# I miss the restaurant pager

> Restaurant pagers once signaled table readiness but now phones handle everything.
- Title: I miss the restaurant pager · Salon | Shortify
- Summary: Restaurant pagers once signaled table readiness but now phones handle everything. The author misses physical restaurant pagers that signaled table readiness…
- Keywords: restaurant pager, chili's, olive garden, costco, restaurant, phone, dining, waitlist, transit, ventra card, chicago, news
- Source: Salon — https://salon.com/2026/10/17/i-miss-the-restaurant-pager
- Author: Ashlie D. Stevens
- Published: 2026-10-17T13:00:44+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: restaurant pager, chili's, olive garden, costco, restaurant, phone, dining, waitlist, transit, ventra card, chicago, news
## 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.
## Key takeaway

The author misses physical restaurant pagers that signaled table readiness without requiring phone use.