Imagine having a customer who is in a rush, and an employ who can’t remember how to order a sandwich and substitute the side dish. The employee struggles to figure out what button does what, and how to even use the machine. He finally computes the order, and then erases it instead of sending it to the kitchen- You walk in the door in time to watch the customer walk away just as the order is received in the kitchen, you ask him to stay, and tell him his meal is on the house because it took so long.

Comping meals is just the start to this issue.

Often time’s frustrated servers are willing to give customers appetizers and sides that they are unable to ring up, in order to maintain customer satisfaction, and save time.

Your ability to use your POS, and to train your staff you use it as well will define your success. Having a system that works and more specifically works for you- can make the difference between a busy night full of sales and a busy night that results in a loss.

A new Benseron POS includes a 1 year warranty on software and hardware, as well as unlimited training from a dedicated support representative. This means that when your frustrated employee calls to ask a question, they talk to someone who knows your business, and can help train you employee to use the simple system- instead of talking to someone in another country, who does not know you or your business.

Having a fully functional, fully supported system can turn these losses into gains.

Why?
· Gift Cards bring in new customers, and pre-establish the return of existing customers.
· In 2006, Best Buy transferred $43 million from liabilities to income due to unclaimed gift cards.
· Consumer reports estimates that 19% of gift cards are lost or expire without use every year.

2. Add Something Unique

Offering items that customers cannot make at home not only entices them to visit your restaurant, but also keeps them coming back. The cost of adding items like smoothie’s, milkshakes, or specialty desserts to your menu are very low, and can yield high results.

3. Remove Something Obsolete

Often times restaurant carry inventory to produce menu items that never sell. These items weigh down your variety offered to customers, and contribute to monthly food loss. You can keep an eye on these items by checking your menu items report monthly. Removing this item and replacing it with an item as mentioned above is a great way to maintain your current spending, while enticing customers.

4. Up Sell

Phrases like “try our new (Unique Item Name) “, “Have you tried this wine with the (entree)?” are an excellent way to add on items to any order. Teaching servers to mention that their “favorite thing to order is (entree) with (side dish), and I always get the (Dessert), it’s the best on the menu!” can increase sales day after day.

5. Advertise Locally

Great low cost advertisement is available locally, and can yield great results. Contacting local schools and offering special pricing, as well as participating in fund raising events that sell discount cards can be a great way to increase your customer base, or the popularity of specific menu items.

6. Use your receipts to bring customers back
Printing messages on your receipts can be a great way to extend appreciation to your customers and invite them back. Consider printing on their receipt, a coupon for a free or half price item upon their next visit. Be sure to let them know of this promotion when handing them their receipt.

7. Use A Business Card Bowl

A great way to increase your lunch deliveries/takeout is to use a business card bowl. When a customer drops their card in the bowl, they are not only trying to win a free lunch, they are volunteering to receive a menu at their business, and have their email address added to your “Lunch Specials” email list. Emailing customers weekly or bi weekly via Constant Contact is a sure way to keep them coming back!

As a senior at Florida Gulf Coast University studying Computer Information Systems, and having a vocational degree in database management; I understand the complexity of using a database. I have been taught that analyzing numbers, storing information, and computing reports is a complicated process that requires college degrees, years of study, and an overwhelming knowledge of today’s technology.

With Benseron, this is NOT the case!

An innovative solution to all of the needs of a small business, directed toward the everyday needs of a restaurant, made so simple that your employees can learn to use it in minutes. The simple touch screen system facilitates all aspect of your business, and reports directly to you. It takes a complex database, and connects it to a simple software solution and thus provides all of the utility of having a full time database manager, an accountant, a kitchen manager, and a closing manager literally at the tips of your fingers.

Simply – Benseron puts the power of technology in your hands, on your side, and makes it easy to use.

The register looked like on that belonged in a small retail store that may be open twice a week or perhaps a mall kiosk, not a natural foods sub shop. There was no thermal printer, no washable/flexible keyboard, no computer software, and no touch screen! This got me thinking and I asked myself the following question. When is it time to upgrade to a Point of Sale, and abandon that old cash register?

Well here are a few reasons to switch:

1. When you are willing.

Owing a POS can be much like owing a full-size pickup truck. If you aren’t going to use the bed, you’re better off getting an economy car (you’ll save gas and they are easier to park). However, owning a POS system can be used to increase your productivity, track sales & inventory, offer great reporting, and much more. These can add up to faster transactions, better customer service, and more sales. The key is if you are willing to use it.

2. When you want more.

Most cash registers are good for doing one thing; collecting cash and checks. Collecting money is fine and most necessary, but cash drawers do this just fine. Point of Sale systems do much more than collect money. As mentioned earlier, they can be used to not only record transactions but save them for later use. This is because POS systems use operating systems like Microsoft® Windows® or Linux®. With these operating systems the POS can run different software that can open up many more possibilities. These can include accounting integration, employee tracking, security features, inventory management, and more. Just make sure you have the correct software for your needs.

3. When you have multiple stations.

Chances are two or more electric cash registers cannot be linked together. This task can be done effectively for most Point of Sale systems. This is advantageous if you wish to store information from multiple POS systems (work stations) to later compare data. Also if there is more than one location, and an Internet connection, it is possible to store data to a central server and compare data for all of locations to keep track of multiple locations.
There are many other reasons to upgrade to a point of sale system and abandon the cash register; including security integration and the evolving Wireless POS (wPOS). I will more than likely write about these other reasons in the future. I’m sure you can think of others and I welcome your e-mails and/or comments.

Benseron Information Technologies Inc. has started placing automated ordering systems in many Subway franchises around Southwest Florida. The small kiosks can be set up by the counter, and they feature a touch-screen system that gives customers the opportunity to design their own sandwiches before they get in line.

The menu choices include the type of bread, meat, cheese, condiments, and other ingredients for the sandwiches, as well as additional items such as beverages and chips. The final order can be reviewed or revised, then paid for by credit card at the kiosk if the customer chooses to use the “self-checkout” option. The machine then produces a reipt that is presented when the meal is ready to be picked up.

“We call it the line-buster,” said Onur Haytac, president of Benseron Information Technologies Inc. “By the time the customer gets their cup and drink, the sandwich is usually ready. It’s advantageous for the restaurant owners, too, because the automated order handling allows the franchice to become much more efficient. We’ve also seen a lot of ‘add-on’ sales increases, where the customer decides to put more items on the sandwich when they see all the options they have.”

One of the locations now using the new kiosks is the Subway Restaurant at the Collier County Government Center. Haytac is currently working on a procedure that will allow government employees to order meals from their desks via the Internet. By the time the customer walks over to the restaurant, their order should be ready.

Benseron Information Technologies Inc. is the main supplier of Subway kiosks for the state of Florida. The location at the Government Center is one of 11 in stores around Collier and Lee counties with the ordering system, and the company has several orders to provide them to stores in Miami.

Haytac was encouraged to start his own business while he worked on a MIS degree in Computer Information Systems at Florida Gulf Coast University.

“I met some outstanding executives in the school’s Masters program,” he said. “One was Joe Candito, who is the development agent for Subway. He’s one of the rising stars in the United States, and has more than 100 stores that he’s responsible for right now in the Southwest Florida region.”

Candito was experiencing difficulty collecting “point of sales” (POS) information, which is gathered from the cash register when a customer orders a meal at Subway. Usually the information is saved in a database and later sent to Subway’s corporate offices, so that the customer’s purchasing trends can be tracked. However, due to technical and software issues, the system would crash and the database would be down for a few days, which forced employees to track the data manually.

Benseron Information Technologies Inc. subcontracted with Subway Regional Development to provide franchises with POS systems throughout Southwest Florida, and Haytac wrote a computer program that backed up all the restaurant’s data on a disk twice a day. It was a small and easy idea, but it helped a lot, he said. Today, if something goes wrong, a new POS unit can be sent out quickly, and the collected information from the disk can be transferred toi the new system. Haytac can also access the systems remotely for trouble-shooting.

“Everybody loves it,” Haytac said. “We pretty much sold it to every Subway store in the area.”

In addition to POS technolog and automated ordering kiosks, the company also installs security systems for restaurants to help cut down on thefts from the cash registers.

“A lot of owners have issues with money being stolen from the stores, sometimes by store managers or employees who are doing things that they don’t want anybody to see,” Haytac said. “One of the ways that people steal from the company is to push ‘no sale’ to open the cash register drawer and take money out.”

A security surveillance system offered by Benseron Information Technologies Inc. is integrated with the cash register and connected to a digital video recorder positioned overhead. Whenever the employees touch the cash register’s screen or push certain buttons, the system comes on and records the transaction, including every button that is pushed. The information is stored in a datebase, and the storeowner can review everything at the end of the day and quickly track down a problem if money is missing.

“This system can be integrated into any POS system at any restaurant or other business,” Haytac said. “It’s Web-based, and whatever is on the register screen can be viewed remotely by the owner from their house, or anywhere in the world if they want to.”

Other video recorders can be positioned at locations throughout the store for added security. The information they collect can be saved for up to 30 days.

Benseron Information Technologies has been in business for about two years, and currently has four employees who are all either graduates of, or students at, FGCU. Herman Pardo is a computer information undergraduate who works in the field, and Douglas Korinke is a student majoring in finace who provides marketing and cost accounting services.

FGCU believes in teaching students to be readily able to deal with changes in the business world, Korinke said. “I can be working on marketing flyers one minute and then get a completely different task, from web design to database management,” he said. “Whatever it is, I know I have the skills to get the job done.”

As Benseron Information Technologies continues to grow, Haytac plans to offer internships to FGCU students, and will look to the university as a source of new employees.

“I’m very grateful to FGCU and for my connections with the professors,” he said. “I feel like they kind of created me and this company. I want to make the university a part of the company in the future, and as long as we need people, we’re going to get them from FGCU.” BtoB

The firm assists individual Subway owners’ to establish their integration with Subway’s new technology movement through their gift card system. Benseron is also the main supplier of Subway kiosks for the state of Florida. Subway kiosks provide Subway franchises with automated order handling, allowing them to become much more efficient. However, it is not the connections with Subway that drives Benseron.

Onur Haytac, head of Benseron, is a graduate of Florida Gulf Coast University’s graduate program and believes that the school provides plenty of talent. “FGCU educates young adults with lots of business skills, they are very multifaceted and we are very proud to employ students from the school.”