Mary Hamill
Vice President, Human Resources and Information Technology, Max & Erma’s Restaurants
Well, I’m a big hand-held technology gal, so when I attend FS/TEC it’s always a topic of discussion I like to have, even though it’s also a topic that isn’t as widely discussed as you might guess. One problem is that we have yet to tap into the power of text messaging as a marketing tool. E-mail yes, texting no, particularly for purposes of online ordering. We’ve seen pizza chains using it and we’re beginning to see quick-serves follow suit, but not so much the casual-dining segment, despite the growing number of chains that offer carry out and curbside delivery.
I expect to hear a lot of discussion about PCI at the show, most notably 1.2 compliance, the deadline for which is 2009.
Another area of concern is nutrition labeling. It’s of concern to everyone now that New York City requires restaurants to provide nutritional data on their menus.
Mike Plunkett
Senior Vice President, Purchasing and International Operations, Dave & Busters Inc.
There isn’t necessarily one vendor that provides the best solution to integrating data for time and attendance, POS, and inventory management. The choice seems to be to either go with something that generally, but shallowly, integrates data from each of those concerns or to go with a more specialized approach to each of those concerns, even if each doesn’t interface with other data streams particularly well.
In general, I would expect to see a lot vertical coverage of efficiencies at the show, especially in terms of inventory purchasing and management. There are a handful of applications that do a fabulous job of making that type of data transparent across stores as well as the entire company. They’re useful in helping us better identify what our costs are.
Cihan Cobanoglu
Associate Professor, University of Delaware
With PCI Version 1.2 having just been released, expect to see several 1.2-compliant vendors on hand. It’s interesting, but some operations still run POS software that isn’t 1.1 compliant. That’s an enormous risk, given that a security breach could present an extraordinary financial burden to smaller restaurants, perhaps even shut them down.
Also expect to see more RFID technology at the show. I’m thinking about applications involving inventory control, particularly with respect to beverages. Today, we have devices that can be attached to the inside of a liquor bottle, so that when the bartender pours, the device measures how much liquor is used. It’s a form of real-time inventory control. Perhaps at future FS/TEC shows, we’ll see similar dishwater-proof devices that attach to silverware, plates, and glasses for purposes of inventory and cost control. You never know.
Glenn West
Senior Vice President, Information Systems and E-Commerce, Papa John’s International Inc.
Expect to hear a lot of discussion about efficiencies, particularly in light of the increasing cost pressures operators must absorb—commodity costs, energy costs, the rise in minimum wage. In particular, expect back-office reporting to receive a lot of attention, specifically inventory management, labor management and scheduling, and forecasting, as well as home-office reporting. Now that FS/TEC is co-exhibiting with NAFEM, I would expect we’d see that discussion extend to integrating fryers, refrigerators, and the like with forecasting and energy-management systems.
One topic generating a lot of interest is social networking and how to translate the concept into creating a stronger relationship between consumers, operators, and management. As a marketing tool, a technology as simple as text messaging would be a relatively inexpensive means of keeping in touch with today’s younger generation.