The Hardware and Other Technology in Restaurants - Essay Example

Name Course Tutor Date Introduction Running a restaurant is a very challenging task especially for the modern and classic restaurants. Apart from having active staff members, there is the need for technological devices that will make the work easier for the staff. For example computer software that will automate most of the tasks instead of having to do them manually. There is also need for security in the restaurant and it is not possible for the security guards to keep watch of all corners in the restaurant. Security devices are therefore important to ensure that all areas are monitored. Below are some of the software and hardware and other technological devices that are required to run a restaurant. Hardware Used in Restaurant Signature Capture Devices These are in many forms but the most common ones are the electronic signature capture pads that are used by the human resource managers and other relevant staff in a restaurant. This device electronically captures the signatures of all the required persons and stores them for use in payment authorization and also for transmission of authority to the office in a hotel. This can also be important for acquiring of restaurant goods from the store in absence of the relevant person. A signature capture device eliminates the need to manually sign documents and in some cases the relevant person may not be present. They also make it easy to remember and reprint payment authorization documents in cases of disputes. The device is in many forms. Some use texts to capture the signature design and these range from $200 to $300. Others capture electronically from a written surface and theses range from $350 to $600 (Chaban, 163). Scanner A scanner is a restaurant hardware that is used to read bar codes (presentations of data on certain products) and to convert it before the information is entered into a POS system computer. A scanner fastens the sales transactions and it accurately inputs the details of the products or the services that the customer is purchasing. They function as an extension of the keyboard using connectors known as wedges. The prices of restaurant scanners range from $80 to $100 depending on the company that has manufactured and the features of the scanner. POS Computer This is a computer system with the combination of many functions form accounting, reporting, barcode scanning, to credit card transactions, all done within one package. POS (Point of Sale) computer incorporates all these functions into a single application that can be used easily and keeps records of all transactions in a secure manner. In a restaurant, POS enables the customers to make purchases, enables the restaurant operator to order for purchase of stock and to generate reports of all the sales. This therefore reduces the tasks that the manager could do manually such as writing purchase orders and stock deliveries (Kasavana, & Cahill, 73). A complete POS system containing all the hardware goes for about $650 and a license fee of around $200 for operating the system. This price is reasonable considering the tasks that are performed and it saves the costs of buying individual sets. Cash Drawer Cash drawers are for storing cash, certificates, credit card slips and other important documents in the restaurant. These are for security storage of those documents. It opens after the receipt printer issues a signal and therefore has a measured usable life. The rollers of the cash drawer should be regularly replaced plus its bearings and other movable parts. Cash drawers appear in many forms. Some have several segments for storing various forms of documents, money in notes and in coins. They are in simple and complex forms with different prices. The simple ones go for around $100 while those with complex structures go for around $250. Customer Pole Display Customer pole display is the equipment that allows the customers to view the prices of the commodities that they want to purchase. Ina restaurant, this can be used for advertising purposes where the items are placed on display. This should be positioned in such a way that the height is not too high for the customers and the width should fit the counter table in the restaurant. It should also be compatible with the POS software that is being used in the restaurant. It assists the customers who are visiting the restaurant for their first time because it allows them to see the products and their prices. They are made as pole displays or table displays. Table displays go for around $160 while the pole displays go for $185 (Walker, 202) POS Monitor This reflects all the activities that are being done in the POS system. It is displays the transactions by the staff, customers and the managers. A POS monitor can also be placed in a kitchen in the restaurant to view the outlet of foods. The store personnel can also use the POS monitors to view orders that are being made. Once the personnel view the order, it is then deleted after it has been attended to. In other words, they reflect and give information to the destined places. They are made in different sizes and have different prices. The smallest goes for $545 while the larger ones go for $650. POS Touch Screen This is type of restaurant hardware that allows the employees to easily set and cancel orders within duration of a second. It also minimizes the typing mistakes and makes the process of ordering to be faster. Using the touch screen technology, the customers after ordering swipes their credit cards for approval after which the order is passed to the kitchen. The touch screens can also be kept on the table or at the central place in the restaurant to reduce queues. They consume less electricity and can be easily placed. The most common type of touch screen costs around $ 750. Keyboard This hardware is preferred because it allows most of the vendors to program specific keys for specific items. The most commonly used in the restaurants are those keyboards with in- built magnetic stripe that enables easier processing of credit cards. The fast food outlets use the small and flat keyboards. However, some touch screens have keyboards and do not require the use of an external one. Keyboards are however designed according to the environment they are being used. The standard form is the 101-key and is found in most of the computers. Most keyboards sell at around $150 to $200 depending on the model of the keyboard. Receipt Printer This is the printer for printing receipts and credit card slips. They exist in two forms: the dot matrix and the thermal printer. The dot matrix prints using ribbons and the regular paper. Thermal printers are more expensive that the dot matrix but are highly reliable. This is the reason as to why they are preferred for use in most restaurants. They do not have many moving parts and are faster in printing. They also do not make a lot of noise because of the few moving parts. Thermal printers’ price ranges from $450 to $550 while the dot matrix ranges from $200 to $250. Technologies for Running a Restaurant Security camera These are components of video security surveillance for the restaurants. These are important due to the susceptibility of the restaurants to various risks such as theft. When the cameras are well installed, they can help reduce theft and improve on the safety in the restaurant. Surveillance of a restaurant can help avoid theft by the employees and the habit of dine and dash by the customers where customer eat and leave before they receive the bills. In crowded restaurants, the cameras help to monitor violence and fights and in cases of violence, they help in identifying those involved. Where one person manages a number of restaurants, it is easier to monitor them from a central point through the cameras. Most cameras are sold in sets of 2 to 5, and 6 to 16. The set of 2 to 5 goes for around $5,000 while for 6 to 15 goes for around $12,000 (Brown, 200). Headset (for waiter) Headsets are wireless communication devices used by the waiter sin a restaurant. They help in moving information from one place to another. The front office can inform the waters on the new arrivals and the waiters can also pass information to the kitchen on new orders. They are basically used by the waiters to pass orders to the kitchen and for communication amongst themselves. Without the headsets, services would be hard in the restaurant. One headset goes for around $150 but the price can be reduced when one purchasing several of them. Touch screen monitor This is placed at the table for customers to see what is available in the menu. This helps in saving time spent by the customers making orders. The transactions are also completed faster saving customer’s time by 50%. The customers also make orders accurately and the whole transaction is also completed accurately. PDA (for waiter) This is a Personal Digital Assistant. It is a device that enhances communication in all other systems in a restaurant. A restaurant may require a PDA that is simple, can accept orders from a client can deliver orders to the kitchen and can summarize the billing information and send them to the cashier. Communication using a PDA is done via an interface. The printer is used to print order form the client and this act as a work order. After the order from the kitchen is finished, the waiter is signalled who delivers the goods to the client. Using a PDA, the waiter can open a table using its number, obtain an order, edit the items on the table, finalize on an order by pressing the send button, send food items to the kitchen printer and at the end close the table and cash the items. The prices of PDAs range from $100 to $300 depending on the memory of the PDA. However, most restaurants do not required large memories. Router This is a device that connects several computers and interchanges information across them. A router can enable the person at the stores to view the information that is contained in the kitchen computers using his or her own computer. It is useful in the overall access of information in all restaurant departments. The manager is also able to view the information in all the department computers using his own computer. This is important since it saves time required to move and get information from one department to another. Routers are available with different number of ports depending on the number of computers to be connected. Most of them have five ports and sell at around $25 (Murphy, & Neuneker, 117). Time Management/Attendance Clock (for staff) This is for guiding the staff on the time that they are supposed to reports for their duties. In most of the restaurant, the employees work in shifts where some work in the afternoon, others in the morning and some at night. A clock will therefore enable the employees to know when they departure time reaches. A clock also guides on the time when some specific duties are done for example cleaning. Cleaning may be done at mid morning and mid afternoon and the clock will guide on this. A clock should be place at a central place or each in every department where it is accessible to everyone. Clocks are sold differently depending on size and the model of the clock. They are sold from as low as $60 to as much as $250. Telephone This is a communication device for passing information from one department to another. Telephones can be for internal or for external communication. In a restaurant, telephones can be used by the kitchen staff to communicate to the stores to the management and vice versa. For external communication, telephones can be used to communicate with the suppliers and also for booking facilities in a restaurant. For security purposes, telephones can also be used by the security guards at the entrance in case of any suspicion. Telephones are in many forms and the price depends on the model. The price ranges from $8 to $12. However, a restaurant requires several of them to serve all the departments (Kingsbury, 102). Conclusion With the above technology and devices, it is very easy to run a restaurant. This is because they cut the costs of doing jobs manually and also saves the time that is taken to attend on one customer. The restaurant industry is also becoming modern and technology plays a great role in this. It is therefore very necessary to ensure that the technology is up to date in the restaurant to attract and keep the customers. Works Cited Kingsbury, John. The telephone and telephone exchanges: their invention and development. New York: Longmans, 2000. Kasavana, Michael, & Cahill, John. Managing computers in the hospitality industry. London: Educational Institute, the American Hotel & Motel Association, 1997. Chaban, Joel. Directory of hardware and software for the foodservice industry. Boston: Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association, 2000. Brown, Douglas. The restaurant manager's handbook: how to set up, operate, and manage a financially successful food service operation, Volume 1. Atlanta: Atlantic Publishing Company, 2003. Murphy, Stephanie, & Neuneker, Alisa. QuickBooks for the Restaurant. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2009. Walker, John. The restaurant: from concept to operation. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2007. Read More