The Management Report on Foodservice Technology Send in your news for our next FTA: Human Resources: Applicant Tracking Systems In this Issue: Paging & Table Management 2 News Briefs 8 Going Green in Foodservice 9 Hostec-Europe News 10 Events Calendar 11 Featured Vendors 12 Volume 21 , Issue 16 November 19th, 2007 Editor’s Note: This week we look at Paging & Table Management Systems. In our lead article, we explore what’s new in this area of the restaurant sector, including how Pagers have evolved to use cellular technology, and how they have become more of a communication tool. We also examine how Table Management now integrates with cellular technology to communicate with guests prior to their arrival at the restaurant, and how this technology is moving onto the web in the form of ASP-based, hosted solutions. It appears that there is tighter integration between paging and table management, and this is reflected in the articles we have published from some of the main developers of these systems. We would like to take this opportunity to direct you to our current survey about your projected spending in 2008. Please see www.accuvia.com/ dsp_Polls_home.asp for further details. We will publish the results from this brief poll in future editions of the newsletter, and additional surveys will be posted in the future, so please don’t forget to check our Polls and Surveys web page going forward. Our next FTA will focus on HR: Applicant Tracking Systems, so should you wish to contribute to this issue, please do not hesitate to contact me. As always, I am always happy to receive your comments and news. ~ Rachelle Claret ~ Paging & Table Management Systems Featured Topic: Long Range Systems’ Pizza Pager
Transcript
The Management Report on Foodservice Technology
Send in your news for our next FTA:
Human Resources: Applicant Tracking Systems
In this Issue: Paging & Table Management
2
News Briefs 8
Going Green in Foodservice
9
Hostec-Europe News 10
Events Calendar 11
Featured Vendors 12
Volume 21 , Issue 16 November 19th, 2007
Editor’s Note:
This week we look at Paging & Table Management Systems.
In our lead article, we explore what’s new in this area of the restaurant sector, including how Pagers have evolved to use cellular technology, and how they have become more of a communication tool.
We also examine how Table Management now integrates with cellular technology to communicate with guests prior to their arrival at the restaurant, and how this technology is moving onto the web in the form of ASP-based, hosted solutions.
It appears that there is tighter integration between paging and table management, and this is reflected in the articles we have published from some of the main developers of these systems.
We would like to take this opportunity to direct you to our current survey about your projected spending in 2008. Please see www.accuvia.com/dsp_Polls_home.asp for further details.
We will publish the results from this brief poll in future editions of the newsletter, and additional surveys will be posted in the future, so please don’t forget to check our Polls and Surveys web page going forward.
Our next FTA will focus on HR: Applicant Tracking Systems, so should you wish to contribute to this issue, please do not hesitate to contact me.
As always, I am always happy to receive your comments and news.
We have all spent time having to wait to get into the restaurant of our choice, and probably felt the annoyance of not being told when to expect a seat.
To deal with this problem, the industry began devel-oping paging systems to work in tandem with a restaurant’s Table Manage-ment system. These range from large pagers to color-ful coaster designs and were pioneered by major developers like JTECH Communications and Long Range Systems.
Today, paging systems have evolved to include options that utilize the cellular telephone system, either through the guest’s own phone or through dedi-cated, longer range hand-sets that allow a greater range of mobility for waiting guests.
It appears, therefore, that paging has become more
of meals as they occur in the dining room.
Business rules can be added to make the sys-tems more intelligent by allowing 'on-the-fly' table re-arrangement, server section combining and switching, seating rotation based on timing metrics, and color-coded table
icons to relate the current course at each table, done through integration with the POS and kitchen management system.
This interactive way for the hostess to know the pace of diners at each table means that she can calculate wait times accordingly.
Some systems are even clever enough to know to keep back a table of four if another is about to be cleared near it – to fit in the waiting party of six.
of a communication sys-tem. As it has evolved, it has now come to consist of not just paging but of communication between the guest and the restau-rant, at, or prior to the point of purchase, or arrival at the restaurant.
There are a handful of providers, such as Guest-Bridge OpenTable, and ReServe InterActive, who are developing Table Man-agement systems that allow the customer to be paged on their personal cell phone before arriving at the restaurant, and to be notified of how long they will have to wait to get a table.
Ongoing changes have also seen paging systems gain tighter integration into Table Management sys-tems. Originally designed to just capture guests’ names, these systems are now becoming much more sophisticated.
From mere wait list and positioning systems, we have seen Table Manage-ment grow in size and complexity to become true restaurant seating man-agement systems that can be used to govern the pace of seating and notify the host stand of the status
Nick Scavone Senior Consultant
Mark Ozawa President
John McDermot Senior Director of Consulting
LRS’ Coaster Call, with alphanumeric messaging
JTECH’s InstaCall alphanumeric pager
Volume 21, Issue 16 3 Nov 19, 2007
Paging & Table Management
Like so many of the current hospi-tality systems that have grown in complexity over the years, Table Management systems also offer in -house and ASP-based solutions. The ASP solution can offer greater functionality at a reduced cost, and can also have the advantage of complementary online reservation-taking, to greatly broaden the reach and accessibility of the restaurant.
OpenTable has been at the forefront of this technology, offering restaurants not only the online reservation feature but also a very sophisticated Table Management system in an ASP environment.
Another new area of paging is where restaurant customers can tap into the web on their own phone, to make reservations, or order food.
book a table anywhere in the world.
As with most restaurant systems nowadays, it is all about making the guest experience as pleasurable as possible, while maximizing revenue potentials.
The restaurant seat, much like the hotel room, has become a very perishable commodity. If a restaurant seats too many couples on its tables of four, it could lose up to fifty percent of potential business.
All these factors need to be considered. In a good dining room, tables need to be turned as much as possible.
Seating needs to be optimized but paced such that staff can handle it, and service is not ad-versely impacted.
Nick Scavone explains how Paging has become the lynchpin for improved Ta-
ble Management and online reservations systems – ‘it’s the missing link,’ he says.
A restaurant can now text a diner to inform them of how long a wait is, or to tell them that they will call when the table/order is ready.
Such is its progression that Ta-ble Management, Reservations & Paging can now work to-gether so that a customer can
LRS’ Beach Butler lets guests call for food service from the pool or terrace
Milwaukee, Wichita-based GuestBridge develops software to help hospitality businesses manage guest information, reservations and waiting parties. The company’s offerings for reservations and table management include the PC-based GuestBridge Reserve and GuestBridge Casual, as well as the web-based GuestBridge Express.
Claire Ellington, Vice President of Marketing & Opera-tions, detailed the core features of GuestBridge’s software in terms of Table Management functionality. To begin with, their solutions offer accurate wait quotes, dynamically based on actual table turn history - both from previous shifts and the current shift.
They also offer table status updates at the host stand, based on real-time data from the POS system, and/or elapsed time flags, and/or updates from staff using wireless handheld devices.
The ability to interface with other systems in the restaurant, such as POS systems, coaster or alphanumeric pagers, cell phones, chit printers, Quick-
GuestBridge, Inc.GuestBridge, Inc.GuestBridge, Inc.
Books, payment processing, and wireless hand-held devices is a third distinguishing feature.
Ellington said that since the beginning, Guest-Bridge has focused on giving restaurants the ability to increase the number of turns per shift.
The resulting capabilities include greeting parties and getting them on the wait list quickly, quoting the most accurate wait times, signaling parties that their table is ready, tracking each table’s dining status and alerting hosts or managers when unusual activity occurs, and enabling online wait list functionality, so guests can add themselves to the wait list via the restaurant’s website before they arrive.
Ellington told how GuestBridge has always been at the forefront of guest management and communications technology, and continues to add functionality to help restaurants manage their waits, tables and guests more effectively.
Volume 21, Issue 16 4 Nov 19, 2007
tapped into the trend by offering restaurants the ability to use this medium to show the wait list alongside promotions, adverts, etc. The result is one of the newest applications within QSR’s ConnectSmart Hospitality Automation Solution - the ConnectSmart GuestView.
In addition to showing the wait list, GuestView can be used to show information for any order that a guest will pick up within the restaurant, such as to-go orders or counter pick-ups, which reduces confusion and potential for errors.
This two-way communication puts more information into guests’ hands, to build guest loyalty. Another example is opening up reservations and the wait list to guests via the web. In addition to QSR’s ConnectSmart Reservations, which also allows guests to see availability and book a table online, QSR’s Hostess enables guests to make a call ahead online, providing immediate feedback about the wait time.
Linker also spoke of how integration will grow into other areas of hospitality, such as in valet systems. ‘Consider having your name added to the wait list when you hand over your car, and then having your car waiting for you because the system knew when you paid the check. Integration is one of the biggest pieces in the future of Table Management – and restaurant applications in general,’ he predicts.
Another future outlook for QSR is to get involved in more enterprise-level functionality. ‘Many Table Management solutions are more geared towards smaller operations – we want to support these operations, as well as large-scale, multi-concept companies, with thousands of restaurants and different configurations and concepts, and complex reporting needs,’ said Linker.
For Table Management, QSR Automations offers their ConnectSmart Hostess graphical seating and wait list management software. ConnectSmart Hostess has an intuitive interface built for a fast-paced touch screen environ-ment, easily maintained architecture, and a tie-in to the kitchen as well as to the POS for improved management and capture of the entire guest experience.
According to Dan Linker, Director of Services and Support, QSR creates custom controls for its Hostess. ‘A lot of the time, Windows applications are geared to mouse and keyboard; our Hostess can use a keyboard and mouse, but focuses on making the user interface as touch-friendly as possible – which is important,’ he commented.
Linker said the main thing he’s seeing in the evolution of Table Management is integration to other applications. QSR is well positioned to meet this demand, as they develop integrated technology.
‘Our ConnectSmart solution allows us to tie the front and back of house together, which is a very new concept,’ he said. ‘Not many other providers offer this connectivity. One example is the tie-in with our Hostess and kitchen manage-ment to provide more accurate wait times and more guest data.’ With over 20,000 kitchen video installations over the years, Linker said the driving force at QSR is their ConnectSmart Kitchen (CSK).
More applications outside of POS and back office systems are going into restaurants, Linker admits, and QSR is not the only company doing this, but as development continues, QSR will tie together the entire guest experience.
For instance, as restaurants increasingly use large-screen displays for showing TV or for marketing purposes, QSR
QSR Automations, Inc.QSR Automations, Inc.QSR Automations, Inc.
‘We are also exploring new technology, such as a patent-pending RFID-based guest recognition system we’re piloting this month,’ she said, ‘which will break new ground in managing guest experiences.’ New interfaces to other restaurant systems are added on a very regular basis, she noted.
Looking to the future, Ellington said: ‘We believe that the demand for ASP-based table management will increase
significantly over the next year or so.’
She also sees wireless handheld devices becoming increasingly important, as restaurants start to use them in lieu of additional PC workstations at the front of house. ‘Cell phone paging is already incorporated into our software, and text messaging won’t be far behind.’
ReServe Interactive specializes in Catering, Event Manage-ment, Dining Reservations and Table Management applications for hospitality, including hotels, restaurants, sports & entertainment facilities, golf clubs, and private
clubs. The company offers the only integrated solution for managing banquets and restaurant reservations in one system.
Guest' and ReServe automati-cally contacts the guest's pager with a text message that reads, 'Your table is ready.' In addition, ReServe pages the server assigned to the guest's table with a message notifying that 'Table X, party of X, is being seated.'
Caller ID Interface - between ReServe and CallerID.com's 'Whozz Calling?' device, identifies incoming calls and tries to match them to a record in the ReServe customer database. If a match is found, 'Use Current Caller' can be clicked to automatically populate the reservation with the caller's information, eliminating data entry errors and streamlining reservation processes.
ReServeIT - enables guests to make real-time dining reserva-tions or enquire about events, all online. This feature offers convenience to guests and cost-effectiveness to restaurants and banquet facilities. ReServeIT functionality is accessed 24/7, from a link on a restaurant's existing website, and allows the restaurant to maintain control over all guest data.
MeetingMatrix Room Diagramming Interface - offers high-end room diagramming services using the ReServe interface to MeetingMatrix room diagramming software. ReServe manages the diagram filing system, providing fast and simple access to the diagram matching the event being viewed. With a single button click, ReServe automatically creates a new diagram for an event, initializing the diagram with the appropriate location, attendance and table setup.
Having recently developed a range of system interfaces designed to improve the functionality and reliability of its technology offering, at the same time meeting the specific needs of its customers, ReServe InterActive now overlaps and shares 'live' data with allied technology products, such as pagers, POS systems, phones and e-mail, so that their customers are able to see additional benefits to using their products.
The Delafield, Wichita-based software developer is focused on advancing its technology by intersecting applications to synchronize and streamline front-of-house operations.
Lynn Carter, Chief Technology Officer, commented: 'With more specialized features, such as interfaces, we are able to easily tailor program applications to specific user needs.' The new ReServe Interactive technology interface offering includes:
POS System Interface - between ReServe Interactive and Radiant or MICROS, which utilizes precise table status monitoring to increase floor management efficiency. As items are entered on the POS system, the color-coded table status is automatically updated in ReServe InterActive, with no need for entry of any additional information as updates go automatically through the POS system interface. At any time, servers and hosts can see real-time table status.
Paging System Interface - with JTECH and NTN (now HME) pagers, allows users to simply enter the pager number given to the guest in the Table Management application. When the table becomes available, the user clicks 'Page
Service Alert Ltd.Service Alert Ltd.Service Alert Ltd. This small, Nottingham, UK-based company was founded in 2005, and has been market-ing its product, the touch4 call system, for around six months. The paging system,
which can be fixed to the table for added security, can be used in a range of environments, including restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, sports venues and meeting rooms.
We spoke to Colm Watling, Managing Director of Service Alert, who listed the main benefits of the call system, for customers, staff and management.
Firstly, as the touch4 pod is placed at every table in the dining room, or wherever people are served food and beverages, it puts the customer back in control of the service cycle, as they can request service without having to look around for staff.
The benefit for employees is that they never miss an opportunity to serve a customer, regardless of where they are, and are compelled to go to the table to press the cancel button and take the order. ‘This is very useful for focusing low-skilled staff on customer service,’ said Watling.
The benefit for managers is that they see productivity increased, and staff costs down, as less people are needed on the floor. Other benefits include being able to offer a more discreet service, knowing in advance the type of service requested, as well as facilitating up-selling. The touch4 system also measures service, allowing performance monitoring and reporting in the back office.
According to Watling, restaurants using the system have seen average spend per head go up in the region of 10 – 15 percent. This is largely due to it being a lot easier for customers to order coffee and desserts when the restaurant is very busy. Apparently one client has had to take on extra kitchen staff since installing the system.
Given that Service Alert is a small company, Watling said that they can respond very quickly to customers’ requests, and offer customization of the call system, such as pods in corporate colors, with corporate logos, and button icons can be matched to purpose. One of their most recent customers is Wolverhampton Racecourse, who ordered the touch4 to be installed in their 400-seater restaurant. ‘
Volume 21, Issue 16 6 Nov 19, 2007
tions, to better manage internal and external restaurant communications from end to end. Another focus will be on customer-driven development activity.
When asked if he considers ASP development of Table Management as key; Crisafulli replied: ‘This will be a market-driven development. Our customers have not voiced this interest to date.’ However, he added: ‘Our customers look to us to bring integrated hardware and software solutions to them, to improve communications and internal efficiencies.’ Therefore, JTECH continually evaluates new technologies to bring to the restaurant marketplace in new and enhanced products.
We then speak about new kinds of communication channels, and how these may affect the company. Crisafulli tells how JTECH's traditional on-site paging solutions ‘fill a valuable gap amidst these new and emerging technologies, especially in restaurants where margins are razor-thin.’
Paging is cost-effective, simple to use and relatively maintenance-free, he explained, and as a supplier to multiple vertical markets, JTECH does have products that utilize Wi-Fi technology, connectivity to cellular, etc., but the cost and the operational requirements specific to restaurants have limited their popularity and adoption in this market. ‘As other appropriate communications technologies become cost-effective options, we will almost certainly pursue them for integration into our restaurant product offerings,’ he commented.
JTECH’s partners include QSR Automations, Hospitality Solutions International, and UK-based Call-Systems Technology Ltd, who market their products in Europe.
Florida-based JTECH Communications, subsidiary of MICROS Systems, Inc. is an innovator in Restaurant Paging technology. For Table Management, JTECH offers HostAlert+, and for integrated restaurant management and
paging systems, the JTECH offer-ing includes combinations of: ServAlert, ServerPass, GuestAlert, GuestPass, Glowster Plus, Patron-Pass, SmartAlert, ValetAlert, Staff-Comm transmitters, and InstaCall Alphanumeric pagers, for staff text messaging and integrated alerts.
Doug Crisafulli, Director of Market-ing for JTECH, spoke to Accuvia about HostAlert+, their full-featured
table management system. He told how its integration with the POS & KDS assists in more accurate wait time quotations and guest experience analysis. HostAlert+ also benefits from an integrated Reservations System, with a guest history database, as well as real-time integrated paging alerts, based on events generated by the Table Management, POS, and KDS systems.
Over the last few years, JTECH has concentrated the development of HostAlert+ around improving the guest experience, and has done this by focusing on real-time alerts, which allows managers and staff to be better informed about actionable events; and on continued feature development, which has further streamlined the host/hostess function, so that they are free to pay more attention to customers.
In terms of future development, Crisafulli said that JTECH will work on further integration of technologies and applica-
JTECH Communications, Inc.JTECH Communications, Inc.JTECH Communications, Inc.
Where some customers want the touch4 to alert staff and managers via pager, or via a monitor screen, others have started to request that alerts get sent by text message. ‘Our customers tend to use the touch 4 for escalation,’ explained Watling.
Initially, waiting staff are alerted when the customer presses the service button, and after x amount of minutes, if the customer has not been seen, then an alert is sent to the manager by text message or by pager. No one likes to be caught out, as it were, so this method ‘helps to focus people’s minds’ on giving the best service possible. ‘It is a major productivity benefit,’ said Watling.
The touch4 works with touchscreens, pagers, DECT phones or PDAs, and also offers comprehensive data analysis, as every button press is logged. Owners/managers can subsequently assess staffing levels, and view performance related scales for best performance.
It’s a very flexible system,’ said Watling, ‘and can fit into different environments in different ways.’
As a development company, he said their main task is to go out and meet potential customers, and ask them what the touch4 can do for them. It is this direct approach that has seen Service Alert develop the communication side of its system.
JTECH’s Glowster Plus Pager
The Touch 4 Call System
Volume 21, Issue 16 7 Nov 19, 2007
Radiant Systems, Inc.Radiant Systems, Inc.Radiant Systems, Inc. guests to self-check-in when arriving for a reservation, and guest-facing displays will provide real-time estimates of current wait times, along with detail on which parties have tables ready for seating.
Schoonover told how Radiant’s clients are becom-ing increasingly focused on capturing meaningful guest information at the site, and making it available to users at that store as well as across multiple locations. ‘The two primary goals for capturing this guest information are maximizing seating efficiency and improving service, by developing a deeper understanding of individual customer's habits and preferences,’ she said.
Finally, Accuvia wonders how the advent of new communi-cation channels will affect Radiant’s business. ‘We definitely see wireless devices becoming more prominent in the restaurant environment,’ said Schoonover, who added that there are numerous potential wireless applications, but the primary focus in most scenarios is leveraging a mobile device to provide superior service by allowing the server or host to spend more time with guests, by eliminating their dependency on a typical fixed-position terminal.
‘Cellular has the potential to become another method of guest paging,’ she concluded.
Radiant Systems’ Aloha GuestManager solution is due for general release in Q1 2008. The application is built to provide an integrated solution for managing reservations, waitlist, tables and guests, in order to help restaurant operators optimize table utilization, maximize revenue and enhance operational efficiency.
We caught up with Kristin Schoonover, Product Director for Guest Management at Radiant, who listed the main features of this application.
First, she mentioned the ability to display real-time table status and alerts within the Guest Management application through integration with Aloha Table Service POS software.
Another feature is an electronic waitlist with suggested seating, that improves efficiency for the hostess by eliminating the traditional pen and paper process.
Support for both in-store and online reservations is given, providing a complete picture of each night’s bookings, as well as a centralized guest data store which allows guest informa-tion, dining preferences and purchase history to be shared across locations.
We ask Schoonover in which direction development is now headed, and she replied that ‘Radiant’s development team is focused on intelligent and meaningful ways to share guest information at the site and across multiple sites within the same brand or concept.’ The company is also looking at above store configuration and reporting tools, so that clients can easily maintain the application and readily access performance statistics across sites.
According to her, interactive kiosks are being developed for
The Magellan NetworkThe Magellan NetworkThe Magellan Network Founded in April 2006, Durango, Colorado-based The Magellan Network provides online reservation services to restaurants, develops web-based solutions, enables income-producing transactions for portals and search engines, and produces online content about US restaurants.
Jeffrey Katz, CEO, was keen to tell us about his company’s origins, and how they initially worked with California-based Ameranth, Inc., creator of the Magellan Restaurant System. In 2006, Katz took over the sales and marketing of this product, and together with Ameranth, began greatly enhancing the application.
This was re-branded and released as Magellan Reservations in April 2006, but according to Katz, all major activity occurred this year. Since January, the product has 2,200 restaurant
users, ‘which speaks volumes about the ASP model we offer,’ said Yann Ropers, Magellan’s Director of Marketing.
The benefits from the ASP model is that restaurant clients always have the latest version of this hosted application, as well as being put on all The Magellan Network’s ever growing and integrated partner portals. ‘It is a true network,’ he said.
‘Fundamentally,’ said Katz, ‘we believe that the many third-party systems in restaurants, such as paging, reservations, payment processing, etc, all need to talk to each other, as well as to the POS. Our reservations and seating manage-ment system will be more open than any other out there.’
He told how the company is attempting to accomplish this by
Volume 21, Issue 16 8 Nov 19, 2007
Paging/Table Management News Briefs
and in giving greater value to seating management systems. ‘Ultimately we will support pagers, but we believe SMS is the future,’ he said, ‘to enable dialog with consumers before, during, and after they have eaten, which allows for tighter control of the user experience.’
Ropers notes that these new levels of communication will enable restaurants to know how much each diner has spent, and who is coming in at all times. These CRM capabilities, added Katz, means that the concept of ‘the customer is anonymous’ will disappear, as each one can be identified at the door and tracked throughout their meal.
‘Through integration with POS, Paging, Table Management, Messaging, Reservations, etc, the restaurant can add value to provide an improved guest experience, and a more profitable restaurant,’ said the CEO.
offering a turnkey system for restaurant owners to benefit from all the marketing capabilities possible from this complete integration.
The Magellan Network’s Table Management system is currently under development and is due for Alpha release within sixty days. ‘Seating Management is a natural extension of Reservations,’ said Katz, who said the name for this new, web-based application has not yet been decided.
Although an ASP model, the company has included a Failover Strategy, and so the solution can also be rolled out as a Thin Client, which Ropers thinks will solve some major issues for restaurants, and afford the company a stronger foothold in the online reservations arena, alongside competitors such as OpenTable.
‘We offer an ASP model with a local cache, so if the Internet is down, restaurants can still make transactions – all they need is a telephone to receive reservations,’ said Katz.
He went on to explain how as they are not physically selling hardware or software, the company can build its network much faster than others in the industry. Katz doesn’t think a few thousand restaurant customers is enough. ‘We need tens, or hundreds of thousands of clients,’ he said. The plan is to be a large, sweeping network so that consumers can transact with their favourite, local restaurant through the system.
Katz, who also owns Mercury Payment Systems, commented that as the company’s roots are transaction focused, they are strong believers in integration to the POS,
San Diego, California-based Ameranth, Inc. is the creator of the 21st Century Restaurant system, for table management, reservations, wireless ordering, menu generation and payment processing.
On September 5, the company announced a new partnership with Charlotte, North Carolina-based XPIENT Solutions, LLC to integrate its wireless ordering system and intellectual property with XPIENT’s IRIS POS system.
Ameranth is a major player in the development of wireless technology for the hospitality industry, and provides seamless integration and synchronization between fixed, wireless and web-based solutions.
The 21ST Century Restaurant system includes handheld computers for wireless ordering and payment at the table.
Ameranth has also developed calorie and nutritional look-up features, as well as enabling paging, wireless printing, pivot seat tracking, and more.
In addition to this, the company provides a system for tracking multiple tables that is both easy to use and easy to update, enabling continually rotating menus.
Ameranth Partners With XPIENTAmeranth Partners With XPIENTAmeranth Partners With XPIENT
Volume 21, Issue 16 9 Nov 19, 2007
A new restaurant in Minnesota is aiming to be as green as possible. ‘The title on my new business card is instigator,’ said the owner of Red Stag, Kim Bartmann, who gave herself this label because she wanted her work to be more in line with her personal values. ‘A restaurant uses more energy and wastes more stuff than probably any other small business that exists. So I have to either become more environmentally friendly or get a different job,’ she stated.
So Bartmann set out to make her restaurant the first LEED-certified restaurant in the state. ‘This restaurant will be the first facility that's 100 percent lit by LED lights, which uses about 90 percent less electricity than incandescent lights,’ she said.
Rachelle Schoessler Lynn, an environmentally conscience and LEED-trained designer, who is working with Red Stag, said: ‘This isn't a fashion trend or a design trend. This is something that we all need to sit back and take note of.’ She added that there's a real change in the choices people are making about consumption, and according to her, ‘they're doing more with less.’
The Red Stag plans to save money by using recycled mate-rials, as well as less electricity and other resources. For example, smaller toilets and faucets will use 70 percent less water than an average restaurant, but to get long-term savings, restaurants need to be prepared to pay more up front.
seating preferences and dietary requirements.
According to Michele Brown, Marketing Manager for UK-based OpenTable Europe Limited, the differentiating factor is that OpenTable supplies both front and back end, and enables guests to make reservations in real time from either OpenTable.com, or from a restaurant’s own website.
She told how after eight years of continual development, OpenTable is now on Version 7, but that development is ongoing.
OpenTable, Inc., provider of restaurant reservation, table management and marketing software, as well as online reservations to diners through its OpenTable.com website, has been in business since 1999. Last month the company accepted its 50 millionth reservation.
Over two million people a month use the OpenTable service to make reservations at more than 8,000 local or international restaurants. This is the only online service of its type that directly connects to a restaurant's reservations system - also supplied by OpenTable.
Of note is that customers who book their reservations online through OpenTable.com are offered the ability to indicate
Open Table Marks 50 Millionth ReservationOpen Table Marks 50 Millionth ReservationOpen Table Marks 50 Millionth Reservation
Going Green In Foodservice
New Restaurant Sets Standards For StateNew Restaurant Sets Standards For StateNew Restaurant Sets Standards For State
A recent study revealed that just claiming to be green in a tagline or company brochure no longer works. Educated consumers are now looking for companies that mirror their socially conscious values, among which are corporate honesty, eco-friendliness, promoting local producers, and convenience.
From a poll of around 2,000 adults, it was discovered that while price and quality still feature in consumers’ purchasing decisions, a growing number are concerned about social responsibility.
A key factor for 41 percent of respondents is a product’s energy efficiency, and 44 percent said that where a product is
manufactured was important, overriding considerations such as convenience, which was only considered very important by 34 percent.
The survey showed that 90 percent of consumers are more likely to buy products from a company that manufactures energy-efficient goods, 88 percent from companies that promote consumer health and safety, and 87 percent from a company that commits to environmentally friendly practices.
‘Trust is perhaps the most important issue between these consumers and marketers; there has to be an alignment between what a company is promising and what it’s doing,’ said Mitch Baranowski, founding partner of BBMG, who conducted the survey.
New Study Highlights EcoNew Study Highlights EcoNew Study Highlights Eco---Friendly ConsumersFriendly ConsumersFriendly Consumers
Volume 21, Issue 16 10 Nov 19, 2007
Hostec-Europe 18-21 Feb 2008 www.hostec-europe.com
The event is co-produced by Hostec Events and managed by FreshRM.
Hostec-Europe will host free daily seminars with top technology experts, as well as a management conference, which will require payment to attend.
To save £30 at the door, PRE-REGISTER FOR HOSTEC-EUROPE FOR FREE by clicking here:
Bartech Automatic Systems GuestLine, Ltd Livebookings Long Range Systems UK MCR Systems Posera Europe Welcome Computer Systems Ltd GLOBAL SPONSOR:
NEW for 2008: * Senior Management Conference Hostec-Europe will be hosting a new, two-day Senior Man-agement Confer-ence in 2008. This is a paid event Conference program and registration details are coming soon! * Exhibiting and Sponsorship Deals Sponsorship packages include Senior Management Conference, Seminar Theatre along with pre show email shots, and bespoke packages to suit your budget needs. * New premiere location in first hall with own entrance *Advisory board to steer the future development of the event
Hostec-Europe is Europe’s largest event for foodservice, hospitality and l e i su re , and w i l l take p lace Monday 18-Thursday 21 February, 2008 at ExCeL, in London.
Volume 21, Issue 16 11 Nov 19, 2007
10220 River Rd, Suite 110 Potomac, MD 20854 Phone : 301-916-2520 Fax : 301-916-2521 E-mail : [email protected]
Volume 21, Issue 16 12 Nov 19, 2007
NRFtech 13-16 January, New York, NY NASFT Winter Fancy Food Show 13-15 January, San Diego, CA
Hospitality Law Conference 1 February, Houston, TX Inspire 2008 – RSPA’s Thought Leadership Summitt 3-6 February, St. Thomas, USVI
Calendar of Industry Events
Ameranth, Inc. Barthech Automatic Systems
CallerID.com Call-Systems Technologies Ltd
GuestBridge, Inc. GuestLine Ltd
HM Electronics, Inc. Hospitality Solutions Int’l
Jtech Communications, Inc. Livebookings
Long Range Systems MCR Systems
MeetingMatrix International, Inc. Mercury Payment Systems
