BEC Article and Link Directory

Radiant Systems is now part of NCR Corporation:
As you may know, Radiant Systems, manufacturer of Aloha, was acquired by NCR Corporation on August 24^th. Going forward, you can expect it to be business as usual with the people you have come to trust. You will continue to interact with us for all of your account and support needs. NCR Corporation acquired Radiant for its industry-leading solutions and wants to keep the principles in place that have helped them gain a reputation of excellence and quality. We expect our solutions to become even more robust, with more extensive capabilities, thanks to the acquisition. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

_____________________________________

6 ways to reduce costs in your restaurant 
With commodity prices continuing to go up, many operators are scrounging for new, innovative ways to decrease their food cost. The struggle is how to do that without changing the quality of the food and short-changing the guest. Maybe the best thing to do is to re-evaluate the basics of your kitchen operations. Here are 6 things to consider in your restaurant’s kitchen that will help you reduce costs and increase profits.

Don’t Get Blacklisted
Most business owners have good intentions when they purchase an email list. They're often quite eager to grow their business and feel these lists will help them grow faster. The truth is that sending email to a purchased list has serious consequences, including causing your email address to be blocked. Here are five tips to consider when building your own customer email database: 

• Include information about how to sign up for emails at the bottom of receipts.
• Create a monthly contest for email registrants.
• Create small flyers promoting your email program and place them in your togo bags or in check presenters.
• Ask servers or cashiers to remind dinners about the benefits of signing up.
• Collect email addresses on your website and through a tab on your Facebook page.

Gear up for gift cards 

The holiday season is a crucial time for restaurants to capitalize on gift card sales. Even though it seems like it’s still months away, now is the time to implement your gift card programand create a plan for success. Even if you caught it last year, this blog series on the importance of offering gift cards is a worthwhile read. Did you know 76% of consumers plan to purchase gift cards from restaurants or retail stores?

PCI Compliance Done Right 

The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Show in Orlando, Florida was full of great information and new ideas this year. In a session titled PCI Compliance Done Right – Stop Risking Your Business, Rich Peterson, President of Abacus Business Solutions, highlighted 12 things you can do to protect yourself from an expensive, reputation-destroying data breach. You can read Rich’s list here.

August was a BIG month! 

Did you know that Radiant’s blog does a weekly recap? The week of the acquisition was no exception, and it certainly was a busy one. Check out the top five list from that week, which includes a blog post by Andy Heyman about the next steps for Radiant as well as the press release about the acquisition.

Here we grow again! 

Congratulations, Kale Duncan!
Kale has been promoted to Supervisor of CSD. Thank you, Kale, for the great job you do each day! 

Renovation Updates
Ron Olson, our Facilities Manager, is heading up a renovation that should be complete by the end of the year. Here is what Ron has to say about the project: 
We have been at our current location for six years, and occupy about 11,500 sq.ft. Our upcoming expansion will add about 3,500 sq.ft., and is on-target to be completed between Thanksgiving and Christmas this winter. The space will be used to triple the size of our field service and in-shop repair facilities and will also provide more organized facilities for our marketing personnel. On a company-wide basis, the most popular addition will be an exercise room with equipment and shower facilities!
Thank you, Ron, for the excellent job you are doing with the renovation!