We wanted to share this special report from Supermarket News how five key product categories - produce, meat, deli, bakery, frozen foods - have been transformed and what trends are shaping their futures.
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Everywhere we turn, it seems like restaurants are struggling to find employees. We are hearing stories of having to reduce hours, postpone openings, closing on days they don't have enough employees to run the business, etc.
Between COVID concerns and staff shortages, restaurateurs are really having to work extra hard these days to keep their doors open.
Below are some ideas to help reduce staffing needs, save time, and lower costs.
Use your point of sale for order taking and cashiering - with dine-in, online ordering, pay at the table, web menus, and other time saving features.
Let's take a closer look at dine-in, as an example:
The customer simply scans a QR code on the table, places and pays for their order on their phone - eliminating the need for a dedicated server to attend to that table.
The same goes for online ordering - the customer places the order, freeing up staff from answering phones and entering orders into the point of sale system.
With pay at the table, you can reduce staff at cashier or hostess payment stations, freeing these employees for other tasks.
Use integrated web menus - place QR codes in key locations - the windows, on tables, or anywhere a customer is waiting. And don't forget to place a link on your website and Facebook pages. Using a web menu saves time and money - no need to print pages and pages of menus, reduce staff time bringing menus to the tables, etc.
Want to learn more way to save time and money with point of sale systems, such as EdgeServ POS or other POS systems?
We are continuing to receive notices from most of our hardware vendors, like the one below from
Ingenico.
"COVID-19 is continuing to significantly affect electronics manufacturing in 2021. This is impacting not only the payment technology market but
all companies in the technology manufacturing space, from automotive to smart phones, every sector is being impacted. The reality is that while available capacity remains constant, there is a global shortage of components used in semiconductor manufacturing due to the limited availability of raw materials.
As a result, lead times are increasing to 6+ months across all sectors."
In an effort to help the restaurant industry, the Retail Solutions Provider Association, has produced a webinar and distributed the related PowerPoint slides to help with understanding and applying for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants. (Yes, this is a grant, and those that are eligible should apply.)
(Please note: this is a rapidly evolving program - please check the SBA website frequently for updates!)
Payments are always a hot topic, especially trends in mobile payments. So, we wanted to share some highlights from an article published by RSPA (Retail Solutions Providers Association), written by Mark Bunney, Sales & Marketing Leader at Ingenico:
Food Service Tamper Proof Labels
Keep food for delivery, catering or takeout secure from prep to pickup with Tamper Proof Seal Labels These permanent adhesive, die cut labels securely seal sandwich wraps, pizza boxes, kraft bags, plastic containers and much more. With a best-in-class tamper evident design, these labels are ideal for QSRs, drive-thrus, app-orders, carryout or delivery services, assuring your customers that their order has not been opened in transit. You can also order custom print on any Seal Label with your logo and other branding to help boost your business. Lead times may vary.
Check out the supplies we have to help you during the pandemic. We have tamper-proof labels, cleaning supplies and can source items like Counter Top Shields and Sneeze Guards.
Don't forget to sanitize your point of sale devices. Touchscreen has a whole new meaning these days! 😱
Download Your Free Guide to Reopening Your Restaurant
It has been a long year, and it’s not even summer yet. One of our customers told us the other day, “I have never worked so hard and made so little money”.
In Alaska, the State Board approved alcohol pickup, and beer and wine deliveries. The emergency regulation was signed and made effective on 4/16/20 and is set to expire on August 13, 2020 at this point.
However, before you jump in, there are rules and regulations to understand. Below is a brief summary of the Alcohol Beverage Control Board Emergency Regulation. And everyone should read the entire order before proceeding - click here to download.
Food Service Tamper Proof Labels
Keep food for delivery, catering or takeout secure from prep to pickup with Tamper Proof Seal Labels These permanent adhesive, die cut labels securely seal sandwich wraps, pizza boxes, kraft bags, plastic containers and much more. With a best-in-class tamper evident design, these labels are ideal for QSRs, drive-thrus, app-orders, carryout or delivery services, assuring your customers that their order has not been opened in transit. You can also order custom print on any Seal Label with your logo and other branding to help boost your business. Lead times may vary.
During this crisis, business owners are looking at all cost cutting options in order to keep their doors open. We have talked to our peers in the industry and have learned that many of their customers are turning to different cash discounting programs to reduce or eliminate the cost of accepting credit cards.
We are now offering curbside pickup and delivery, in addition to USPS shipping for paper, ribbons and labels and other misc. supplies.
Call the office at 907-243-2683 (Option 4), and we will get your order prepared for you.
The members of the National Grocers' Association have shared a list of their tips.
NGA has compiled the following list of common practices that members have shared with others. Remember, communication with your customers and employees is paramount.
Today the conversation around computers and viruses takes on a whole new meaning.
Elo, the maker of many touchscreen systems in the world, shared these guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting screens.
These methods could be used for all you POS device screens to keep them clean.
This technical bulletin describes the recommended cleaning and disinfecting procedure for Elo products relative to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Included are recommended disinfectant products that are safe for use with Elo products and approved by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
During this crisis, we are all learning together as we go. We have been talking to customers and attending all sorts of webinars to help with best practices for online ordering.
We are reaching out and following up with our valued customers to see how we can help. We have resources for online ordering, delivery, and pickup. We've been working with customers and would be happy to share any strategies and/or success stories of things that are working for them.
Online Ordering, Delivery, Family Meal Plans, and Loyalty Programs are proving to be extremely effective right now! We are full-speed ahead on helping our customers get set-up!
The Shift Towards Delivery and Take Out
Today I had the opportunity to attend a "town hall meeting" with over 1,400 restaurateurs across the country. It was only for an hour and they will be holding more, so I highly encourage you to attend when you can. There were some great ideas and success stories from restaurant owners - many that have been shut down for over a week - and they were eager and willing to share their stories.
The tone was overall optimistic - but the general consensus was that in the short term, restaurant owners needed to make some adjustments. Below is an article that they shared, with some really great tips on how to make those changes in order to survive and thrive in the coming days:
I don't often post causes on social media, but I feel compelled to reach during this time. Our local restaurants, bars, retail shops and services, and other similar businesses are really suffering. Revenues are WAY down; employees are losing their jobs. I also feel bad for the people that can't work remotely and have to show up every day. Think of all the grocery clerks, stockers, medical personnel, emergency responders - the list goes on.
