Introducing the latest and best in restaurant ordering systems: Say hello to Geoffrey S, the perfect waiter’s assistant

Geoffrey S is an e-paper restaurant ordering system that can count its battery lifetime in days and is so simple to use it requires no prior training.

We designed Geoffrey S, a simple to use and effective handheld electronic paper ordering system that truly does what it’s supposed to: make taking orders easier.

Every single player in the hospitality industry has experienced it: waiters scurrying from one table to the next in a busy bar or restaurant, trying to take every guest’s order in time, keeping track all their different wishes and requests, and trying to relay them to the kitchen staff or barman quickly and above all correctly.

Perhaps it’s extra foam on the guest’s cappuccino, or a steak well done, or your customer is allergic to a certain food item and wants you to know; whatever the specific request, on a bad day any glitch in the communication of your employees or a delay in the service can mean a prelude to a perfect storm of wrong orders, stressed serving staff and dissatisfied customers – not to mention loss of revenue.

Taking an order on Geoffrey S, our e-paper restaurant ordering system.

The hospitality industry has been trying out several different solutions in an effort to avoid such worst-case scenarios and increase turnover. While some proprietors put their faith in extra training for their staff (which is quite an expensive exercise to say the least) and others look towards implementing tabletop ordering, a large number has decided to equip their waiters with portable ordering systems that communicate the customer’s order directly from the table.

And because things that seem too good to be true usually are, those in the hospitality industry using the portable ordering systems available on the market often found them anything but practical to use, calling on Visionect to iron out the flaws.

Ordering systems – the waiter’s right hand, but with some flaws

The idea is not new, nor is it complicated; radio ordering systems have been around since the early 90s. Allowing the serving staff to take the guest’s order on a handheld device that immediately forwards it to the staff tasked with the order’s realization, or enabling the servers to print out the guest’s bill without having to wait in line for the till, ordering systems are supposed to result in improved productivity and quicker service.

The problem here, as with so many things, lies not in the idea itself, but rather in its realization.

Because Visionect has been active in helping restaurants set up tabletop ordering we’ve had a front row seat to everything that can go wrong with using a hand-held remote ordering system: from batteries that do not last the whole work day, to expensive equipment necessary for the devices to connect and function, and overly complicated user interfaces that baffle serving staff or keep on crashing.

We decided to help: we designed Geoffrey S, a simple to use and effective handheld electronic paper ordering system that truly does what it’s supposed to: make taking orders easier, not more complicated.

Geoffrey S makes taking orders easy.

A battery that has a lifetime of days, not merely hours

So what exactly is it that makes Geoffrey S different?

Geoffrey S can take orders for several working days or even a whole week without charging the battery, and the content displayed is always sharp and readable.

Let’s start with the most amazing feature: one of the absolute best traits of Geoffrey S is the fact that the lifetime of its battery can be measured in days and not merely hours.

In fact, depending on network capability, the device is expected to yield some 50 hours of uninterrupted use, meaning that it can take orders for several working days or even a whole week without charging the battery. The old ordering system mantra of keeping a second charged battery close by to get a whole day’s functionality out of the handheld device can be happily left behind.

And how is it that Geoffrey S has such incredible longevity? It’s simple: because the device has been designed on electronic paper technology, it features minimal energy consumption and can run for ages.

Geoffrey S is adaptable, yet tough enough for the big leagues

ELECTRONIC PAPER SCREEN

But energy saving is not the only great thing about e-paper: the electronic paper screen of Geoffrey S also ensures that the content displayed is always sharp and readable, no matter the angle, making the display clear even in the direct sunlight of a restaurant terrace or the reflecting, multi-colored lights of a nightclub.

The e-paper screen itself is 6 inches in diameter and has a full capacitive touch interface, so you’ll needn’t strain your eyes when trying to read the smallest of texts on your ordering device. Geoffrey S is just the right size to hold comfortably in your grip, but big enough to ensure that the items on screen are displayed clearly and are sufficiently large to be selected with just the touch of your finger. No need for styluses here.

And don’t worry, the device itself is very light to carry around, weighing only 220 g (8 oz) – and that’s with the battery included.

Ordering with the touch of a finger.

Waterproof and dust tight

But its components do not make this tablet one of those temperamental machines that can’t handle its surroundings – quite the contrary.

Geoffrey S can withstand temperatures that range from 0°C to 50°C (32°F to 122°F), while its robust casing is made of impact-resistant polycarbonate. So no need to worry if the e-paper tablet accidentally drops from your waiter’s hand, even if it lands on the sands of your beach bar – Geoffrey S can handle it: in addition to being shock-resistant, the device is also dust tight and waterproof.

Even more, after a long day of serving customers, Geoffrey S will be more than happy to take a warm soap water bath to wash off any residual grime, getting spick-and-span for next day’s use.

Washing Geoffrey S after a long day of use.

Step 1: unbox. Step 2: start using.

But all of these great features would be nothing without the e-paper ordering system working perfectly. And perfect does not have to mean complicated to use or difficult to install.

The Geoffrey S ordering system is simplicity itself: from the fact that it does not need expensive extra gadgets to function, to the user-friendly interface that can be tackled without any prior training, Geoffrey S proves that sometimes less is more.

SYSTEM SETUP AS EASY AS THE PIE YOU SERVE

Like other ordering systems Geoffrey S features wireless connectivity, immediately transmitting the orders placed to the kitchen or bar, or printing the bill from the cash register.

Unlike other systems, however, Geoffrey S does not need crazily-priced custom equipment or radio antennas to work. The e-paper ordering device connects through Wi-Fi and works perfectly on a simple router, lowering the cost of implementation and making system maintenance easier.

Easy to use interface that requires no prior training.

INTUITIVE USER INTERFACE, NO TRAINING REQUIRED

But easy connectivity is not the only thing making Geoffrey S the perfect assistant to the busy waiter.

Geoffrey S also has an easy to use intuitive interface that has been especially developed for the hospitality industry and can be used by staff without any prior training. The server simply selects the table within their sitting area, adding drinks and food to the list of items ordered, and then forwards the order. The items in Geoffrey S’ user interface are laid out in the same way as items at the cash register, eliminating any confusion and the need for personnel training. The interface is so simple that it completely eradicates the need for any kind of system color coding, allowing Geoffrey S to be designed in clear-to-view 16 level grayscale.

A true sidekick that increases revenue

A cost-effective ordering system that functions flawlessly is truly the way to go when trying to make your restaurant or bar more efficient and more profitable within a short time. And when selecting an ordering system, nothing beats Geoffrey S.

If you’d ask some of the players in the hospitality industry that have been using Visionect’s electronic paper ordering system, they’d all report its simplicity of use and user-friendliness, which in turn results in an improvement in the ordering process, freeing up time for waiters to interact with guests and at the same time maximizing their efficiency.

And you know what that means: quicker turnover times and increased profits. Not bad at all for a light e-paper tablet.