Desjardins and Maitre'D launch a new line of wireless payment solutions for restaurants

MONTREAL, March 1, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Payment at the table in restaurants has never been so quick and efficient thanks to the new line of payment solutions that Desjardins Group (www.desjardins.com) will be releasing at the end of April 2012 with management and point-of-sale software publisher Posera (Maitre'D). 

Since 2010, Desjardins has set itself apart with its Flex line of payment solutions, which allows restaurants and retailers to combine their electronic cash registers with their payment terminals. The line's range of terminals for at-the-counter and wireless payment, at the table or on deliveries, benefits both merchants and their customers. 

Once again, Desjardins has broken new ground and demonstrated its capacity for developing products to meet its clients' needs. "At a time when merchants must offer consumers multiple quick and secure payment options, Desjardins sets itself apart with affordable solutions that are easy to integrate into points of sale," said Patrice Dagenais, Vice-President, Payment Services and Business Partnerships at Desjardins Card Services.

On the strength of its experience in the restaurant industry, Posera has teamed up with Desjardins to offer restaurateurs a complete solution that integrates all methods of electronic payment into its Maitre'D management software. "By working with Desjardins, Posera is innovating and reinforcing its position as a leader in technology for the restaurant industry. This new solution will cover multiple needs within one establishment and accept payments at the counter and at the table," added Michel Côté, President of Posera.

Source: CNW Press Release

POS Saves Restaurant from Tax Man

General manager Duane Owens explains: “When you have both bar and restaurant customer clientele, there are some tricky tax issues. I knew that a POS that handled sales tax well would save us several thousand dollars a year.” The Smokehouse needed a POS that would recognize when food items were added to a bar order and automatically recalculate taxes accordingly.

In addition, Owens wanted a POS with user-friendly customer loyalty and electronic gift card programs, plus the flexibility to configure menu and bar items to specifications. “We were issuing gift certificates manually in a very tedious process,” Owens explains. “Money was falling through the cracks.”

For assistance in the selection, Owens turned to his local division of US Foods (www.usfoods.com), which opened up an unexpected bonus: The Smokehouse would be eligible for a generous discount on the purchase through the US Foods Resource Advantage program.

Frequent Diner Program Keeps Customers Loyal
Owens is making use of a variety of diverse functions on the new POS. “I ran an employee contest with some great prizes, including dinner here at The Smokehouse for the team of servers that signed up the most customers for our new frequent diner program. We had 900 people sign up in the first two months,” says Owens.

The flexibility of the customer loyalty module allowed Pontiac to design a program whereby customers need not carry loyalty cards; instead, the system uses the customer’s phone number to track purchases and generate coupons. “Our frequent diner program helps us reward customer loyalty and keep our tables filled.”

With the built-in promotion and coupon capabilities, The Smokehouse is able to deliver tailored promotions to loyalty club members. Owens has discovered that customers respond best to special offers issued through Facebook and he can use Restaurant Manager‘s database to build targeted lists of Facebook users that he wants to reach. 

Source: Hospitality Industry

iPad Solutions for Busy Restaurants

Entrepreneurial inspiration can strike you in the unlikeliest of places – as Torontonian Alex Barrotti knows all too well. He hit on the idea for an iPad app for wait staff while dining on sushi at a friend’s restaurant in the Caribbean.

His friend “was looking for ways to take care of his customers on the patio,” Mr. Barrotti explains. “In the Caribbean, they have issues that we take for granted – for instance, their power goes out three times a day, and they have no steady, reliable Internet connection.

TouchBistro is one of a growing number of iPad-based restaurant software programs – a list which includes apps for drinks menus, such as Uncorked, or purely customer-facing apps, such as MenuPad.

What separates TouchBistro from others is the depth of the program, and how it works in a three-fold manner – for customers, for wait staff, and for the business back-end that keeps things running.

This last point is key to the program’s success – the app can divide sales by section, waiter, food and drink, allowing restaurant managers to quickly figure out what's working and what isn't.

Busy restaurants can opt for an iPad for every waiter, while small cafés and bars can just use one for the point of sale. The TouchBistro website offers packages for purchasing everything from single iPads ($519+) to adding a cash drawer, printer and AirPort ($1,499).

Source: Globe and Mail

Pay your tab even before you get your food

 Tabbedout: A Mobile Payment App for Restaurants and Bars

Source: Entrepreneur

After Spring Tryouts, Digital POS iPad Lifts Off in Fall at LIFT

Located on the waterfront of picturesque Coal Harbour in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, just minutes from Vancouver’s financial district, LIFT’s architectural design is as elegant as it is stunning: sweeping, panoramic views of the North Shore Mountains, Coal Harbour, Burrard Inlet, Stanley Park, and the downtown Vancouver skyline; a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that “vanishes” in the summer; an illuminated, honey-colored onyx bar; and an oceanfront rooftop patio that overlooks the mountains, harbor, and park.  The casual elegant (business casual) restaurant is known for its West Coast hospitality, signature “whet” plates (which tourismvancouver.com says “are defined as ‘a small quantity taken to create appetite for more’”), and award-winning list of sustainably-produced wines, and, more recently, as the first fine dining restaurant in Vancouver to have a digital POS iPad.

Source: Aptito