Guests Send Text Messages to Order Food at Rustle Hill Winery

Rustle Hill Restaurant & Winery, Cobden, Ill, has turned to a text messaging system, TextMyFood, which allows guests to send SMS messages to their server using their personal phones. The subscription-based TextMyFood has allowed Rustle Hills to address a challenge in providing quality table-side service without increasing staff size. The tables at Rustle Hill Restaurant and Winery sprawl across a rolling outdoor lawn and extensive series of patios and decks, many are generally out of the view of the servers who also oversee the indoor dining room.
 

“TextMyFood solved a major problem for us. Our guests as well as our employees really like it,” says John Patrick Russell, the proprietor of Rustle Hill Winery.  “Not only has TextMyFood given us an optimal solution to our coverage challenge, but the cool factor has been a big plus for both our guests and servers.”
 

Using TextMyFood, guests send an SMS message with their request and table number. Guests receive an automatic reply so they know that their request has been received. The staff can also send a personal reply or ask a follow-up question. A touch-screen monitor near the kitchen displays the incoming messages. Usage reports give a summary of all requests and show how quickly each request was responded to. The system can also send out promotions to guests who have opted in to receive them.