"Proactive" is the best word to describe the
way Joseph Cloutier, owner of Realty Resources Hospitalities of Rockport,
Maine, manages his business. It is no wonder, then, that Digital Dining
from Menusoft Systems Corp. has become his POS solution of choice. Cloutier's company operates eight Denny's family
restaurants in Maine, four of which opened last year in Bangor, Augusta,
Auburn and Brunswick. The first two feature the Denny's Classic Diner name
and format, complete with 1950s-style diner decor and hourly entertainment
presented by singing and dancing servers. The Auburn and Brunswick units
bear the Denny's moniker but tout a more contemporary, upscale look than
the chain's traditional outlets; special touches at these two sites
include patios and menus offering live lobster. Realty Resources Hospitalities' remaining restaurants
are found in Portland (two branches), Auburn and Brunswick. Two of those
units are slated for conversion to Denny's 2000, a second, futuristic
diner format. "With so much going on, as well as plans for
expansion with the new formats throughout New England, we knew we needed a
powerful system now rather than later. Digital Dining fit the bill,"
explains Kevin LaBree, RRH's area supervisor. "The only two units
that don't use it [Digital Dining] are the upscale ones, which already had
another, less powerful product from a different vendor in place when we
acquired them." LaBree says his company will install Digital Dining at
the Auburn and Brunswick restaurants at some point after the contract for
the competing system expires.
Digital Dining's flexibility is
"unparalleled," LaBree maintains, stating that unlike many
systems, it accommodates a 24-hour operating mode. "The software
setup lets us end the day and do closeouts at 3 p.m., instead of at some
rigid end-point," he elaborates. "This in itself was enough to
make it worthwhile." Just as impressive, he adds, is the ease with which the
program handles server banking. Touchscreens serve as cashier stations as
well as order entry points, speeding up customer checkout. Such functions as discounts, voids, check-split-ting,
tab transfer and the splitting of individual menu items onto multiple
checks can be completed at the point of sale with no difficulty. Report generation is comprehensive, fast and flexible
to the point that "we can build back-of-the-house reports any way we
want," LaBree observes. Custom-report generators cover sales,
receipts, discounts, charges and voids, labor, security, sales tax and
time and attendance, with infinite sorting by time intervals. Data sorting by staff, menu, sales, preparation type, profit center,
quantity sold and dollar value also is possible.
Consequently, LaBree and his colleagues can, for
instance, track labor by shift, by day or by week, enabling them to
quantify and qualify the volume of human resources allocated. Such
information can lead to better labor forecasting and scheduling. Obtaining
sales reports on specials and items with unusual parameters attached
(e.g., All-American Slams, where 10 cents per sale is donated to Save the
Children) proves equally problem-free, they indicate. "Digital Dining has reduced the time needed to
obtain reports to just 20 minutes, from three to four hours in the
past," the area supervisor says. "Nightly reporting is
automatic; all we do is click the right icon." "What's more," LaBree says, the
"enhanced memory and better processor" that are a part of the
latest Digital Dining package "mean we can deal with multiple
functions without headaches. "There are no slowdowns, even if all three or four
terminals in one of our units are busy producing tickets, or we're
generating some sort of report in the back while processing several POS
transactions. This benefits our customer-service image," he says, as
"I don't think patrons would be too impressed to hear that we
couldn't take their money because the terminals are 'busy.'" LaBree says Digital Dining plays a major role in Realty
Resources Hospitalities' months-old frequent diner program for senior
citizens. Some 3,000 to 5,000 guests have enrolled in the program since
its inception, he says, and the Menusoft Systems product has enabled his
company to keep close tabs on points accumulated, dollars spent and
frequency of member visits. A similar frequency-building program targeted toward
employees of two major area hospitals is expected to roll out shortly, a
move LaBree claims would not be feasible if his group used a less
adaptable software package.
Digital Dining's user-friendly nature also contributes
to the product's reputation as a leader among POS systems, some buyers
say. Managers can program in special menu items, price changes,
preparation instructions and "item out" advisories on the fly.
Should a server neglect to enter an order component, such as the beverage
that accompanies a child's meal, the system will "remind" him or
her to do so. "Some of our employees were a little bit nervous
about using computers and hesitated at first," LaBree recalls.
"However, they love tile help they get from automation. Every so
often 1 will jokingly say we're thinking of getting rid of the system, and
you should hear the protests." LaBree notes that vendor Menusoft Systems went the
extra mile to make Digital Dining truly suit the specific needs of Denny's
operators. For instance, certain report formats and the way the time clock
portion of the application searches the database for employee
identification numbers and names were altered, rendering a highly
functional system all the more valuable, he says.
Equally outstanding was the training afforded by local
supplier HDSNE, whose personnel provided on-site support for the
Bangor and Augusta Denny's Classic Diner openings. "The company has
quickly taken us to the point where our people can attend training classes
for just one day and get enough hands-on experience to feel confident and
comfortable about using the system," LaBree says. Reliability is another key to Realty Resources
Hospitalities' satisfaction with Digital Dining. Proclaims LaBree: "We've never experienced
downtime due to server failure. This is a very robust system. Menusoft has
a winner in it, and so do we."
Reprinted by permission of Nation's Restaurant News, May
24, 1999, © Lebhar-Friedman, Inc., 425 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022 |
