“The Best Steakhouse in Orlando” Embraces Wireless Handheld Technology

Orlando, Fla. – Del Frisco’s, the legendary Orlando steakhouse that has been setting the standard for great steaks and fresh seafood since 1993, announces today the installation of the next generation in restaurant service, a “digital pencil and pad” from ASI called the Write-On Handheld™. The Write-On Handheld is a wireless point-of-sale (POS) system that enables Del Frisco’s renowned staff to serve guests more quickly and enhance the level of tableside service.

Voted “The Best Steakhouse in Orlando” by critics and readers of the Orlando Sentinel, Del Frisco’s is known for warm, hands-on, personal hospitality. “Our reputation is built on service as much as it is on the quality of our steaks,” says Del Frisco’s manager Clint Lonbaken. “We were very careful not to adopt a technology unless it was truly in the best interest of our guests.”

The patented* Write-On Handheld, which at Del Frisco’s runs on the Toshiba Pocket PC e740, is the only wireless POS system on the market that takes full advantage of the handwriting recognition capabilities built into the operating systems of pocket PCs. It is as easy to use as a pencil and pad with all the recognized benefits of automated order entry. The application, developed by ASI and distributed by POS Professionals, Inc. of Longwood, Fla., effectively handles large menus while enhancing customer service. Unlike other handheld systems that employ a touch-button approach that can be cumbersome for use at tableside, the simple and intuitive Write-On Handheld allows a server to pay full attention to his or her customers while discreetly writing down their order.

“Traditionally, when a server took an order, he/she would then have to enter it into a computer via a stationary touch-screen monitor before the order would get to the food preparation team,” says Del Frisco’s general manager Sabrina Chandliss. “Now, as soon as a server writes down an order at tableside, it is sent directly to the kitchen. My servers are now free to spend more time on the floor serving our guests’ every need.” Chandliss continued, “Furthermore, the Write-On Handheld helps my servers keep track of our rather lengthy wine list and ever-changing daily specials and puts information about ingredients and recipes at their fingertips – literally. All of this, combined with the ability to let me view up-to-the-minute operational information, is a win-win for everyone!”

“It’s nice when technology accommodates me rather than the other way around; it just makes my job easier,” explains waiter Rob Beres. “With the Write-On Handheld, I write an order the way I always have, but instead of walking to a fixed station and waiting in line to punch the order into the computer, I can send it directly to the kitchen from tableside and then have more time to concentrate on my customers’ needs. I’m handling more tables and increasing my tips – it’s great!”

“In the past, we have been very cautious with technological advancements,” says Del Frisco’s owners Carol and Russ Christner. “We pride ourselves not only on the class and character of our establishment but also our guests. Only if a wireless POS product was discreet and enhanced service could we even consider making the change. The Write-On Handheld has delivered all that it promised and more.”

According to Dick Roberts of POS Professionals, Inc., “I’ve been in the point-of-sale industry for a number of years and have never seen a technological development that stands to make the impact that this does. In the past, conventional wisdom dictated that handhelds were only suitable for ‘special’ environments, such as stadiums, outdoor patios, and other situations where there was a large distance between the customer and the fixed POS station and food preparation areas. This ‘conventional wisdom’ was based on handheld technology being too big, expensive, unreliable and very hard to use. No longer is that the case. The new generation of handhelds are smaller, cheaper and more reliable – and with software as user friendly as the Write-On Handheld, it’s the first product I have come across that truly has no downside.”