The Rangoon Road corner shop famous for the fragrant pork soup started its $20,000 wireless ordering system a week ago.

Ng Ah Sio Pork Ribs Eating House, which served the dish to ex-Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in January, now has four waiters carrying HP iPaq PDAs (personal digital assistants) to take orders.

The waiters simply 'tap-in' the orders which are immediately sent wirelessly to the kitchen printer and to the cashier's computer.

Kitchen staff can prepare the food without waiting for the waiter to make his way to the kitchen, and save time from having to keep running back and forth.

The shop's owner, Mr Ng Siak Hai, 71, said he installed the new system to improve his staff's efficiency, and for better accounting.

Many restaurants here have implemented wireless ordering systems, including Hard Rock Cafe, Colours By The Bay and recently Lerk Thai. But this is one of the first for a coffee shop.

An 86-year-old retiree, a regular at Ng Ah Sio for decades, said: 'It's good to progress. Now, the waiters can take orders faster and the collection is quicker.'

But there were teething problems.

Regular Michael Tan, a 38-year-old manager who went to the shop on Tuesday, said they had to wait 20 minutes for their orders to be taken.

Previously, he would just signal to the waiters. 'But this time, they just said: 'Sorry, now use computer. You must wait.''

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