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Subject: Re: POS
From: aging bacchus
Posted: Wed Jul 16. 2003, 15:38 UTC
Followup to: "Re: POS"  by Josh  (Wed Jul 16. 2003, 08:45 UTC)
> Aloha, Micros and Squirrel are the "big 3" when it comes to POS 
> systems. All three have their high and low points. 

I have used Aloha and Micros for some time, but have no experience with 
Squirrel. I agree with the previous poster - Micros has great support and, in 
my opinion, is better at overall "number crunching" if your company seeks to 
manage its numbers better.

In my experience, Aloha is easier to use and much easier to train new people. 
Both crash about the same number of times but I think "service" varies widely 
according to which area you live in and who provides the contract.

However, just to be a bit of a crank - which system do you use now and why 
does it need to be changed? I worked at one place (recently) that used an 
early version of "digital dining" on dummy terminals from the middle 80s. It 
was all "plu-s" (numbers, keyboards, and pull-down menus - no graphics at all) 
but it was incredibly fast and very cheap to work on. The main down side is 
that training was an absolute nightmare. I have also seen major chains install 
multi-thousand dollar color touch screens for cooks covered in grease, flour, 
and batter for instructions that say "fries."

In the end, I know that computers are dandy for inventory and numbers, but 
also remember hand writing checks and "working the wheel" in the kitchen. 
Moreover, I still have fond memories of the "calling order service bar" and 
hear the words "working" in my sleep sometimes - breathtakingly fast when you 
knew what you were doing. When you and your bosses factor in the costs of the 
new computer system, are you also factoring in the costs to retrain the staff? 
Customers just love to hear "sorry your food is taking so long, we have a new 
computer system..."


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