Creative Tecknology will exhibit new text messaging tools for restaurants at this week’s Western Food Services Exhibition.

DinerTXT, PizzaTXT, and VinoTXT will all debut at the Convention Center in San Diego.

PizzaTXT and DinerTXT are designed to enable restaurants and pizzerias to communicate directly with their customers using text messages – the fastest growing communications media in the US. VinoTXT offers a similar service to Vineyards and Wine Clubs for promoting events and offers to their members and visitors.

“These services enable the smaller, independent restaurant to take advantage of a low-cost, convenient and increasingly popular marketing channel,” says CEO John Serpa.

“Potential and regular customers have a permanent source for discount offers without sorting through piles of direct mail or thumbing through the local papers.”

The texting services are offered on a pay-per-text basis and are affordable with prices from around 7 cents per coupon. Coupons-by-text yield much higher redemption rates and can be targeted to specific customers. There is also an option for customers to opt-in, enabling the restaurant to broadcast messages to multiple customers on a regular basis.

All messages are controlled from a secure account which can be accessed from any internet connected device.

According to a recent survey by Scarborough, more than 8.5 million households receive coupons by text or email, a significant swing from newspapers, mailers and other established sources.

“With the public using text messages to vote, shop, and chat, businesses should look at this medium as a direct route into their customers’ daily activities,” Serpa says.