Introduction example: "Even if it’s your first time using an online system, you can feel at ease thanks to the attentive support" — Introduced in anticipation of staff shortages (Restaurant Komeya)

We were having a hard time recruiting part-time workers.

— What kind of customers do you usually have the most?We get a really wide range of people, from families with children to businesspeople and groups of friends. On weekday lunchtimes in particular, many people who work at nearby companies come in during their work breaks.

— Please tell us about the number of seats in the restaurant and how many staff members run it.
We have about 40 seats in total, and there are basically three staff members on the floor. On weekends, holidays, or days with many reservations, we sometimes run it with four people.

— By the way, what kind of people do you have on your staff? What are they like, generally?Right now, most of our staff are in their 60s and 70s, and we also have some university students.

— Originally, how did you take orders?
We used the traditional method of “writing orders on paper and having the kitchen read them.”

— Up until now, have you had any experience using online systems in running your store?
Actually, not just for handling orders, this was the very first time we’d ever used an online system as a store. Once we started using it, we realized how much we didn’t know before, and we’ve been discovering something new almost every day.

— You had no prior experience using online systems, so what kind of challenges led you to take the plunge and introduce “Respo Self-Order”?
Right now, the entire food and beverage industry is facing a labor shortage. Our restaurant is no exception, and even when we put out job ads for part-time staff, we were having a hard time finding enough people.

I realized that, to stabilize our store management going forward, we might need to create systems that improve operational efficiency, such as self-ordering.

—Kagawa Prefecture is known for its “udon culture,” so there are many restaurants where lunch turnover is quick. Is that also related to your introduction of “Respo Self-Order”?
Possibly to some extent. Many people here feel that “lunch shouldn’t take long to be served,” so we’re also very conscious about getting dishes to customers as quickly as we can.

Especially at lunchtime, most customers finish their meal and leave quickly, usually within about 20 minutes from when they arrive until they head out.

— Could you tell us how you first came to know about “Respo Self-Order”?
I was browsing the gourmet site of a restaurant I frequent, and I found out they were using QR codes as a way to place orders. That made me think, “So there’s a method like this,” and it sparked my interest.

After that, while researching on the internet what kinds of products were available, I came across “Respo Self-Order” and requested more information.

It was our first online system, but we were able to implement it smoothly.

— Before introducing “Respo Self-Order,” did you have any concerns?
I was worried about whether our customers would accept it. However, with the ongoing labor shortage expected to continue due to the declining birthrate and aging population, I had already been thinking that we would eventually need a system like self-ordering. So this became the opportunity for us to decide to implement it.

—Using “Respo Self-Order,” could you tell us what you find beneficial about it?The biggest thing is the positive feedback we get from customers. When we hear comments like “This is really high-tech” or “What a convenient system,” it makes us feel we were right to introduce it.

On top of that, handling orders has become much less of a burden. We can take orders while staying in the kitchen, and because the workload for order-taking has been reduced, we’re now able to focus more on serving dishes and handling payments. I feel the restaurant runs more smoothly than it did before.

—Regarding your original concern of “labor shortage,” do you have any expectations that this issue can be resolved going forward?
Yes. We’ve only just changed systems, but we’re already starting to see some positive effects, so I’d be happy if we can gradually resolve the issue from here on.

There are still parts we ourselves aren’t yet used to operating, so we’d like to become fully proficient with it going forward. As handling orders becomes less of a burden, we also hope it will allow us to provide customer service that’s even more attentive and closer to each customer.

— Earlier, you mentioned that this was your first time actually using an online system. Since your shop is in Kagawa Prefecture and everything was implemented completely online, wasn’t that difficult for you?
To be honest, I was worried at first.

However, they always provide support and regularly hold meetings to gather our requests, so there were no major difficulties during the implementation process. Even when some kind of trouble occurs, it’s very helpful that they carefully explain during the meetings, saying things like, “In situations like this, it’s best to handle it this way.”

From now on, I want to make Respo self-ordering the main way to place orders.

—How well has “Respo Self-Order” caught on with your customers?
Even more customers are using it than we had expected.

Around 60–70% of our customers use it, and younger customers in particular handle everything themselves, from ordering to payment, without any difficulty.

On the other hand, many of our customers are elderly, so we don’t push self-ordering on those who find it difficult to use; instead, we take their orders verbally. Since we plan to make Respo Self-Order our main ordering method going forward, we want to let it spread gradually over the medium to long term, without rushing.

— And how about the staff getting “used to” the system on the store side?
To be honest, that’s where I see our challenge going forward. Many of our staff are from generations that aren’t very familiar with using smartphones, so they still seem a bit uneasy when taking orders.

While we continue studying with a desire to improve ourselves, we want to be able to master it as quickly as possible, even if only a little bit at a time.

— Lastly, could you tell us about your future outlook for the shop?
We’re grateful that so many customers choose to visit us, so in a good way we’d like to maintain things as they are and continue running the shop in a stable manner going forward.

We want to create a shop where customers leave satisfied and with a smile on their face.

We will continue to do our utmost to support you through Respo Self-Order so that we can be of help to the restaurant Komeya. Thank you very much for your time today despite your busy schedule!

Store Information

Komeya Diner

Address: 3-4-22 Motomachi, Sakaide-shi, Kagawa
Store details:https://autoreserve.com/restaurants/FjpYm3j9dg5P4KtxaJdb