Menu 'talks' to Original Pancake House patronsMenu 'talks' to Original Pancake House patrons

BOCA RATON Fla. Original Pancake House franchisees Mohammed and Carol Sattar, at their restaurant here, are using technology from Menus That Talk to serve non-English speaking guests and others who have difficulty reading conventional bills of fare.

"South Florida is a cultural crossroads," said Mohammed "Mo" Sattar. "Not only do we get visitors who don't speak English, but we've got a large retired population. We had to find a way to serve them." Added Carol Sattar of the devices about the size of a DVD case that come with recorded menu descriptions and feature detachable earpieces for privacy, "Customers simply select a language they prefer, then press a button like 'Omelet's, Crepes or Senior Specials.' "

Sources at Miami-based Menus That Talk said guests, when ready to order, press a button to summon a server. They said the company delivered a pair of talking menus to the Sattars within a week of receiving printed menus and added that the multilingual audio technology provides users with more information than Braille menus.