NY Michelin Guide Restaurant O Mandarin's Success with Chowbus: Upgrade Servers' Efficiency Comprehensively
O Mandarin occupies an area of 8,000 square feet, making it one of the few large Chinese restaurants in the Long Island area, and it has received numerous awards, including the Michelin Guide. O Mandarin has an elegant and antique environment with many large tables, making it the preferred choice for local gatherings and banquets. It's worth mentioning that O Mandarin not only has many local customers, but also most of the servers are native English speakers, making it a successful case of a Chinese restaurant breaking into the mainstream market.
O Mandarin replaced the Chowbus POS system last year, completely upgrading the restaurant. The owner of O Mandarin speaks highly of the Chowbus system. However, satisfaction from the owner is not enough; it's crucial that the system is well-used by the servers!
We specifically interviewed Jenny, a server at O Mandarin, to see her perspective and user experience.
Upgrading the Ordering Experience
Before using Chowbus, Jenny had to handwrite the dishes and then input them into the restaurant's computer at the counter. After sending the order to the kitchen, she had to frequently go to the restaurant's computer to confirm the progress of serving dishes and perform actions like urging for dishes.
After using Chowbus, the overall ordering process has been completely upgraded. Jenny can use the POS iPad she carries to directly order at the table and send it to the kitchen with a single click. She can also check the serving status of each table's dishes at any time and promptly urge for dishes.
Simplifying the Checkout Process
Before using Chowbus, the checkout process was very cumbersome:
When a customer said they wanted to pay, the server went to the counter to print the receipt from the restaurant's computer and handed it to the customer.
After the customer confirmed the receipt amount, they provided a credit card.
The server took the credit card to the counter's restaurant computer to swipe it.
The server returned the credit card, handed the bill to the customer for signature.
The server retrieved the bill and saved it at the counter.
The entire process took at least 5 minutes, and the server needed to constantly remember each table's ordering/checkout stage.
After using Chowbus, the checkout process has been simplified. After the customer confirms the receipt, they can directly swipe the card, choose a tip, and sign at the table. Customers also don't need to manually calculate the tip amount; they only need to choose the suggested tip percentage.
Jenny mentioned that more and more customers are choosing Apple Pay now. In the past, traditional restaurant computers struggled to meet the payment needs of customers with digital wallets. However, Chowbus's handheld POS tablet allows tableside payments, easily meeting such requirements.
Saving Time in Handling Delivery Orders
Before using Chowbus, handling delivery orders also consumed a lot of the server's energy. O Mandarin needed to allocate a dedicated person to watch various takeout platforms' order-receiving devices. When there was a takeout order, they had to accept the order first, then manually input the takeout order's dishes and flavor preferences into the restaurant's computer, and then send it to the kitchen. The whole process was tedious and time-consuming.
After using Chowbus's third-party takeout platform integration feature, all delivery orders go directly into the Chowbus POS system and are sent to the kitchen immediately. There is no need to arrange manual additional operations. The server only needs to focus on serving dine-in customers.
A good system is one that saves server time and is easy to use! The Chowbus POS system is not only the brain of the restaurant but also a great helper for servers!
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