We took advantage of the free trial download and also ordered their demo cd-rom version.  FoodService Boss was created by Symbiotic Systems, which was recently purchased by HSI, a leading P.O.S. system provider, probably to try to do what everyone else is trying to do:  link up the P.O.S. to the Back Office.

             As a stand-alone work, FoodService Boss can be purchased as a whole, or in modules (scheduling, inventory, timekeeping, menu making, repair & maintenance control, and a simple recipe-costing tool).

            What's good:  Workable interface.  "Customizable", without being prone to user error.  For your average restaurant manager, they should be able to learn any part of FoodService Boss in one sitting. We also like that you can purchase it in small parts, using only what you need.  The possibility that it can be linked to HSI (no actual proof of that happening yet!) looks like a huge bonus, and we hope they can get that to work without too much difficulty.  We particularly liked the scheduling module and rank it up there with Time Manager for ease of use and practicality.

             What's bad:  User screens a little too busy.  It may have just been the "demo" version we were using but it there was too much information vying for too little screen space.  

             Nice touches:  The demo software for their "Schedule Maker Pro" uses famous rock & roll names, including Jerry Garcia!  WTG!  Very cool "random schedule creation tool", which generates a schedule based on availability and rated strengths of employees.

Comment

Tech vs. No Tech	OpenTable.com
Sable Technologies	Recommended Reading
Restaurant Related Websites	ReservationPro
Time Manager for Windows	Pixel Point
Coming Soon
	b2b Article -- online ordering
Micros	Server Websites
DSL - Is it worth the hype?	Cook Websites

©2000 by Todd Lejnieks.  All rights reserved.