How seating diagrams on the GuestCheck™ order pad benefit restaurants

Here’s a worst-case scenario that too many restaurants experience: It’s a busy day, and an understaffed team mistakenly gives the wrong food to the wrong customer.

At the very least, delivering the wrong dish to the wrong customer makes the restaurant look somewhat unprofessional, and it often leads to a wasted entrée. At the very worst, a mistake like this could result in a customer with a food allergy or dietary restriction ingesting something they shouldn’t.

So, how can the GuestCheck™ order pad help servers get the right food to the right customer and avoid costly mistakes?

The answer involves the GuestCheck’s seating chart and what’s known as a “pivot point.” Here’s how seating charts work and how they benefit servers.

What are pivot points on the GuestCheck order pad?

Look at the upper portion of a standard GuestCheck and you’ll notice several table diagrams depicting round, square, and rectangular tables. Around each table, you’ll find several numbers known as “pivot points.”

You’ll also notice two little footprint icons below each table. These tiny footprint icons help servers remember which guest is which when the server orients themselves toward the table in the same way the footprints appear on the GuestCheck.

When used correctly, pivot points match the orders of guests to the seats they’re sitting in. Here’s how pivot points and seating charts work in practice:

How pivot points & seating charts work in practice

Imagine a group of four guests walks into your restaurant and seats themselves. They choose a four-top that your restaurant numbers as “table eight.”

Before the guests even order, your server will write “1, 2, 3,” and “4” on their order pad. Using the four-top seating chart, they will approach the table and position themselves in a way that mirrors the footprints on their GuestCheck.

From there, the server will record each guest’s order going clockwise, starting with the person on their left. This will be guest number “1.” After taking the order of guests one through four, the server walks over to the POS and enters each item ordered for each seat. From there, the server submits the order in the POS, which prints the food items and corresponding seat numbers out on a ticket in the kitchen.

When the food is ready, the server will refer to the GuestCheck used to record the order. Using the seating chart, the server knows exactly where to go with each dish—no need to clarify with customers. And since the ticket printed off in the kitchen also has the seat numbers from the GuestCheck, anyone else running food will know which meal goes to which seat. In the end, using a seating chart leads to less disruptive service and happier guests.

The benefits of GuestCheck pivot points & seating diagrams

At this point, you can probably imagine some of the many benefits that servers and restaurants experience when they use pivot points and seating charts on the GuestCheck. But just to make things easy, we’ll list all the benefits below.

When servers use pivot points and seating charts: 
  • There is no need to interrupt guests’ conversations when serving food. GuestCheck seating charts help servers avoid what’s known as the “food auction,” where servers constantly ask guests, “Who had the (insert food item in question)?”
  • Guests feel extra special and taken care of when their food comes right to them without the server needing to ask if a particular dish is theirs.
  • Servers reduce the chance of giving the wrong dish to the wrong guest. That means fewer meals need to be remade, which saves your restaurant money.
  • Servers are less likely to expose guests to food that could potentially make them sick. Imagine a gluten-intolerant guest mistakenly being served a burger with a bun that contains wheat. That could spell trouble for the restaurant and the guest.
  • Servers can serve meals more quickly and efficiently, saving time and mental energy—an especially important benefit when teams are short-staffed and the restaurant is busy.
  • Sorting out who ordered what becomes much easier when it comes time for guests to pay (or split) the bill. 

Of course, there are other benefits of having a seating chart built into your GuestCheck. But if you’d like to discover what they are for yourself, head over to our website, request a GuestCheck sample, and try this simple, affordable solution for yourself.

To request a free sample on our website, click on one of our GuestChecks listed on the product page. From there, select your packaging option (if applicable). A green “Request Sample” button will appear. This button will pull up a sample request form. Fill it out, and we’ll send you your sample.