Navigation

Tableside Technology

Thanks to the Fred & Fuzzy’s new system, hungry diners waiting for a table don’t have to crowd around the host’s station to listen for their names or hold onto clunky pagers and wait for the buzz.

Instead, they can go enjoy the outdoor restaurant’s view of Little Sister Bay as they hold onto their phones and wait for a text message sent from the host: “Your table is ready at Fred & Fuzzy’s!”

Hosts use an iPad and an application called Nosh to make waiting lists and keep track of who is in line. They track how long parties have been waiting, how many people are there to eat and if they’ve all arrived. They get a phone number and send a text when a table is ready. Diners don’t need a smartphone to get the seating notifications, they just need one with texting.

“I would say 95 percent of the time somebody in the party has a phone with them,” said Greg “Fuzzy” Sunstrom, co-owner of the restaurant.

Fred and Fuzzy’s also uses iPads to take orders, which means servers can send orders immediately without having to run a piece of paper to the kitchen or bar.

“We feel it’s a huge advantage to other systems,” said Sunstrom.