The Italian Restaurant Cash Register System
I have set up a program
that will change a computer into a cash
register suitable for an Italian Restaurant.
The Basic System .
A computer
a modem
a cash drawer
up to 5 thermal
printers around the restaurant or 6 if you only connect
up the modem when you need it which is normally outside working hours
The computer enables
the use of an ordinary keyboard-
No complicated Keypad that takes time to learn and costseasy menu creation
-no
codes ie PLU's - just simple menus with single
key press for choice
easy menu maintenance
- the
menu can be changed at any time - you don't
need to work after hours with the managers key etc.
Specials can be added at any time and priced later
or on the fly.
Caters for very large Menus
- Plu's
normally have a limit - you can have literally
thousands of items and access speed does not change.
Caters for Items not on the Menu
- You
are able to ring up a new menu item and price
it on the fly and perhaps put it on the menu if it
becomes popular at a later date.
Send comments to the chef that will not appear
on the tax invoice.
- ie Gluten Free, No Salt etc
Have Pizza's with extras or without certain items
-ie no anchovies,extra cheese..
Have
Pizza's with different halves or thirds or
quarters and the computer would
automatically
charge the most expensive.
Allow blank lines between menu items ordered
so the chef can easily read the order
docket.
Allow Splitting of the Bill so that if a
member
of the table leaves early he can receive his own
tax invoice .
Takings can be checked at any time - summary
of stock is also available at any time.
Daily summaries are saved by date so that it is
easy to recall them if one needs to in the future.
You are
able to connect up to the computer
from your home computer to run the program
and make menu changes etc.
The
counter computer allows for a Change
calculation and is easily operated
one need
only enter 10 for $10 and
10.5 for $10.50 .
Tables can be viewed at any time and
multiple sittings can easily be seen since
a different colour is used for each new
customer for a particular table.
New
customers can be provided tables very
quickly indeed and bookings are also possible
so that at start of day the computer would
have everyhing ready for input.
A table can be personalized with a customer
name if need be or otherwise the name given
is the table no.
Example 1.
System for an
Italian Restaurant was initially designed to
consist of -
one computer with 5 thermal printers as follows
one thermal
Printer at the counter for printing Tax Invoices and
Till and Stock Summaries at end of day or at any time.
one thermal Printer for the Pizza Chef
one thermal Printer for the Kitchen Chef
one thermal printer for the Bar
and one thermal printer for the new bar.
This arrangement
has proven to be unsatisfactory for the fact
that it is only feasible to use the Restaurant is busy .
Possibly this
problem could be overcome if the counter is
moved to the Bar Area and the Bar Person is the one to
use the computer.
Example 2.
Setup with a
computer at the counter and 2 other computers
all networked so that each computer can send orders to the
thermal printers and the 2 other computers can be placed
around the restaurant so that girls would have easy access
for inputting orders.
This setup presumes
that everyone must learn the system and
all would go to the counter computer to print the tax invoice
and put money in the cash drawer.
Having 3 input
areas will effectively enable the running of
the restaurant with less staff and greater efficiency all around.
One could extend
this system to 7 computers around the
room but you need seating room and really probably only
2 would be sufficient for a 400 seater restaurant.
The System is not
expensive and well within the budget of
even a small restaurant.
The most expensive
items are the thermal printers but you
can use Dot matrix printers at a tenth of the cost if you wish.
The computer does
not need to be the latest and in fact $380
for the counter computer and about $300 each for the other
2 computers would give you a working system.
Pricing:
Basic Computer say a pentium 2 233mhz -
includes Win 3.11 operating system
a 2 to 4gig Hard Drive 16 to 32 mg of Ram
and a monitor ,mouse,keyboard
and a 15inch monitor say $260.
2
Input/output cards to provide you with
7 ports for printers modem and cash drawer $80
5 Thermal Printers at approx. $700 each $3500
a cash
drawer with interface to the
computer
$200
and an external 56k Modem $90
Pc-Anyware for
Dos - for connecting
up via modem from home
$15
a UPS - ie an uninterrupted Power supply $300
-------
Subtotal is $ 4445.00
or if you have
5 dot matrix printers
then - 3500 + 350
-3000.00
------
alternative subtotal $1445.00
My fee for such a
system is incl. Training
and 1 year computer education. $2500.00
------------------------
Total $ 3945.00
Plus GST.
Or if the thermal printers are chosen Total $6945.00
Plus GST.
You can rent a
system like this at $110 per week
if you wish and after
2 years it is yours to keep.
Maintenance is not
necesssary from past experience
but computer assistance may be required at $220 per year .
I would connect up
after working hours for adding any extra
features or providing updates at no extra charge.
Computers are very
happy if you don't turn them off
and may last many years.
It is wise to have
in your cupboard a printer , keyboard and
monitor spare in case of trouble.
All the above items
are very inexpensive so there is
no reason why you cannot have spares.
If you decide that
you need 3 computers networked
then you need to look at an extra $300 for each additional
computer to allow for cabling and a Hub and an extra $1500
for the extra complication in programming for networking
computers .
Note the extra
computers need to have a network card but
will not need any extra input/ouput cards even if you wish
them to have their own cash drawers.
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