From Salon · Ashlie D. Stevens · · 1m 30s
I miss the restaurant pager
Restaurant pagers once signaled table readiness but now phones handle everything.
In brief
Restaurant pagers once signaled table readiness but now phones handle everything. The author misses physical restaurant pagers that signaled table readiness without requiring phone use. Originally reported by Salon.
Restaurant pagers in the 2000s
At 16, I used a wire rack of restaurant pagers at a suburban Chili's.
Chili's location
The restaurant was near an Olive Garden, Cabela's and Costco in a shopping center.
Pagers at work
I asked customers what brought them in while consulting my restaurant map and section list.
Pagers in action
Every five or 15 minutes, a pager blinked to signal table readiness.
Pagers' limitations
Pagers were ugly, bulky and sometimes got stolen or had battery issues.
Pagers disappeared
Pagers mostly vanished after the pandemic began.
Phones take over
Phones now signal table readiness and handle orders, payments and reviews.
Transit struggles
Chicago transit cards stopped working with phones for a few weeks.
Transit backup
Commuters had to withdraw cash to buy physical transit cards.
Back to physical cards
I now carry a physical Ventra card for Chicago transit.
Brunch experience
At a brunch spot, the host signaled table readiness via phone instead of direct communication.
The problem
Phone notifications now require constant attention during dining.
The solution
The author wants restaurants to handle logistics without phone use.
The headline
The author misses physical restaurant pagers that signaled table readiness without requiring phone use.
