at lunch in a private club. Bottom line--handhelds can offer strong benefits for public restaurants with a limited menu, but are highly questionable for the operations of a typical private club whose members tend to make up their own menus on the fly.

By the way, if your club is truly interested in adopting tableside POS, or a more limited version of mobile POS on the patio or around the pool, you may have trouble getting much traction. In our July 2006 survey of the top eight club software vendors, not much was available. Four of the companies don't have a handheld solution at all, one was in development but still a year away, and three have just one or two installs each (you too can be a guinea pig). All of the vendors agreed that there is a lot of chatter in the industry on this topic, but very few serious requests from clubs.

But maybe we've missed something, and if so, we'd like to know. If your club is using handhelds for any kind of F&B POS, or if you know of a club that is, please contact me to chat. I'll report back anything we uncover in a future article.

Bill Boothe is director of Club/Resort Technology Consulting for RSM McGladrey, Inc., one of the nation's largest business services providers. He has assisted more than 300 private clubs and resorts with the planning, evaluation, selection, and implementation of computer technology in all facets of their operations. Bill has published more than 40 articles on club/resort technology, and is a frequent speaker at hospitality conferences. He can be reached at [e-mail], [phone], or at www.rsmmcgladrey.com/privateclubs.