End the Rush-Hour Crowd at Your Counter with Zaheb
· Cortex Solutions
Crowded counter at rush hour? Zaheb puts a number and QR code on the receipt, alerts customers on their phones even on silent, and shows a calling screen on any TV.
Rush hour at any café or takeaway restaurant looks the same: a queue at the till, customers standing at the counter asking "Is my order ready?", a staff member shouting names and numbers, and another customer waiting in their car with no idea when to come in. The result is crowding in a small space, orders going cold on the shelf, and staff torn between preparing orders and answering questions.
The more pressure there is, the more mistakes happen: an order handed to the wrong person, a customer leaving annoyed because they did not hear their name, or a negative review written after a visit that could have been excellent.
The problem is not only how fast orders are prepared, but how the customer finds out their order is ready. This is where Zaheb from Cortex Solutions comes in.
Why does the counter become a bottleneck?
- Customers do not know their order status, so they stay close to the counter so they don't miss the call.
- Calling out by voice gets lost in the noise and never reaches someone waiting in their car or in the shop next door.
- Traditional pagers must be bought and charged every day, they get lost and broken, and they only work inside the shop and its immediate surroundings.
- Managers have no clear figure for preparation time, so judging rush-hour performance remains a matter of impression.
The solution: a number on the receipt and an alert on the customer's phone
Zaheb is a customer calling system with no pagers. With every order, a short number and a QR code are printed on the receipt. The customer scans the code with their phone, and a page opens directly in the browser where they can follow their order: received, in preparation, ready. No app to download, no account to create, and no phone number required.
When the order is ready, a staff member presses once on the orders screen to mark it "Ready", and the customer's phone vibrates and plays a clear alert sound, even when the screen is locked. The customer can sit down, go back to their car or run a quick errand nearby, and come only when called.
Three features that make the difference at rush hour
A calling screen above the counter with no special hardware
Zaheb provides a link you open on any screen or TV, showing the day's numbers: what is in preparation and what is ready. No special device and no installation. This screen also serves customers who did not open the link, who can see their number just as they would with a pager.
An alert that gets through even on silent
On iPhones, the alert arrives through a lightweight App Clip that opens with one tap, so the sound is heard even when the phone is on silent. It is optional for the customer and removes itself from their device.
One panel for all of today's tickets
The cashier or manager opens the Zaheb panel on the till or on a phone, and the status refreshes every ten seconds: how many orders are in preparation, how many are ready and waiting for pickup, and how many tickets have not been opened by their owners. You instantly see where the delay is and who needs to be called on the screen.
From impressions to numbers
Every ticket in Zaheb records the time it was issued, the time it was ready, the time it was picked up, and when the customer opened their link. The average preparation time becomes a number you read, not an estimate. For example, you can compare rush hours with the rest of the day and decide when you need an extra person on the preparation line.
A page with your shop's name and space for your offer
The page the customer sees carries your shop's name and logo, not a generic page with no identity. It also has space to show an offer or campaign while they wait, turning waiting minutes into a marketing opportunity.
Works with your current system
Zaheb does not require any particular till system. Tickets are issued directly from the Zaheb panel, and if you use Cortex point of sale, the ticket is issued automatically with the invoice for every takeaway order. When you need a till, accounting, HR or an online store, you add it from your subscription portal and its screens open in the same panel, with no new account and no data migration.
The idea is not limited to restaurants and cafés; it works for clinics, pharmacies, workshops, salons and anywhere people wait, and you choose the text the customer reads.
How to start?
Setup takes minutes: you sign up and your panel opens, with no server to prepare and no database to build. According to the Zaheb website, you start with a 14-day free trial with no card required, then 200 riyals per branch per year excluding VAT, and you can cancel at any time.
The bottom line
Rush hour will not go away, but the crowding around the counter can. When customers know their order status on their phone and get the alert on time, the place calms down, your team can focus on preparing orders, and you get real numbers about your performance.
Try Zaheb in your branch now and learn more: https://cortex.sa/solutions/zaheb