Sable POS -- The Quality Alternative Re-emerges 
by
Todd Lejnieks

The best news yet for restaurant operators may be that Sable Technologies went bankrupt. Certainly, it is a welcome turn of events for anyone shopping for a reliable, affordable POS system for their restaurant.

Why welcome? Because a group of former employees of the bankrupt “ST Systems Corporation” empathized with the customers and regrouped to form “nuSable”. 

“We started plans for nuSable a day after the old company folded,” explains Hooman Assareh, C.O.O. for nuSable, Inc., operating as Sable POS. “After all, we were as shocked as our customers when Sable went out of business. Plenty of former employees didn’t get a paycheck. It’s one thing to watch CNBC report on a corporation filing for Chapter 7, but being in the middle of it is…ugly. The ugliest thing was the way ST Systems left the customers high and dry with worthless service agreement contracts”. 

“Our first order of business was to contact existing Sable users, to let them know that we were interested in supporting them.” With nearly 3000 Sable users, some who had recently purchased annual contracts, not all of the new group’s phone calls were pleasant. 

The small band of entrepreneurs quickly came up with a strategy. First, they offered low-cost support, trying to regain the customer’s trust and keep contacts from turning elsewhere. 

“It was tough,” says Assareh. “After all, we were trying to start up a new business from scratch, none of us were being paid and we had to find an office location, rent furniture and equipment. We were temporarily in the old office and we had no idea when PG&E or the phone service would be shut off. It was a wild race against time”.

By securing start-up funding from Trans-Equatorial Inc., nuSable established technicians around the country, built an internal repair department, and hired the original developer of the Sable POS software and a software engineer. They fashioned a creative package of support agreements, ranging from hourly-fee arrangements to quarterly or yearly customer support agreements. They purchased the software and intellectual rights from the bankruptcy proceedings. The vision was to offer current users and prospective buyers what “old Sable” was best at: a low-cost, POS system that takes minutes to learn and will last for years. 

Steadily, the new company began to win over former Sable Technologies customers and new customers as well. Nick Koikos, of Bright Star Restaurant articulates many of the former customer’s thoughts: "When the old support system [Sable Technologies] went out of business, we were concerned about the Sable system. We were one of the first customers in Alabama to choose this POS system. NuSable has been more responsive and has tried to help us with all of our questions promptly.” 

For equipment issues, nuSable now features a “one-day turnaround guarantee” and has a full-time, in-house staff of repair specialists to handle everything from minor glitches to server coffee spills to units drop-kicked by the local rugby team. 

In a testament to nuSable’s proactive marketing approach and customer-based philosophy, most Sable users have decided to stick with the system, despite fears that support and parts were, for a time, an issue in question.

Satisfied customer, Steve McLain of OBA Ristorante typifies the loyal Sable user. “Talking to nuSable is talking to a live voice, getting answers quickly with effective problem solving,” says McLain. "The Sable POS system is clean, has clear, categorized information with quiet, efficient machines and is very easy to learn."

Cindy Jennings, VP Customer Support, adds, “We have a strong commitment to delivering excellent service and providing live 24 x 7 phone support. We understand the importance of being available when our customers need us, not when it is convenient for us to call them back. Our service excels that of any major POS company. We may have a low cost system and affordable support, but we deliver top-notch service that sets us above all others.”

Long-heralded as the independent operator’s dream, nuSable is returning to a successful business model by offering a product with the robustness and speed every manager, server and chef needs to keep their unit running like clockwork. No unnecessary bells and whistles, no add-ons designed to give the customer features they may never use. 

Sable’s philosophy has always been one that the best POS system is one you never notice. 

“Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should,” says Assareh. “We have dropped plans to reach into the hospital and retail sectors. We want to stick with what we do best…delivering a rock-solid system to restaurants. Restaurant people, who squeeze out every penny they earn, can’t afford to be throwing thousands of useless dollars into technology, no matter what it promises. We try to give them exactly what they need—great service and a reliable system. We think what went wrong with our predecessor is that they lost sight of what our customers loved us for and became sales and profit-driven. They expanded into areas they didn’t belong and ran the service department as a necessary expense, not as the cornerstone of the business, as it should have been.”

Indeed, long-time Sable adherents raised their eyebrows when, just prior to declaring bankruptcy, Sable Technologies announced that they would be selling and servicing other system brands by entering the direct retail dealer channel. Several pre-existing dealerships were purchased. Raised eyebrows turned to knowing looks as Sable failed to capture any significant market share with their “DirectTouch” system or dealership channel and took focus away from where they had always excelled—providing an inexpensive alternative to the high-priced, luxury models, such as Micros, Aloha and Squirrel POS systems.

Now, content to fill their niche, and determined to prove that they will be the premier player for restaurant owners, managers and I.T. decision-makers looking for value, nuSable re-enters the competitive Point of Sale arena by getting back to its roots. For the independent operator looking for a reliable, affordable system, that’s certainly welcome news.

NuSable can be reached at 800-437-0189
or
Visit their website at www.sablepos.com