Two Ames restaurants have discovered technology can make waiting for tables easier on customers, although sometimes, the convenience is not worth the cost.

Hickory Park Restaurant, 1404 S. Duff Ave., recently used vibrating pagers to notify customers when its tables were ready, said Tracy Wheelock, manager at Hickory Park.

The restaurant began using the pagers in September but stopped using them last month because “too many of the pagers were getting stolen, and it was too high of a replacement cost,” she said, adding it cost $170-$180 per pager.

“We would lose up to sometimes three on a Saturday night,” she said.

Jason Wheelock, general kitchen manager at Hickory Park, said people would get tired of waiting and leave with the pagers.

“People wouldn’t actually steal them on purpose,” he said.

The pagers often were found in other areas of Ames.

“Some were found in snow banks around town,” Tracy Wheelock said. “I don’t think it was malicious stuff.”

Out of more than 50 pagers, 20 were lost or taken by people, Jason Wheelock said.

He said he didn’t know why anyone would want to take the pagers.

“They are no value to anyone,” he said. “They can’t be used for anything else.”

Tracy Wheelock said restaurants in Des Moines, including the Olive Garden and Machine Shed, still use the pager system.

Perkins Restaurant, 325 S. Duff Ave., has allowed people to borrow Game Boys during their meals for the last two years, said Helen Romsey, assistant manager at Perkins.

Customers may check them out and leave photo identification with the staff, she said.

“This is a family restaurant,” Romsey said. “We want to attract the parents to bring their children in here.”

She said she didn’t know of any Game Boys that have been stolen, although a few have been lost.

“A majority of people are pretty nice and honest,” she said.