SUMMARY
Current economic conditions in the United States have hotel and restaurant owners wary about opening new locations. Fortunately, a new kind of software has allowed owners to take some of the guesswork out of coming up with areas in which their business could thrive. Geographic information systems (GIS) can provide owners with vast amounts of demographic and economic information about customers in various areas across the country. GIS data primarily comes from government agency databases. The software can go so far as to provide the owner with an exact intersection at which it believes business would be good for the company. It also gives information about competitors and advertising opportunities in the area.
Jack Butorack Jr., president of franchising for Marco’s Pizza, is a firm GIS believer. He purchased the software from MapInfo and went through an intensive process of location selection. After generating a list of 300,000 possible locations, MapInfo studied 67,000 possible competitors and were able to narrow the 300,000 down to 3,500.
In some cases, GIS human resource needs may be quite intensive. While some small companies can get away with designating only one person to GIS, others may require an entire team. This may seem like a huge sacrifice, but the long term benefits are undeniable.
Koroneos, George. Get Smart about Location Growth. Retrieved April 29, 2008 from http://www.htmagazine.com.
URL: http://www.htmagazine.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=MultiPublishing&mod=PublishingTitles&mid=3E19674330734FF1BBDA3D67B50C82F1&tier=4&id=FCE766CEF22546BC99FA612A838AA75E
REFLECTION
The use of geographic information systems makes complete sense. Sure there are lots of places on the web where you can find demographic information about customers in different areas, but the information you will find publicly on the Internet is not nearly as detailed and informative as the information provided by servers like MapInfo.
In all industries, not just hospitality, it is very important to know that there is a place in the local market for your business. For example, imagine you are the owner of an upscale fine dining restaurant looking to expand. Chances are that your business would have no success in a poor area. Very few families would be able to afford eating a meal at your restaurant. This would especially be true if there was already a fine dining restaurant somewhere in the area. There would be absolutely no customer base to support both fine dining restaurants, and maybe even the pre-existing one alone. GIS software could prevent the business from making the mistake of building a new location in that area. Instead, the software would probably recommend a more urban, middle to upper class area. I think that GIS technology would be a great investment for any corporation looking to expand.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Blog Assignment #4
SUMMARY
As the demand for bigger and better technologies in the hospitality industry grows, companies are looking to upgrade their current technology solutions. This is the case not only with five-star hotels and restaurants, but also in more humble locations, such as quick service restaurants. We can see how technology demands are being met in the quick service segment by taking a look at one of the examples provided in the article, Westshore Pizza.
This small, mom-and-pop chain in Florida has recently moved to an Aldelo POS system. The owners rave about this product, called “Aldelo for Restaurants”, because of its affordability, convenience, and functionality. Westshore Pizza uses the POS for integrated credit card solutions, delivery, and training. It has also started an online ordering system that operates through the POS. Technology has given the small pizza company all of the advantages of a large chain, and at a great price.
Thanks to offerings from both Aldelo and other hospitality software companies, quick service restaurants like Westshore Pizza have been given a step up in the market. POS packages can be customized to the business’s needs. For more information, read the full article, which offers five more examples as to how quick service restaurants are taking advantage of the hospitality technology boom.
Powers, Vicki. POS Software: The Quick Service Perspective. Retrieved April 16, 2008 from http://www.htmagazine.com.
URL: http://www.htmagazine.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=MultiPublishing&mod=PublishingTitles&mid=3E19674330734FF1BBDA3D67B50C82F1&tier=4&id=2A627D6FDED54083B4270EE10FBFC459
REFLECTION
I personally have seen the affects that hospitality technology is having on quick service and mom-and-pop restaurants. POS systems are springing up where I had never seen before, such as in my local diner. The small, old-fashioned, diner has moved away from the good old paper and pencil method and has moved onto a POS system with terminals in the dining room that communicate with the kitchen staff. The technology seems so out of place in the little Smyrna Diner, a popular stop for truckers and farmers grabbing an early breakfast or late dinner. The waitresses rave about the system, saying that it saves them time, mistakes, and sore feet from running back and forth to the kitchen.
Another technology that I have recently seen at a quick service restaurant was found at a local McDonald’s. Instead of using an intercom system at the drive-thru, there was an individual with a wireless POS walking from car to car to take orders. It was great to talk to a real person and be able to hear what they said instead of listening to a muffled voice over the intercom. The service was much more personal. I hope to see further technological advancements from mom-and-pop and quick service restaurants in the future.
As the demand for bigger and better technologies in the hospitality industry grows, companies are looking to upgrade their current technology solutions. This is the case not only with five-star hotels and restaurants, but also in more humble locations, such as quick service restaurants. We can see how technology demands are being met in the quick service segment by taking a look at one of the examples provided in the article, Westshore Pizza.
This small, mom-and-pop chain in Florida has recently moved to an Aldelo POS system. The owners rave about this product, called “Aldelo for Restaurants”, because of its affordability, convenience, and functionality. Westshore Pizza uses the POS for integrated credit card solutions, delivery, and training. It has also started an online ordering system that operates through the POS. Technology has given the small pizza company all of the advantages of a large chain, and at a great price.
Thanks to offerings from both Aldelo and other hospitality software companies, quick service restaurants like Westshore Pizza have been given a step up in the market. POS packages can be customized to the business’s needs. For more information, read the full article, which offers five more examples as to how quick service restaurants are taking advantage of the hospitality technology boom.
Powers, Vicki. POS Software: The Quick Service Perspective. Retrieved April 16, 2008 from http://www.htmagazine.com.
URL: http://www.htmagazine.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=MultiPublishing&mod=PublishingTitles&mid=3E19674330734FF1BBDA3D67B50C82F1&tier=4&id=2A627D6FDED54083B4270EE10FBFC459
REFLECTION
I personally have seen the affects that hospitality technology is having on quick service and mom-and-pop restaurants. POS systems are springing up where I had never seen before, such as in my local diner. The small, old-fashioned, diner has moved away from the good old paper and pencil method and has moved onto a POS system with terminals in the dining room that communicate with the kitchen staff. The technology seems so out of place in the little Smyrna Diner, a popular stop for truckers and farmers grabbing an early breakfast or late dinner. The waitresses rave about the system, saying that it saves them time, mistakes, and sore feet from running back and forth to the kitchen.
Another technology that I have recently seen at a quick service restaurant was found at a local McDonald’s. Instead of using an intercom system at the drive-thru, there was an individual with a wireless POS walking from car to car to take orders. It was great to talk to a real person and be able to hear what they said instead of listening to a muffled voice over the intercom. The service was much more personal. I hope to see further technological advancements from mom-and-pop and quick service restaurants in the future.
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