A century of greatness: Why the GuestCheck™ order pad remains a foodservice essential after 100 years

Whether manufactured in the Japanese santoku style or a traditional European style, chef’s knives have changed very little (if at all) over the past century.

The same principle applies to the GuestCheck™ restaurant order pad from NCCO. For over a hundred years, the GuestCheck has changed very little, but it remains an essential foodservice tool for restaurants around the world.

How is the GuestCheck still able to provide so much value?

Even in an age of digital technology, the GuestCheck order pad provides a simple, affordable solution that reduces mistakes, improves communication, and increases customer satisfaction.

And that’s just the start of it. When it comes to the GuestCheck, the benefits are many.

Here are a few of the main benefits worth noting.

Reduce costly errors

Everyone makes mistakes. But these errors cancost restaurants big when compounded over the long run.

By giving servers a place to write down order details, the GuestCheck order pad ensures that no information gets lost or misinterpreted.

The standard Duplicate Carbon GuestCheck includes a space at the top for the server to record their initials along with the date, the table number, and the number of guests at the table.

It also includes prompts that remind servers to ask about each part of the meal—from appetizers and soups to desserts and beverages.

And as with chef knives, there are many different types of GuestCheck order pads that restaurants can choose from based on their specific needs and budgets.

For more information on the different types of GuestCheck order pads, click here.

When restaurants get busy (and even when they’re not), servers can struggle to keep track of which food items go to which guests. That’s true for both new servers and experienced servers.

But the GuestCheck can help.

Certain types of GuestCheck order pads include seating charts and what are known as “pivot points.” Pivot points appear as tiny boxes, circles, footprint icons, and numbers at the upper portion of the GuestCheck.

Pivot points and seating charts allow servers to quickly, quietly, and efficiently deliver food to customers without interrupting conversations. They also eliminate “food auctions” where servers ask a table of guests, “Who does this dish belong to,” or, “who ordered the (insert dish in question)?”

Not only do servers look more professional when they don’t have to ask guests for clarification, guests enjoy their dining experiences more when they’re not being interrupted.

For more information on pivot points and seating charts, check out “How seating diagrams on the GuestCheck™ order pad benefit restaurants.

Give servers a mental break while increasing upsell

Whether they work on fully staffed or understaffed teams, servers have a lot of information and tasks to keep track of. With so much on their minds, they can easily forget to ask about even the most basic items when taking a guest’s order.

Written prompts on the GuestCheck are there to help.

By reminding servers to ask about appetizers, soup, salad, entrees, specials, desserts, and drinks, GuestCheck order pads give servers a mental break from having to remember to ask about every part of the meal.

And by helping servers make sure they’re asking about each part of the menu, these prompts help to increase the upsell and the number of items each customer buys per ticket. That’s a solid return on investment for less than a penny per page.

Onboard servers the easy way

With labor in high demand and short supply, restaurants need all the help they can get. That often means hiring new, unexperienced servers.

However capable, inexperienced servers often make mistakes or forget to ask guests about key menu items.

Missing out on the sale of an alcoholic beverage or an appetizer can really hurt a restaurant, especially when a server gets in the habit of glossing over these items.

Luckily, the GuestCheck is here to guide servers through each step of the order taking process. 

It’s effective because it’s simple

Like a chef’s knife, the GuestCheck remains an effective, value-adding tool because of the simplicity and intentionality behind its design.

It doesn’t need to run on batteries or have a screen to make a difference. It just needs to work without being complicated. That’s something the GuestCheck has proved for over a century.

Try the GuestCheck™ for yourself

Request a free sample by clicking the button below.