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Restaurant-Related Websites ReviewedDinersoftDinersoft, like a lot of homespun sites, is not so much an organized information center, as an amalgamation of disparate ideas, somewhat centered around a "by, for and about restaurant people" theme. Its strength lies in its openness. Its faults in lack of structure and purpose, reflective of the WWW in general. Excellent content, like Restaurant Ergonomics -- a well-written piece on better living in the environment of a Floor or kitchen, often get overlooked for such questionable articles such as Cooks vs. Servers, a collection of flame-throwing posts that serves up the utterly ridiculous question of who is more important. Hopefully, readers will not let themselves get sucked into the argument but rise above the fray and see the real point, that neither is more important and both are crucial! The most under-appreciated page on Dinersoft is the FAQ section. Some excellent advice and wisdom can be found here. When comparing to the following sites, keep in mind that Dinersoft was bought and paid for for about $250. The Sauce.comTwenty. Five. Million. Dollars. Unbelievable. The first question: For 25MM, couldn't they make the first page readable without having to scroll horizontally? I suppose it is a cheap shot to begin every sentence with "For 25MM, couldn't they...?" so, just fill that part in for the rest of this. In their "Ask the Expert" section, where is the advice? I took the trouble to sign up (which you have to do before you can even surf the site), giving them all of my personal information, then find out that once I get there, nothing! No advice. Nada. Although they do claim that "theSauce.com is pleased to be able to provide this service, a $60 value, at absolutely no cost to you." Whoopee! Is my derision evident? Sorry, but really, I was very excited to hear about this site when Nation's Restaurant News first announced it. Maybe they will get their act together soon. Until then, stay away. On The RailWhen you first see the beat up Squirrel P.O.S. card on the home page, you know this place must be run by some real restaurant people. At first, I couldn't figure out exactly what On The Rail is trying to be but soon, I didn't care, as I began to read some of their content. What I liked:
Unfortunately, a lot of it is really nothing more than a collection of Message Board posts, which can be entertaining but only about 1 in 10 clicks. And, you can easily get lost without a way to click out except backing up 10 pages, which can be a pain if you are really getting into the Message Board thing--all somewhat embarrassing for a site that offers a "wide range of hosting and website development services." Their site designers claim to be working on those bugs and the good intentions of On The Rail should win out and make it worth repeat visits. Restaurant ReportSubtitled "The How-To Guide for Growing Restaurants", Restaurant Report features a Top 100 Hospitality Sites that Dinersoft has been begging to get listed on for 3 months. This site does not pretend to be everything for everyone but instead chooses a clean, well-defined approach that can be refreshing after a few hours surfing through animated gif's and blinking banners. Some very fine wisdom in their Articles section, as well as interesting topics in Great Debates. A must stop on the restaurant information superhighway. FoodscapeHave I told you how much I hate multi-million dollar websites? I am sure it is just jealousy. But, really, how can you spend so much money and trap me in an eency teency little frame on my poor 800x600 17-inch screen and expect me not to complain? God forbid you go there on less resolution or screen size! That said, this site more than makes up for it with its Business Tools, which I just did you the huge favor of providing a link that escapes their idiotic frame. Restaurant OwnerThe Food For Thought section is one of the best resources for how to run your operation on the internet, including articles from Ray Kroc and Bill Marvin. Banner and ad-free, Restaurant Owner.com is fully supported by its $69 membership fee, which includes an Employee Handbook template and Multimedia Training programs. The F&B ManagerToo many banners and ads on the front page are a bit scary but there is good content if you are willing to click around. Website owner/operator Chuck Gohn offers his own training seminars and some informative articles, including a short but sweet feature on Surfing Tips for the Hospitality Professional. Nation's Restaurant NewsLike Foodscape, we don't like the scrunched frame. But for sheer information and keeping up on restaurant news, it's hard to beat this site. For once, a good excuse to blow a few million...maybe.
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