What Do You Need in a Restaurant Walkie-Talkie/Radio?

You work in the restaurant business. You get the need for reliable, portable communication.

Clear communication improves productivity and improves your customer’s dining experience.

Tables are ready faster.

Food comes out sooner.

Customer service improves.

Yelp scores go up.

The end result: Your business grows.

But not just any old radio will do for every restaurant.

You have to consider your specific needs when determining which restaurant radio is right for you.

That is what we do best at Tech Wholesale.

We don’t want you to buy any radio just because you like the name or the price. We want you to make an educated decision and purchase the ideal device within the scope of your needs, staff, and location.

What makes a great restaurant radio?

• You need extended battery life. Anyone who has ever worked a 12-hour shift can attest to that.
• The radio should also be both compact and discreet — easily blended into a server’s uniform so as not to draw too much attention.
• There should be a hands-free element to your radio as, frequently, your staff will be working with their hands but still be able to respond to radio messages quickly.
• The device should also be easy to use. Restaurant workers have enough to worry about without having to figure out a complicated device with a steep learning curve.
• You want to make sure that the radios you pick have the ability to communicate around obstructions. It needs to be heard over the sounds of a bustling dining room.
• Restaurant radios need to have specific channels that can be used to segment your staff if necessary. At the very least you need a dedicated channel for your management team.

From our experience, restaurants work best when everyone is communicating on one general channel, using quick messages that everyone can hear:

“Table 12 is ready.”

Easy breezy. That’s concise and direct communication.

Channels come into play when larger issues have to be discussed:

“Sarah, call Tom on channel two.”

Sarah and Tom can then have an in-depth conversation over the radio without bothering the rest of the staff.

It’s important to remember, though, that all restaurants have different needs. What works for one won’t necessarily work for all of them.

We don’t want you to overspend on a radio built for a mile-long construction site, nor underspend on a radio that won’t work from the back office to your front door.

That’s why we encourage you to consult with the professionals at Chierda.