It's a great tool if you have three floors and 200 seats and you can't see everything. But for me, those fancy systems are too expensive, and they just don't make sense for my operation. Alan Hayman agrees that it is important to match the system to the situation. Giving pagers to guests in an enclosed mall setting makes sense. But pagers are only good for a certain distance, and if your guests are going to wander the city for an hour, it simply doesn't make sense to employ the technology.
Cost is, of course, a factor in implementing solutions.
And while prices vary, there are some general guidelines. And while it may be hard to quantify the return on investment, you can't compete without these systems. Restaurant operators use tools. Computer hardware and software are now tools of necessity, just as much as a grill, a broiler, or tables and chairs. It's not cheap, but you can't afford not to invest.