Excellent customer service easy as PI

The company is the sole WA supplier of the PI Electronique restaurant management system.
The system replaces the waiter’s traditional notepad and pen with a light pen and a handheld touch screen a "Handy" which can electronically relay drinks orders to the bar and food orders to the kitchen.
The orders and any special instructions are printed out on dockets, eliminating any confusion about who ordered what.
Messages from the kitchen about which meals are no longer available can also be relayed to each waiter’s handheld unit.
A touch screen at the register keeps track of the status of tables in the restaurant, such as which tables have placed orders and which have been given their bills
It also records all transactions, making it easy to issue bills, and can handle reservations.
PI Electronique WA managing director Peter Lawrie said more than 60,000 restaurants in Europe used the PI system.This equates to well over100,000 systems as some clients use multiple systems.In April,one client alone ordering 7,000 systems for their Italian restaurant chain.
These clients include some of the world’s most prestigious restaurants, including the Moulin Rouge, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Art Museum.
Mr Lawrie said PI had been developed by restaurateurs to be adaptable to their needs.
“The IT industry was dictated to by restaurant owners who knew what they wanted,” he said.
“One client said the system molded into what he wanted it do.
“It’s extremely reliable and doesn’t crash. It has been in Australia for three years and there has been not one breakdown
“One client dreaded holidays because their system would always crash and freeze, creating a 10 to 15-minute hold-up.
“We put this system in and it hasn’t slowed down. They’re ecstatic and say this system is the best by far.”
The PI system also eliminated mistakes being made with orders because customers’ orders were placed and confirmed at their table.
Mr Lawrie said restaurants could lose up to $60 a day in wastage and the PI system would pay for itself by eliminating this expense.
It would also create more turnover by giving waiters more time to take customers’ orders instead of running orders to the kitchen or bar.
“Restaurants using PI have reported a minimum 20 per cent increase in drink turnover because it enables them to serve customers quicker,” Mr Lawrie said.
“The quicker they are served, the more they can consume.
“Chefs also love the system. It can co-ordinate meals from other kitchens, it’s reliable and chefs don’t have all the table service staff coming in shouting out questions.”
The waiters’ handheld units can be used for about 17 hours before they need recharging.
Mr Lawrie said the units had up to 400 times the range of PC-based systems and were not prone to “hot spots”.
“Their screens are 50 per cent bigger than PDAs. You can use it in full sunlight, which is very important for alfresco dining,” he said.
Villa Da Vinci in Ballajura was one of the first WA restaurants to use the PI system
Co-owner Joe Passione said it was the best thing they ever did.
“This system is one of the reasons why we’ve been successful,” he said
“If we didn’t have it we wouldn’t be as big as we are now.”
Mr Passione said the PI system let him know more about the restaurant’s turnover – including which meals were selling well and which weren’t – and could easily adapt to changes in the menu.
The PI system was showcased at the recent Australian Hotels Association show at Burswood.
Mr Lawrie said it was received very well, with some very large clients who were “tired of PCs crashing” interested in it.