Why should a restaurant ditch physical pager buzzers for guest text paging?

Buzzers cost more than they seem

Physical pagers get lost, walk out the door, and break, so the fleet needs constant replacing. That ongoing cost is easy to overlook.

They also need charging and management, which is one more thing for a busy host to babysit.

They tether the guest

A buzzer only works within range, so guests feel stuck near the restaurant. That tether keeps them crowding the entrance.

A text reaches a guest anywhere, freeing them to grab a drink nearby or wait in the car.

Texts use what guests have

Every guest carries a phone that can receive a text, so there is nothing to hand out or collect. The infrastructure is already in their pocket.

That removes the whole cycle of distributing, tracking, and recharging hardware.

Two-way beats one-way

A buzzer only buzzes, but a text can carry a reply, letting the guest confirm or ask for a moment. That two-way link is genuinely useful.

Knowing a guest is on the way, or is not, helps the host seat the right party at the right time.