"ICR provided us with the expert advice and demonstrated how efficient their EPoS system is. It is definitely worth investing in the Catersoft system as it has increased my profit margins due to the fact that the system has allowed us to increase service efficiency, reduce the amount of errors, co-ordinate all my orders under the one place and track sales."
Paul Caira
Owner
The client
The Central Cafe is an established fish and chip shop and café located in Cupar, Angus. They offer a diverse menu packed with tasty dishes such as fish and chips, pizza, kebabs and salads, all made from fresh locally sourced ingredients for you to enjoy at home, or in the café.
Established in 1986, the business is owned and managed by local businessman Paul Caira, and now employs 15 staff. They were recognised as the best fish and chip shop in the Retail Awards in 2017.
Established in 1986, the business is owned and managed by local businessman Paul Caira, and now employs 15 staff. They were recognised as the best fish and chip shop in the Retail Awards in 2017.
Our Solution – A tailored system
or many years the business had used a Samsung ER5200 Cash Register which provided a flat keyboard of around 100 buttons that could be programmed with product names and prices. Although this was adequate in the past, as the business developed it became clear that a better, more efficient solution was required.
Owner Paul said, “The fish bar and café is a busy business and we required an order management suite that had the ability to manage all aspects of the takeaway and café, which has a huge menu with multiple pricing levels, seamlessly under the one system. I also wanted an intuitive system that my staff members would find easy to use”.
Owner Paul said, “The fish bar and café is a busy business and we required an order management suite that had the ability to manage all aspects of the takeaway and café, which has a huge menu with multiple pricing levels, seamlessly under the one system. I also wanted an intuitive system that my staff members would find easy to use”.
The Process
ICR Scotland advised and provided the Central Café with an all new EPoS system designed and configured to handle multiple sales channels; Telephone Orders for collection or home delivery, web orders, table tracking for sit-in orders in the Café as well as over the counter take away orders.
Owner Paul had already researched and reviewed several EPoS systems online before contacting ICR Scotland and explained the reasons that influenced his buying decision as follows:
“During the initial phone call with ICR, they quickly demonstrated their experience and expertise in this field. A follow up demonstration with Sales Director Iain Montgomery was arranged here at the Café and I could see immediately how the automatic recalling of customers details and the post code address finder would transform the telephone order taking process. This together with the added option of a new web site that allows my customers to place their orders online and the introduction of fully integrated credit card chip and pin terminals quickly convinced me this was an investment worth making. Iain’s knowledge and experience coupled with the personal face to face contact sold this for me. I feel the personal touch is a key factor when purchasing a bespoke solution that suited my particular business requirements.”
Owner Paul had already researched and reviewed several EPoS systems online before contacting ICR Scotland and explained the reasons that influenced his buying decision as follows:
“During the initial phone call with ICR, they quickly demonstrated their experience and expertise in this field. A follow up demonstration with Sales Director Iain Montgomery was arranged here at the Café and I could see immediately how the automatic recalling of customers details and the post code address finder would transform the telephone order taking process. This together with the added option of a new web site that allows my customers to place their orders online and the introduction of fully integrated credit card chip and pin terminals quickly convinced me this was an investment worth making. Iain’s knowledge and experience coupled with the personal face to face contact sold this for me. I feel the personal touch is a key factor when purchasing a bespoke solution that suited my particular business requirements.”
The solutions
ICR Scotland partners with IDT Software Ltd, developers of “Catersoft”. Catersoft is a market leading EPoS application specifically designed for fast food businesses. In addition, ICR Scotland can also design and manage a bespoke website for your take-away business which is fully integrated with your point-of-sale system.
Benefits for the Central café:
Paul stated, “Taking orders whether over the counter or over the phone is now a much faster and smoother process, especially at peak times, not only that, it has significantly reduced the amount of errors made. You simply touch the buttons on the screen – no more pen and paper. It’s a very initiative system that takes the server through the entire order process from start to finish. It prompts the server to upsell from medium to large portions, whether they require drinks, to the smallest of details – like asking if the customer wants salt and vinegar on their fish supper! Every possible multi-level pricing structure for my vast menu is now pre-set, meaning little room for pricing blunders. The system is also seamlessly integrated into my credit card system, so the need to manually input the price is no longer required, reducing transaction times and mis-keying errors.”
Another benefit to Paul’s business is the back-end reporting system, he said, “I previously had a separate system to manage my stock and sales. I can now reconcile my sales on a daily or weekly basis with Catersoft, allowing me to quickly identify trends, which I can access remotely from anywhere.”
The telephone caller recognition with customer database is another feature that has given the Central Cafe the capability to provide an efficient, personalised service. Regular customer’s details can be stored into the database and be recalled automatically by phone number recognition.
Paul also added, “I particularly like the caller display as it means I can personalise my answering message, and quickly input new customer addresses that can be found instantly by using the inbuilt post code function over the phone. Gone are the days where I had to dedicate a member of staff to manage phone call orders as it took so long to write everything down on paper.”
The telephone caller recognition with customer database is another feature that has given the Central Cafe the capability to provide an efficient, personalised service. Regular customer’s details can be stored into the database and be recalled automatically by phone number recognition.
Paul also added, “I particularly like the caller display as it means I can personalise my answering message, and quickly input new customer addresses that can be found instantly by using the inbuilt post code function over the phone. Gone are the days where I had to dedicate a member of staff to manage phone call orders as it took so long to write everything down on paper.”
E-commerce website -online ordering
A further benefit of the Catersoft system introduced to the Central café was the creation of an e-commerce web ordering system inclusive of a secure online payment system. ICR designed the website which enables customers to place their orders online from any internet connected device.
www.centralcafecupar.co.uk
The Results
Central Café now has an EPoS system that can coordinate all their telephone, over the counter, and web orders from the café and fish bar under the one system.
Paul stated, “Investing in the Catersoft system has been the right move for my business, I can positively say it has increased my profit margins by 10% due to the fact that the system has allowed us to increase service efficiency, reduce the amount of errors, and I can track sales. My team also find it extremely easy to use, we certainly couldn’t go back to the old manual till. The new system has all the features any take-away business requires to grow.
Finally, Paul concluded, “I would highly recommend ICR Scotland to any business. They provided a professional service from start to finish, and I felt their Director, Iain went out of his way to deliver the best solution to suit our needs and have been very transparent with all the costs involved. The entire team are highly knowledgeable and are always on hand to sort out any technical issues or training updates”.
Central Café now has an EPoS system that can coordinate all their telephone, over the counter, and web orders from the café and fish bar under the one system.
Paul stated, “Investing in the Catersoft system has been the right move for my business, I can positively say it has increased my profit margins by 10% due to the fact that the system has allowed us to increase service efficiency, reduce the amount of errors, and I can track sales. My team also find it extremely easy to use, we certainly couldn’t go back to the old manual till. The new system has all the features any take-away business requires to grow.
Finally, Paul concluded, “I would highly recommend ICR Scotland to any business. They provided a professional service from start to finish, and I felt their Director, Iain went out of his way to deliver the best solution to suit our needs and have been very transparent with all the costs involved. The entire team are highly knowledgeable and are always on hand to sort out any technical issues or training updates”.